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G R E A T PYRAMID PASSAGES AND C H A M B E R S
IN WHICH IS SHOWN HOW
T H E GREAT PYRAMID O F GIZEH SYMBOLICALLY AND BY MEASUREMENT CORROBORATES THE
PHILOSOPHY AND PROPHETIC TIMES AND SEASONS OF
T H E DIVINE PLAN O F T H E AGES AS CONTAINED IN T H E HOLY SCRIPTURES TOGETHER WITH
TWENTY-TWO LETTERS FROM EGYPT AND PALESTINE
BY
JOHN EDGAR nf.A., B.Sc., M.B., C.M., F.R.F.P.S.G. AND
MORTON EDGAR
VOLUME I (ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)
GLASGOW :
BONE & -HULLEY, DUNDAS STREET 1910
NOTE. In the short interval during which this volume was in the press, Dr. John Edgar has passed beyond the vail. Although his departure causes a vacancy in our lives, we rejoice in the confidence that our beloved brother now realizes the blessedness of those who "die in the Lord." We sorrow not as others who have no hope.
PREFACE the purpose and scope of this work, and the circumstances which led to its preparation and publication, are commented upon elsewhere, we .do not ' require to further allude to them here. In the present volume, which deals mostly with the symbolical features of the Great Pyramidls teachings, the measurements stated are, generally, only approximate ; these will be detailed more accurately in the second volume, which will enter into the Great Pyramid's corroborations of the time features of the Plan of the Ages. As later investigators, we are indebted to past writers on the pyramids for much valuable data, especially to the three great pioneers, Col. Howard Vyse and Professors C . Piazzi Smyth and Flinders Petrie, all of whom we frequently quote, and from whose works a number of our line-drawings of the Great Pyramid are copied with modifications, bringing them more into accordance with present day knowledge. In this connection, we gratefully acknowledge the services of Mr. J. A. Hannah, C.E., of Glasgow, who prepared many of these finely executed diagrams. The illustrations of Jerusalem, etc., in our letters from the Holy Land, are small reproductions of the beautiful drawings in Pictzzresque Palestine, edited by Colonel Wilson. The photo-engravings are the work of Messrs. AndrC & Sleigh, London. We desire to express our warm appreciation of the many acts of kindness accorded us by numerous friends,-among whom we wish specially to mention our dear old friend, the late Mr. Wm. Ford of Bristo1,-which have greatly encouraged us in our work. Lastly, our prayer is that our labours may be blessed by the Lord, without whom no work shall prosper. May this book be used to stimulate its readers to still greater activity and zeal in His harvest-field.
September, 191 0.
CONTENTS
. The Origin, Purpose, and General Description of the Great Pyramid, The Divine Plan of the Ages, The Chart of the Ages, The Great Pyramid in Type and Antitype, The Passage and Chamber System of the Great Pyramid, The Symbolism of the Passages and Chambers of the Great Pyramid, The Symbolism of the Passages and Chambers of the Great Pyramid more Fully Considered : (A) The King's and Queen's Chambers, (B) The Descending Passage and Subterranean Chamber, (C) The First Ascending. Passage, (D) The Horizontal Passage to the Queen's Chamber, (E) The Grand Gallery and the Ante-Chamber to the King's Chamber, (F) The Grand Gallery, -
CHAPTER.
I I1 I11 IV V VI VII
PAGE.
11 23 29 37
45 61
LETTERS FROM E G Y P T AND PALESTINE. PAGE.
LETTER.
Introductory Note,
VI VII VIII IX X XI XI1 XI11 XIV
xv XVI XVII XVIII XIX XX XXI XXII
98 99
-
Bristol Hotel, Cairo, Arab Village, near Great Pyramid of Gizeh, Arab Village, near Great Pyramid of Gizeh, Tent at the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, Train en route for Cairo, Tents at the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, Tents at the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, Tents at the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, Tents at the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, Tents at the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, Train en route for Port Said, Hotel Fast, Jerusalem, Hotel Fast, Jerusalem, Hotel Du Parc, Jaffa, Hotel Fast, Jerusalem, Tents at the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, Train en route for Cairo, Tents at the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, Tents at the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, Mariette's House, Sakkara, Tents at the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, Train en route for Port Said,
-
103
-
115
121 132 135
139 147
PLATES
AL MAMOUN'S FORCED PASSAGE. PLATES. LXIV LXV
Par. r e f .
Cavity on west side of Granite Plug, Same as above, showing lower end of First Ascending Passage,
-
328 328
Also Plates V,XXIX,LXIV,LXV,LXIX, LXX.
CXVIII CXIX CXX CXXI
Space between north wall and Granite Leaf, South side of Granite Leaf, Upper portion of west side, South wall, - ' Also Plates XV,XX.
CASING-STONES OF GREAT PYRAMID. VII VIII XXIII XXIV
xxv
XXVI XXVII XXIX XXX XLIII XLIV XLV XLVI XLVII CII
Discovery of casing-stones by Col. Howard Vyse, Fragment of casing-stone adhering by cement to other stones, Whole row of nineteen, looking west, Two largest at east end, looking west, Butt-joint between pavement and platform, Whole row of nineteen, looking east, Front and top view, showing fissure in rock, Front view, with Hadji Ali Gabri pointing out A1 Mamoun's forced passage, Front view, showing angle-stones above Entrance, Whole row of nineteen, top view, looking west, Two largest at east end, looking east, Workmen removing debris from front of casing-stones, Front view of largest at east end, Front view, with Mr. Covington and another man standing, Front view, with Hadji Ali Gabri standing near largest at east end, Also Plates XL, XLI,CXXXV, CXXXVI.
475 476 479 492
PLATES. XXXIV XXXVIII LXXVI LXXVII LXXIX LXXXII CXIII CXXVII CXXX CXXXI CXXXII CXXXVII CXL CXLI CXLII CXLIV CLIV
COMPLETE PYRAMIDS. Par. ref.
North front of Second Pyramid, North front of Third Pyramid, North front of Great Pyramid, with tents, North-west angle of Great Pyramid, showing gap between it and tents, North-west angle of Great Pyramid, from south of tents, North-west angle of Great Pyramid, from tent door, Portion of north front of Great Pyramid, near view, First Pyramid south of Gizeh group, showing huts on top, Abusir ruined Pyramid, Sakkara ruined Pyramid, Sakkara Step Pyramid, Dashur Pyramids, from the Sakkara Pyramids, Great Pyramid from the south-west, with trees in foreground, Pyramids of Gizeh, from the east, with Arab village in foreground, Pyramids of Gizeh, from south of the Third Pyramid, Great Pyramid, from the sand-hills above Mena House Hotel, Great Pyramid, with summit obscured by mist,
248 252 335 335 340 348 473 510 512 512 512 517 522 524 525 527 574
Also Plates 11, XXXII, LXXVIII, CXXVIII, CXXXIX, CXLIII.
DESCENDING PASSAGE.
XI XXXI XLVIII LI LII LXXX CLXII
Sectional drawing, showing junction of First Ascending Passage, Entrance, showing angle-stones above, Opposite lower end of Well, John descending, Hard-caked mud in lower east corner, Lower east corner, with hard-caked mud removed, Sectional drawing of north end, looking west, Opposite lower end of Well, Judah ascending,
96 229 284 292 293 337 587
Also Plates X, XLIX, LXVI, LXVII, LXVIII.
FIRST ASCENDING PASSAGE. Drawing, showing the system of masonry, Also'Plates XI, LXIV, LXV.
GRAND GALLERY XI1 XI11 XVIII CXVI CXVII CXLIX CLIII CLV
Drawing of north end, plan and vertical section, looking west, Sectional drawing of north end, looking south, Sectional drawing of north end, showing Queen's Chamber floor-line produced, Step at upper or south end, Doorway of small passage leading to Ante-Chamber, East Ramp at north wall, North wall, North wall, from a drawing by Muirhead Bone, -
462
.
PLATES. CLVI CLVII CLVIII
GRANDGALLERY (Continued). Par. ref.
Near view of cut-off of floor, Entrance of Horizontal Passage to Queen's Chamber from Grand Gallery, Looking south, from near north wall,
580 579 580
Also Plates XX, CXLV, CXLVI, CXLVII, CXLVIII.
GRANITE PLUG. LXVI LXVII LXVIII LXIX LXX
Lower butt-end, from the Descending Passage, Lower butt-end, from the Descending Passage, Lower butt-end, John measuring, Exposed west side of upper end, from A1 Mamoun's cavity, Upper butt-end, from First Ascending Passage, -
331 331 332 333 334
Also Plates XI, LXIV, LXV.
GROTTO. CL CLI
Drawing, plan and vertical section, looking north, Looking north, showing entrance doorway from Well-shaft,
541 542
HORIZONTAL PASSAGE TO QUEEN'S CHAMBER. CLIX
Step in floor,
585
Also Plates XIV, XIX, XVIII, CLVII, CLVIII, CLX.
KING'S CHAMBER. XT$ XVI XX CXXII CXXIII CXXIV CXXV
Sectional drawing, looking west, showing Chambers of Construction, Sectional drawing, looking north, showing Chambers of Construction, Sectional drawing, looking west, with figures, North-west corner, showing Coffer, Mouth of south air-channel, Doorway of entrance passage, The Coffer,
107 112 178 493 497 498 498
MAPS. I I1 I11 IV LXXXV XC
Perspective map of Lower Egypt, Gizeh Pyramid plateau, Lower Egypt, showing sector-shaped land, Of the world, showing land-central position of the Great Pyramid, Jerusalem, Lower Egypt, and lower Palestine,
10 12 13 14 360 384
MISCELLANEOUS PLATES.
VI XXI XXII XXXIII XXXVI XLII LXXVIII LXXXI LXXXIII LXXXIV XCVIII CIII CXV CXXVI CXXXVIII CLXIV
Par. ref.
Chart of the Ages, S.S. Martaban, en route for Egypt, An Eastern threshing-floor, Erecting tent in front of Great Pyramid, Human skulls in temple of Second Pyramid, Donkey-boy arriving with water at sunrise, Avenue and tramway-track to Pyramids of Gizeh, Rubbish-mound at west base of Great Pyramid, On the balcony of the Du Parc Hotel, Jaffa, A Jaffa porter, Mouth of tomb-shaft in Tombs of the Kings, Rock-hewn tombs to the west of the Great Pyramid, Kitchen-tent, with cook working in front, Donkey-riding at the Sakkara Pyramids, Trial Passages, vertical section and plan, S.S. Martaban, en route for home,
-
PALESTINE. LXXXVI LXXXVII LXXXVIII LXXXIX XCI XCII XCIII XCIV XCV XCVI XCVII XCIX C CI CIV CV CVI CVII CVlII CIX
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, St. Stephen's Gate, Church of the Nativity, Cave underneath the Church of the Nativity, Jews' wailing-place, Lower end of the Valley of Jehoshaphat, Village of Siloam, Valley of Jehoshaphat, from Temple Area, showing three large tombs, Zechariah's Tomb, - . Threshing-floors on the summit of the Mount of Olives, Tombs of the Kings, Jerusalem, from the balcony of Fast's hotel, Model of Solomon's Temple, Model of Nerod's Temple, Model of the Mosque of Omar, Mosque of Omar, from the south, Under the dome of the Mosque of Omar, Cave underneath the Mosque of Omar, Jerusalem, from the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, from Mount Scopus, -
46 216 219 245 249 256 336 340 354 356 408 441 473 505 520 600
PANORAMIC VIEWS. PLATES.
LXXV CXI CXIV CXXVIII
Par. ref.
Delta of the Nile, with tents in foreground, Eastward, from " Tents at the Great Pyramid of Gizeh," North-westward, from " Tents at the Great Pyramid of Gizeh," Gizeh Pyramids from the south, -
-
335 471 472 511
Also Plates CXXVI, CXXXVII.
PORTRAITS AND GROUPS. LXXI LXXII LXXIII LXXIV CXII CXXIX
Judah, the Pyramid attendant, Sayd, the waiter, Ferrali, the cook, Abraheem Faid, the Reis, Group at dining-tent door, Abdul Salam Faid, the tent-contractor,
335 335 335 335 471 506
-
Also Plates XXVII, XLII, LXXXIII, CII, CXXII, CXXIV, CXXV.
QUEEN'S CHAMBER. XIV XIX C LX CLXI CLXIII
Sectional drawing, looking west, Sectional drawing, looking east, Doorway of entrance passage, East wall, showing Niche, Mouth of north air-channel,
-
102 142 586 588 593
-
Also Plate XVIII.
SAKKARA PYRAMIDS. CXXXV CXXXVI
Casing-stones on the west side of one of the Sakkara Pyramids, Casing-stones and temple on the east side of do. do.,
-
515 516
Also Plates CXXXI, CXXXII, CXXXIV.
SECOND PYRAMID O F GIZEH. XXXV XXXVII
Temple foundations on the east side, Mouth of the upper Entrance,
248 250
Also Plates 11, VIII, XXVIII, XXXIV, LXXVIII, CXXVIII, CXXXIII, CXLI, CXLII, CXLIII.
SECTIONAL DRAWINGS O F COMPLETE PYRAMIDS. V IX XVII XXVIII XXXIX CXXXIII CXXXIV
Plan of the Great Pyramid, Vertical section of the Great Pyramid, looking west, Vertical section of the Great Pyramid, looking north, Vertical section of the Second Pyramid, looking west, Vertical section of the Third Pyramid, looking west, Vertical sections of all the Pyramids of Gizeh, Vertical sections of all the Pyramids of Egypt, other than those of Gizeh,
25 89 116 228 252 514 514
SMALL HORIZONTAL PASSAGE TO SUBTERRANEAN CHAMBER. PLATES.
XLIX L LVIII LIX
Par. ref.
Entrance at lower end of Descending Passage, Entrance at lower end of Descending Passage, on west side, Recess on west side, looking south, Recess on west side, looking north, Also Plates X, LV, LVII. '
290 291 303 303
SPHINX. XXXII CXXXIX CXLIII
Near view, with the Great Pyramid in the background, Viewed from hill to the south of the Great Pyramid, Near view, with the Second Pyramid in the background,
-
232 521 524
Also Plate CXLI.
SUBTERRANEAN CHAMBER. X LIII LIV LV LVI LVII LX LXI
Drawing, vertical sections and plan, Looking west, showing large rock-mounds, North-west corner, showing recess, North wall, showing entrance doorway, Opening of vertical shaft, looking south, Doorway of entrance passage, Doorway of little south passage, East wall, -
THIRD PYRAMID O F GIZEH. XL XLI
Entrance, and granite casing-stones, Temple platform, and granite casing-stones, Also Plates 11, XXXVIII, m, LXXVIII, CXXVIII, CXXXIII, CXLI, CXLII.
255 255
WELL. LXII LXIII CXLV CXLVI CXLVII CXLVIII CLII
Mouth of lower end, Judah ascending shaft, Mouth of lower end, Stanley ascending shaft, Drawing of mouth of upper end, looking north-west, Mouth of upper end, looking north-west, Drawing of mouth of upper end, looking west, Mouth of upper end, looking west, Mouth of lower end, showing granite stone in Descending Passage, Also Plates X, XII. XIII, XVIII, XLVIII, CL, CLI, CLXII.
316 316 531 531 531 531 556
CHAPTER I. THE ORIGIN, PURPOSE,AND GENERALDESCRIPTION OF THE
GREATPYRAMID.
F the seven ancient wonders of the world, the Great Pyramid of Gizeh in the land of Egypt, because it is the oldest building in the world and because of its immense size, has been universally recognized as standing pre-eminent, it has also proved itself the most enduring, for it is the only one of the seven which remains. For forty-one centuries it has kept silent watch over the Delta of the Nile, at the southern apex of which it stands ; and each succeeding generation has asked itself the question : For what purpose was it built, and who was the architect 3 Many have been the theories put forward in the past to answer this question, but all of them so inconclusive that, although the true answer has within recent years been brought to light by a few patient investigators, the lines of the Italian poet Petrocchi well expresses the attitude of men's minds in general toward this great monument" I ask'd of Tioze : ' To whom arose this high
,.
Majestic pile, here mouldering in decay ? ' He answer'd not, but swifter sped his way, With ceaseless pinions winnowing the sky. To Fame I turn'd : 'Speak thou, whose sons defy The waste of years, and deathiess works essay !' She heaved a sigh, as one to grief a prey, And silent, downward cast her tearful eye. Onward I pass'd, but sad and thoughtful grown, When, stern in aspect, o'er the ruin'd shrine I saw Oblivion stalk from stone to stone. ' Dread power'! ' I cried, 'tell me whose vast design-' He check'd my further speech, in sullen tone ! 'Whose once it was, I care not ; now 'tis mine !' "
2 Among the theories which have been advocated, it has been claimed that the Great Pyramid was a temple to the Sun and Moon, a building on which to burn sacred fire, a granary for Joseph, a place of refuge from a second deluge, a place of refuge when the heavens should fall, an astronomical observatory, etc., but the theory which has found most favour is that which claims that it is a gigantic mausoleum. Concerning all the pyramids of Egypt, and particularly the Great Pyramid, the Rev. Andrew who built Thornson, D.D., wrote in his well-known work, In the Holy Land,-"And those titanic structures, and what was the design of their builders ? These are questions that have been repeated since the Father of history, more than two thousand years ago,
I1
.
looked up on those same time-defying piles, and thought them old . . . The old and popular supposition which regards them as royal tombs or monuments continues by far the most probable, especially when it is considered that human remains have actually . . On this supposition, with the name been found in some of the smaller pyramids of the monarch that erected them to his own glory buried in impenetrable oblivion, what a monument are they at once of human power, folly, and crime ! 3 "Yet these mountain structures which were almost contemporaneous in their erection with the beginning of human history, and may very possibly be standing at its close, suggest more than one conclusion. They prove at how early a period human rule assumed the form of gigantic despotisms. We learn from Herodotus that twenty thousand men, relieved every three months, were employed for twenty years in erecting the one Pyramid of Cheops [the Great Pyramid of Gizeh]. The energies of a whole nation were bent for so long a period, and its resources drained, to gratify the mad ambition of one of the earliest of the Pharoahs. And they also place it beyond doubt that Egypt must have been one of the first peopled countries, as well as one of the earliest cradles of the arts. There must have been something more than mere brute strength-a considerable knowledge of some of the great mechanical laws, as well as of the rules of masonry-to be able to raise those huge blocks to their appointed place, and to rear those Pyramids. And when we find among Egypt's earliest tomb-paintings and imperishable frescoes, pictures of the shoemaker's knife, of the weaver's handshuttle, and of the whitesmith's blowpipe as it is used in our own days, we cannot admit that there is a shade of extravagance in those lines of the old bard,-
..
' The fertile plains of Egypt flourished then, Productive cradle of the first of men.'"
4 However true it may be that some, possibly all, of the smaller pyramids were built as tombs, we hope to give abundant proof that the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, at all events, was not intended as a tomb, but that, while constructed by man, it is like the Bible of Divine origin, elected for the purpose of teaching the important truth of God's infinite wisdom and foreknowledge. The first to propose and prove this view was John Taylor of London in a book published in 1859 A.D. and entitled The Great Pjlramid: why was it built ? and who built i t ? What convinced him was mainly the many important scienfific truths which he found to be embodied in this wonderful structure, but he was assisted greatly in coming to this conclusion by reasoning on the basis of information derived from the writings of Herodotus and Manetho. The former recorded that the Egyptians detested the memory of the kings who caused their forefathers to build the Great and Second Pyramids, partly because of this, and partly because they made them close their temples, and that for this reason they were not willing to mention their names, but called the two pyramids after Philition, a shepherd who at that time fed his cattle about the place. Manetho, himself an Egyptian, wrote : "There came up from the East, in a strange manner, men of an ignoble race, who had the confidence to invade our country, and easily subdue it without a battle. All this invading nation was styled Hyksos, that is, Shepherd Kings." He then related how afterwards they departed for Judea and built city there, named Jerusalem. This was long before the Exodus under Moses.
5 John Taylor, remembering the idolatrous and immoral practices of the Egyptians, reasoned that these invaders whom they detested, were probably of purer worship and character ; and he thought that the evidences pointed to their being members of God's chosen race in the direct line of, but preceding, Abraham,-possibly under Shem himself or Melchizedec, though he inclined to the belief that the master builders were the thirteen sons of Joktan, son of Eber, the great-grandson of Shem. If so, this would easily account for the Egyptians' hatred of their rulers, because, not only were the Egyptians as a subject people forced to build the Pyramid and to close their own temples, but they must have seen the bulls, which they worshipped, sacrificed by these "men of an ignoble race." From that day every shepherd was " an abomination unto the Egyptians "--Compare Gen. 46: 32-34 ; Exod. 8: 25,26 ; Gen. 43: 32. Whether or not this surmise be correct, evidence will be given in the following pages that John Taylor was right when he declared that the Great Pyramid was of Divine origin. 6 Concerning the Shepherd Kings, the following extract from John Taylor's work is full of suggestive interest :-I1 They came into the country as strangers ; they were not of the same race nor of the same religion with the Mizraim [Egyptians], who preceded them in its occupation ; they did not invade it as conquerors, though, as Manetho tells US, they easily subdued it by their power without a baffle.' They must, therefore, have come either in such large numbers as to make opposition hopeless, or they must have been received as benefactors by the common people whom they employed ; and it was only after their departure that their memory was calumniated by the stories told of their oppression. They were evidently animated by a strong desire to perform a certain task, and when they had accomplished it they left the country of their own accord, confiding to the care of the original inhabitants those wonderful works by which they had enriched and ennobled the land. They never returned to claim any interest in the fruits of their labours, but occupied some other country, in which they erected no such monuments as these. They were so far like conquerors, or tyrants as they were called, that they were, for the time being, the ruling power of the country. They employed the common people in realizing their magnificent conceptions, for which they must have given them the most minute directions ; and this evident superiority of intellect may have caused the ignorant to envy and misrepresent them. But that they improved the condition of the people among whom they took up their abode during not less than 100 years, must be admitted by all who know how greatly an inferior race is benefited by the invasion of a superior." 7 Before his death, John Taylor requested Professor C. Piazzi Smyth, at that time Astronomer Royal for Scotland, to go to Egypt and make a thorough scientific examination of the Great Pyramid. This Professor Smyth did during the winter 1864-5. In his Life and Work a t the Great Pyramid, he has left on record minute measurements of every important part of the structure, except, on the exterior, the few remaining casing-stones, and, in the interior, the Subterranean Chamber or Pit, and the lower three-fourths of the Descending Passage. Large accumulations of rubbish prevented him from exploring these portions. With the exception of minute fractional differences in certain parts, these measurements have since been confirmed by other scientific investigators, prominent among whom is Professor Flinders Petrie, in spite of the fact that he ridicules the various scientific and religious theories warmly advocated by Professor Smyth.
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8 Consequent upon the work of Professor Smyth, many able minds have been awakened to search into the various problems presented by the Great Pyramid. Some of these investigators have claimed not only that it embodies great scientific truths, but also that it sets forth symbolically and by measurement the Divine plan of salvation,that, in fact, it is Messianic. Among the supporters of this view was Professor Smyth himself ; but the chief one has been C. T. Russell, Pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle, N.Y. Previous to his study of the Great Pyramid, he had discovered many wonderful truths in the Scriptures regarding the plan of salvation, truths which revealed the harmonious co-operation of Divine wisdom, justice, love and power, and therefore exalted his conception of the character and purposes of the creator and sustainer of the universe. With his mind clarified by the knowledge thus gained, he was enabled to discover symbolic and prophetic features in the Great Pyramid, which had necessarily been hidden from previous Pyramid students. 9 The jcint-authors of Great Pyramid Passages, having discovered in the years 1904, 1905, various beautiful confirmations of the prophetic features of the Divine plan as explained by C. T. Russell in the second and third volumes of his Scripture Studies, set themselves in April of the year 1906 seriously to investigate the various claims made by him in his article on the Great Pyramid at the end of the third volume, and, thanks to the knowledge which they had previously gained, they were not long in coming to the conclusion that these claims were well founded.' Accordingly, seeking the Lord's continued guidance, they at once decided to investigate the subject further, and were rewarded as day by day first one, and then the other, discovered fresh beauties in the symbolic and prophetic teaching of this marvellous structure. In the course of five or six weeks most of the Pyramid features described in the first and second volumes of Great Pyramid Passages were discovered. For various reasons publication has been delayed until now. Chief among these is the fact that in the summer of 1909 the joint authors made 2 personal visit to the Great Pyramid in order to investigate it at first hand, especially for the purpose of taking photographs, measuring the Descending Passage and Subterranean Chamber, and examining the Girdles in the First Ascending Passage, first described by Waynman Dixon, C.E. At the end of this volume will be found several letters from Egypt and Palestine, most of them originally written by one of the authors, but since revised, re-arranged and enlarged by both. 10 With this introduction, our attention might now be directed to several items of general interest connected with the Great Pyramid. There are in all about thirty-eight pyramids in Egypt, all of them situated on the western side of the Nile on the border of the Libyan portion of the great Sahara Desert (Plate I), and all of them square-based, with four triangular sloping sides meeting at the top in a point over the centre of the base. But of these, only about seven of the largest are of importance ; the remainder are much smaller, and are of such inferior material and workmanship, that they collapsed long ago into rounded ruins, with the result that they are now no longer recognizable as pyramids. 'A few of these confirmations of C. T. Russell's interpretation of the Scriptural prophecies were kindly published by him in the Waich Tower for Nov. 15th 1904, and June 15th 1905. It is proposed to describe them all in the first portion of Vol. 11. of Great Pyramid Passages.
14
11 Of all the pyramids the one which pre-eminently attracts the attention of tourists as well as of pyramid students, is that which by common consent has been named the Great Pyramid, or simply The Pyramid. This is partly because of its superior size, but chiefly because of the extraordinary skill of workmanship which it displays. 12 Location of the Great Pyramid. It is one of a group of nine, known as the nine pyramids of Gizeh, erected on a rocky plateau about ten miles to the west of the modern city of Cairo. The Great Pyramid is the most northern of the group, and is situated near the cliff which forms the edge of the plateau-Plate 11. A short distance directly south-west from it is the Second Pyramid, which, though smaller, appears from some view-points, because its foundation is higher, as if it were larger than the Great Pyramid. Still further to the south-west is the Third Pyramid, which is much smaller than the other two. The remaining six are in two groups of three, one to the south of the Third Pyramid, and the other to the east of the Great Pyramid. These are comparatively very small and are in ruins. To the south-east of the Great Pyramid lies the Sphinx, carved out of the rock, and with its gaze directed towards the rising sun. 13 Professor C. Piazzi Smyth first drew attention to the fact that the Great Pyramid is ----exactly-oriented, that is to say, its four sides are directed to the four cardinal G n i s of the compass ; and he pointed out further that when the vertical plane of the Pyramid passages is produced northwards, it passes along the central axis of the Delta region ; while the north-east and the north-west diagonals of the building similarly produced, enclose the Delta " in a symmetrical and well-balanced manner "-Plate 111. In 1868, Mr. Mitchell, chief hydrographer to the United States Coast Survey, was struck with the regularity of the general convex curvature of the northern coast of the Delta. Taking a good map and a pair of compasses, he tried various lengths and directions of radius till "he had got all the prominent coast points to be evenly swept by his arc ; and then looking to see where his southern centre was, found it upon the Great Pyramid." Commenting upon this, Professor Smyth writes :-" Now Lower Egypt being as already described, of a sector, still more exactly than of a Delta, shape, it must have its centre, not like a circle in the middle of its surface, but at one extreme corner thereof. Whereupon Mr. Mitchell has acutely remarked that the building which stands at, or just raised above, such a sectorial centre, must be at one and the same time both at the border thereof, and yet at its quasi, or practically governing, middle. That is to say, just as was to be that grandly honoured prophetic monument, pure and undefiled in its religious bearing, though in the idolatrous Egyptian land, alluded to by Isaiah (ch. xix); for was it not fore-ordained by the Divine Word to be both ' an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar1at the border thereof,'-an apparent mechanical impossibility, yet realized in the sectorial centre condition of the Great Pyramid." 14 Of several other geographical peculiarities possessed by the site of the Great Pyramid, mention may be made of the fact that there is more land surface in both its meridian and its latitude than in any other meridian and latitude; while its nether meridian, the longitude continuous with it on the other side of the globe, ranges its whole length through water except for a short distance near Behring's frozen straits -Plate IV. For this reason, Professor C. Piazzi Smyth claimed that the meridian of the
--
'
The Hebrew word translated "pillar" in Isa. 19: 19 is Matsebhah, and signifies anything set rtp or erected to commemorate something remarkable.
16
Great Pyramid is by far the most suitable zero of longitude for all nations. 15 Magnifude of fhe Great Pyramid. Owing to the difficulty of making exact measurements on account of the absence of almost all the casing stones, and especially because of the presence of huge mounds of rubbish round the base of the Great Pyramid, it has hitherto been impossible to state with absolute accuracy the magnitude of this mountain of stone. Professor C. Piazzi Smyth calculated the vertical height of the ancient apex above the mean socket floor as 485 feet; the vertical depth of the Subterranean Chamber below the mean socket floor as 100 feet ; each base-side breadth between the comer sockets as 761 feet 8 inches; each base diagonal between the sockets as 1077 feet. Professor Flinders Petrie makes the various measurements slightly less. 16 Unless one is accustomed to think of great dimensions, these figures do not convey an adequate idea of the magnitude of the Great Pyramid. The best plan is to compare it with something with which one is familiar. The area of the square base is more than thirteen acres. The total distance on the level between the four corner sockets is only 160 yards less than two-thirds of a mile, although at present, owing to the large rubbish mounds at the bases of the four sides, one requires to walk for nearly a mile in order to make the circuit. The vertical height is approximately a hundred feet more than that of St. Paul's Cathedral, London, and only 70 feet less than the monument at Washington, D.C., U.S.A. It is 180 feet higher than the statue on the summit of the dome of Washington capitol, which building covers an area of three and a half acres. The bulk of the building is more than ninety million cubic feet, that is to say, there is enough stone in the Great Pyramid to build a wall four feet in height and one foot in thickness, which would extend considerably more than 4000 miles, the distance across the Atlantic Ocean from Great Britain to Newfoundland and back. 17 Other Scientific feafures. As the purpose of this book is to show forth the religious teaching of the Great Pyramid, only a brief mention will be made of a few of the more prominent scientific features embodied in the Great Pyramid. For a full description of these and many other features, the reader who is interested in such matters is referred to Professor C. Piazzi Smyth's works, of which Our Inheritance in the Great Pyranzid is the chief. 18 Squaring the circle. The scientific feature which was first discovered, was that the ancient vertical height of the Great Pyramid was to twice the breadth of its square base, as the diameter of a circle is to its circumference, that is, 5813 inches is to twice 9131 inches, as 1 is to 3.14159. This ratio of the diameter of a circle to its circumference receives from mathematicians the name of the Greek letter T (Pi), and was first accurately determined by Von Ceulen in the sixteenth century. (Von Ceulen caused his discovery to be engraved upon his tomb.) It follows that the ancient vertical height of the Great Pyramid is. the radius of a circle, the circumference of which equals the total measurement of all four sides of the Pyramid's square base. Professor C. Piazzi Smyth, commenting on this, claims it as a practical solution of the old problem of " squaring the circle," and adds, " the thing was thus practically done, truly and properly, at the Great Pyramid thousands of years before those Medieval days of our forefathers . . Not one out of all the thirty-seven other measured pyramids in Egypt has been proved to be endowed even approximately with this particular proportion of height to breadth of
.
18
base." It is to John Taylor that the credit of this discovery is due. 19 The Great Pyramid unit of measure. As a result of painstaking investigation, Professor C. Piazzi Smyth ascertained that the unit of measure employed by the builders of the Great Pyramid, was a cubit which was exactly equal to 25.025 British inches, and was divided into five parts, and each of these into five smaller parts, named by Professor Smyth, Pyramid inches. Thus there are 25 Pyramid inches in a Pyramid cubit, and one Pyramid inch equals 1.001 British inch, or 999 Pyramid inches equal 1000 British inches. Sir Isaac Newton, in his Dissertation on Cubits, claimed that the sacred cubit of the Israelites approximately equalled 25 British inches, while the Egyptian cubit measured 20.68, and the Greek and Roman cubit 18.24, British inches. 20 The relation of the Pyramid inch and cubit to the earth's axis of rotation. The earth's axis of rotation, or distance through the earth from the North Pole-to the South Pole, is approximately 7900 miles, or 500,500,000 inches by British measure. As 1 Pyramid inch equals 1,001 British inch, and the Pyramid cubit contains 25 Pyramid inches, it follows that the earth's axis of rotation measures five hundred million Pyramid inches, or twenty million Pyramid cubits, and the semi-axis of rotation, the dista6ce from either Pole to the centre of the earth, measures two hundred and fifty million Pyramid inches, or ten million Pyramid cubits. Accordingly, Professor Smyth argued that the unit of measure employed in the design of the Great Pyramid was deduced from the earth's semi-axis of rotation. The French metre was deduced from the measurement of the earth's curved surface from the North Pole to the Equator. It was supposed to be the ten millionth part of this measurement. though, owing to an error in the calculation, it is not really so. Professor Smyth contended that the French method of basing their unit of measure on the czzrved line from Pole to Equator, is not so scientifically true as that employed by the builders of the Great Pyramid, which was based upon the straight line of half the earth's polar axis. 21 The measterement of the day and year in the Great Pyramid. Having seen that the Pyramid unit of measure, the cubit, was deduced from the earth's axis of rotation, it is not surprising to find it employed to symbolize a day, the period of the earth's revolution round its axis ; nor to find the breadth of the Pyramid between the corner sockets employed to symbolize a solar year, the exact period of the earth's revolution round the sun. Both the day and the year are thus recorded in the Great Pyramid, for, on calculating the length of the four sides of the Pyramid's square base, Professor Smyth found that they each measured 365.242 Pyramid cubits, or as many cubits exactly as there are days in a solar year to the fraction. Thus, the four sides measure as many cubits as there are days in four years including the leap year. Another method of representing the fact that the Great Pyramid records the exact length of the solar year is to consider its top-stone as the sun ; and then measure round the square base by lengths of four cubits (100 Pyramid inches). The total 1engt.h-of the base thus ascertained is 365.242 ; it thus represents the annual revolution of the earth round the sun at the rate of exactly four cubits per day. 22 The mean distance of the earth from the sun. William Petrie, the father of Professor Flinders Petrie, reflecting on the fact just stated, connected it with John Taylor's discovery that the vertical height of the Great Pyramid was the length of the radius of a circle, the circumference of which equalled the total measurement of the 19
square base. He came to the conclusion that as the top-stone of the Pyramid, from this point of view, symbolizes the sun, its vertical height should indicate in some way the mean distance of the sun from the earth. The problem was to find the scale. This he ascertained to be ten multiplied by itself nine times (or to use the mathematical sign, lO9), as shown by the Great Pyramid itself ; for, if a measurement be made from one of the corner sockets to the central vertical axis of the structure, and for every ten linear units horizontally inwards, nine linear units be measured vertically upwards, when the total horizontal and vertical measurements are completed, the original apex of the Great Pyramid will be reached. That is, the horizontal length from one of the comer sockets to the centre bears the same proportion to the vertical height of the Pyramid, as ten does to nine (6456.61 Pyramid inches : 5813.01 Pyramid inches : : 10 : 9). Having found the scale, it was a simple calculation to find how many miles are represented in the vertical height of the Pyramid. Reducing the 5813.01 Pyramid inches (the vertical height of the Pyramid) to British inches, multiplying this by 109 (i.e., 1,000,000,000), and turning the resulting number into British miles, he brought out the quantity of 91,837,484 of these miles, or as near the mean distance of the sun from the earth as modern astronomers can determine. 23 That the top-stone represents the sun is interesting, seeing (as will be proved later) that it symbolizes Christ, who is called by the prophet Malachi the Sun of Righteousness, who will arise with healing in his wings-Mal. 4: 2. It will be pointed out further on that the King's Chamber represents Christ's heavenly inheritance which he has obtained in order to shed forth the blessings of light and life. It is interesting, therefore, to learn that twice the length of the King's Chamber in Pyramid inches, taken in conjunction with the angle of the passages which leads up to it, also indicates the period of the earth's revolution round the sun ; for if twice the length of the King's Chamber (412.132 x 2) be marked off on the floor of the ascending passages, and a rightangled triangle be formed by drawing a perpendicular and base-line from the upper and lower extremities respectively of this portion of the floor, the perpendicular will be found to measure exactly the number of days in the solar year, or 365.242 in Pyramid inches. Another method by which the King's Chamber shows its connection with the solar year, is explained by Professor Smyth :-"Take the length of the King's Chamber 412.132 (Pyramid inches) to express the diameter of a circle. Compute, by the best methods of modern science, the area of that circle ; throw that area into a square shape, and find the length of a side of such square. The answer will be 365.242." 24 The Precession of the Equinoxes. Having noted these facts, and learning from them that the architect's knowledge of astronomical matters was abreast of that of modem science, the next astronomical problem to which Professor Smyth applied himself was the determination as to whether the Great Pyramid might also record by its construction the duration of the precession of the equinoxes, the longest regularly recurring period known to astronomers. The return of spring each year is ever received with joy ; hence arose the desire to forecast its coming by astronomical data. Long ago it was found that it was always heralded by the equinox, when the sun crosses the celestial equator, and day and night are therefore equal all the world over. " Hence, to mark the equinoctial point among the fixed stars, and to note the place of some brilliant star, whose appearance in the early morning dawn would announce the sun's approach
to the equator, was early accomplished with all possible accuracy. This star once selected, it was believed that it should remain for ever in its place. . . . But a time arrives at last when the bright star, which for more than five hundred years had, with Each year the interval its morning ray, announced the season of flowers, is lost. from the first appearance of the star in the early dawn, up to the equality of day and night, had grown less and less, and now the equinox came, but the star remained invisible, and did not emerge from the sun's beams until the equinox had passed. Long and deeply were these facts pondered and weighed. At length the truth dawned, and the discovery broke upon the unwilling mind that the sun's path among the fixed stars was actually changing, and that his point of crossing the equator was slowly moving backwards towards the west, and leaving the stars behind. . . . The retrograde motion of the equinoctial points, caused the sun to reach those points earlier than it would have done had they remained fixed, and hence arose the precession of the equinoxes. . . Its rate of motion has been determined, and its vast period of nearly twenty-six thousand years has been fixed, Once revealed, the slow movement of the equinox makes it a fitting hour-hand on the dial of the heavens, with which to measure the revolutions of ages. As the sun's path has been divided into twelve constellations,each filling the twelfth part of the entire circuit of the heavens, for the equinox to pass the twelfth part of the dial, or from one constellation to the next, will require a period of more than two thousand years. Since the astronomer [Hipparchus] first noted the position of this hour-hand on the dial of the stars, but one of its mighty hours of two thousand years has rolled away. In case any record could be found, any chiselled block of granite, exhibiting the place of the equinox among the stars, at its date, no matter if ten thousand years had elapsed, we can reach back with certainty, and fix the epoch of the record. No such monument has ever been found." 25 These words were written in the year 1853 by Professor 0. M. Mitchell in his Discoveries of Modern Astronomy. Only a dozen years later, Professor C. Piazzi Smyth demonstrated that such a monument did exist, namely, the Great Pyramid of Gizeh ; and not only so, but that it recorded in its measurements the exact duration of This the precession of the equinoxes, a period of 25,827 years. To quote his words peculiar celestial cycle, the grand chronological dial, in fact, of the great Pyramid,so much is its architecture found to base upon it,-is further defined at that Pyramid, but at no other throughout all Egypt, by, amongst other intentional features, the length of the two diagonals of the- base (the mean socket floor level), when their sum is reckoned up in inches, at the rate of a Pyramid inch to a year. For they amount to 25,827 nearly. Further still, this feature is memorialized again at the King's Chamber level of the Great Pyramid ; for that chamber's floor being by measure 1702 inches above the socket base of the whole building, Professor H. L. Smith has shown that the circuit of the Pyramid a t that level equals 25,827 Pyramid inches [Plate V]. And if the whole vertical height of the Great Pyramid, 5813 inches, typifies the sun-distance [Par. 221, the partial vertical height from the King's Chamber level upwards, 41 10, indicates the radius of the precessional circle of the equinoxes, in years." 26 These are but a few of the many scientific features embodied in the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, and were there no others, they would be amply sufficient to show the superior wisdom of its great architect.
...
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21
B - A L MA MOON^
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5 - TME~OURCORNER 50ca~r.s Of 7 M ANCIENT CASING UNCOVERED sv MESSRS AlToff AND INGLIS. IN APRIL /865.
TOGETHER W I T H I T 5 HORIZONTAL SECTIONAL AREA AT THE LEVEL SHOWIt'3G
MODERN POSITION
R U B B I S H H E A P S F I F T Y F E E T HIGH. OF COLONEL HOWARD VYSE'S CASING
CHAPTER 11. THE DIVINEPLAN OF
A
THE AGES.
S the object of Great Pyramid Passages is to show how clearly the Great
Pyramid of Gizeh in the land of Egypt, that " Miracle in Stone," as Dr. Seiss has named it, sets forth the plan of salvation presented in God's Holy Word, it will be necessary, in order to a proper appreciation of the subject, that the reader should acquaint himself with at least the outlines of that plan ; but the more complete his knowledge of the plan, the more his appreciation of the Great Pyramid will increase, and sooner or later he will find himself fully convinced that the Architect of this marvellous structure could have been none other than God himself, and that it is indeed the Lord's "Stone Witness" in the land of Egypt. Then the wonder which may have been evoked in him by its immense proportions, the marvellous skill displayed in its construction, its great antiquity and quality of endurance, and the many scientific features which it embodies, will give place to a new wonder inspired by reverence for the infinite wisdom of God, when he reflects hdw the great Architect, by a few simple Passages and Chambers, could portray in it the whole of his plan of salvation, not merely the symbolical features of that plan nor the various dispensations into which it is divided, but even also all the important time-features marked off in the outworking of it. 28 Many have ignorantly misjudged the wisdom of God, and thought that he has had no definite, prearranged plan, but that he has been relying on the puny efforts of a few well-intentioned men to accomplish the great task of bringing the world into harmony with him and his law of righteousness. Accordingly, the message of the Gospel has been carried hither and thither from individual to individual, and from nation to nation, with the result that now, at the end of this age, nearly nineteen centuries after the death and resurrection of Christ, it has been preached for a witness to every nation. In spite, however, of the strenuous efforts put forth, and the untold wealth spent in the propagation of the Gospel message, and even though at least some portions of the Scriptures have been printed in every language, it is recognized that the number of converts to Christianity has been small indeed compared to the vast majority who have died in heathen darkness. It has been estimated that there are " 856,000,000 people in Pagan lands ; a generation passes away in 33 years ; divide this by 365, we get the death rate per day 71,066" (Extract from a Missionary Magazine). This means that every day more than 71,000 men, women and children are dying without
having heard that only name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved, and the Apostle adds, " neither is there salvation in any other "-Acts 4 : 12. What does this mean ? If the usual misconception were true, that God was altogether relying upon the missionary and other well-meaning efforts put forth by good men to save the heathen by bringing the name of Jesus to them before they die, it would mean that God, however benevolent his intentions may have been, has failed, and that Satan, who has blinded the minds of them that believe not, has been the victor. While God has gained his thousands, the great deceiver has now under his power his thousands of thousands ! 29 Calvin, strong in his belief in the power of God, and perceiving in the Scriptures that Jesus himself said, " Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it," seized upon this as the explanation of the apparent weakness of God's plan. He revived the teaching of St. Augustine that God's predeterminate purpose was to save only the few, and to condemn to an eternity of torment all the remainder, the vast majority. Surely a terrible blasphemy this of the character of God, the Holy One of Israel, whose name is Love! Not that Calvin intended to misrepresent God, for it must be remembered that the general teaching of his time was that all power, both present and future, was in the hands of the clergy. In his honest endeavour to get away from the one extreme, he followed the usual course of going to the other extreme. 30 But though we must discard Calvin's teaching, which, while vindicating the power of God, ignores his justice, wisdom and love, we cannot discard the saying of Jesus, that the way to life is narrow and few there be that find it. How is it possible to reconcile this saying with the four attributes of God just enumerated ? Very simply, when we disregard the creeds and go directly to the Bible. " God is his own interpreter, and he will make it plain." The Key to the answer is found in God's promise to Abraham: I n thee and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed -Gen. 12: 3 ; 22 : 18. 31 To understand this, let us follow briefly the course of God's dealings with men ; and though at first it may have been difficult to comprehend wherein the Divine plan for man's salvation availed anything, or to understand how God's attribute of love is displayed in it, the careful and thoughtful student will presently perceive a beauty and harmony throughout the whole of the Divine purposes, which will appeal to both heart and head as nothing else could do. He will see that God is not working in any haphazard fashion, nor relying on the feeble power and resources of man. God declares in his own Word that all things are known unto him from the beginning, and that his Word, the revelation of his purposes, shall not return unto him void, but shall accomplish that which he pleases, and shall prosper in the thing whereto he sent it-Acts 15: 18 ; Isa. 55: 11. The teaching of the Scriptures, properly understood, is more reasonable and more honouring to God than any theory founded on man's reasoning apart from Holy Writ. The Lord himself declares this truth through the prophet Isaiah: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." 32 When God created Adam and placed him in the Garden of Eden, he imposed on 24
him the restriction that he should not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The penalty of disobedience to the Divine will was to be death. Accordingly, when Adam disobeyed God, the curse of death was passed upon him. Through the law of heredity, which declares: '' The fathers have eaten a sour grape [of sin], and the children's teeth are set on edge," all Adam's posterity have been "born in sin and shapen in iniquity," and therefore share in that death-sentence. It was a dying life that the dying Adam gave to the race, for " b y one man sin entered into the world, and death by [as a result of] sin; and so death passed upon all men "-Rom. 5 : 12. 33 God, however, did not leave Adam without a ray of hope. While pronouncing the curse upon the serpent, he intimated that the " seed of the woman " would " bruise the serpent's head,"-that some day and somehow a Saviour, a seed of the woman, would arise and destroy the tempter and reverse the death sentence upon mankind. But many centuries rolled by, and no progress was made in the salvation of the human race. Abel, Enoch and Noah were commended for their faith, but of the vast majority it is recorded " every imagination of the thoughts of their heart was only evil continually," So corrupt became the people, that the Lord was forced by his love and wisdom no less than by his justice to destroy them all-men, women and children-in the Deluge, and repeople the earth afresh through Noah, who was " perfect in his generation" and a LLpreacherof righteousness." So ended the First Dispensation, a period of 1656 years. 34 During the Patriarchal Age which followed, the period of 659 years during which God bestowed special blessings upon Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the same condition of affairs prevailed. In spite of the terrible punishment which the Lord had inflicted upon their forefathers, the people once more relapsed into gross wickedness, so much so, that there were not even ten righteous men in Sodom. Lot, the one righteous man in it, was rescued before it and the other cities of the plain were destroyed by God. In this stage of the Second Dispensation, two thousand years after the promise that the seed of the woman should bruise the Serpent's head, God made his oath-bound covenant with Abraham, that it would be in his seed that all the families of the earth would be blessed-Gen. 1 2 : 1-3 ; 22 : 16-18. The record shows that Abraham believed God, and that his faith was accounted to him for righteousness-Gen. 15 : 5, 6. 35 After a long period of waiting, Isaac, the seed of promise, was born ; and God renewed the covenant with him. It must have seemed as if the promise was then about to be fulfilled; but Isaac died,-and the blessing of all the families of the earth was still far from being accomplished. When Isaac was old, the covenant was renewed with his son, Jacob, or Israel as he was afterwards named. Later, Israel with his household was brought in the providence of God into Egypt, where a few years afterwards he died. When on his death-bed, he called his sons together and foretold the destiny of each of the twelve tribes which would spring from them. As it was God's intention to cause these twelve tribes of Israel to grow rapidly into a nation, and then set them apart to carry out his purposes, their propagation proceeded miraculously, insomuch that the Egyptians became afraid and adopted drastic measures to diminish their numbers ; but they could not succeed against the Lord-See Exod. 1 : 7-22. 36 At the appointed time, during the height of their oppression by the Egyptians, when their number had increased from 70 to 600,000 who were able to go to war, God 25
delivered the Israelites from Egypt by his mighty hand and outstretched arm. But they were not yet prepared to be God's people. Because of the hardness of their hearts, they were not permitted to enter the land of promise for forty years. Then, after six years spent in conquering the Canaanites, they divided the promised land among them by lot, and God set Judges over them for a period of 450 years. 37 During all this time, God did not make good his promise of blessing the other nations of the world through the seed of Abraham. Though many great leaders, such as Moses and Joshua, arose and freed the Israelites from bondage, none of them proved to be the promised deliverer. At length the nation desired a king, and God gave them Saul, and later, David, " a man after God's own heart," and then followed the glorious reign of King Solomon in whose time the great temple was set up. 38 Surely it seemed as if God would now bring to pass his promise to bless through Abraham's seed all the families of the earth ! But not so. Evidently the time had not yet come. The Israelites were not in a fit state, mentally and morally, to rule and bless the world. They lapsed time and again into idolatry and all manner of iniquity, till finally, six centuries before the birth of Christ, God permitted Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, to destroy Jerusalem, carry the Israelites with Zedekiah, the last of their kings, captive to Babylon, and lay waste the holy land. Seventy years passed, and the whole of that wicked generation died. Then in the fulness of time, in fulfilment of Isaiah's prophecy (44: 28 ; 45: 1-4), Cyrus, king of Persia, overthrew Babylon, and issued a decree permitting those Israelites who had faith in God and his promises to return and build the temple-See Jer. 25: 11, 12; 2 Chron. 36: 11-23. From that time a reformation movement went on in the Jewish house under the successive leadership of Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah. 39 Before this, God had promised through the prophet Daniel that " from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem [this was the commission given in 454 B.C. by Artaxerxes, king of Persia, to Nehemiah] unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks," that is to say, 69 weeks of years = 483 years. "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week," the 70th week. Thus God promised a period of 70 weeks (490 years) of continued favour to the Israelites, to end in 36 A.D.-See Dan. 9: 24-27. It was doubtless in consequence of this that, when the Messiah did come, all men were in expectation-Luke 3 : 15. But they looked for a mighty king, statesman and general, who would deliver them from their Roman bondage, and make them the foremost nation on earth,-a method of blessing very different from that purposed by God. They were, accordingly, much disappointed with the meek and lowly Jesus. They could not understand him nor his message, and so they despised and rejected him. Yet he fulfilled in their sight the prophecies which had been written concerning him. As he himself said : "The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the good tidings preached to them "-Matt. 11 : 5. One might have expected that their hearts would have been touched with these manifestations of the love and power of God through Christ, but both Jews and Gentiles had become so degraded that they reviled and finally crucified the Holy One. And when the disciples who had gladly forsaken all to follow Jesus, manifested the same loving disposition as their Master, and tried to convey to others the blessing which
26
they themselves had received, they were, like their Master, misjudged, persecuted, and put to death. Evidently the long years of falling had warped and twisted men's minds to so great an extent, that they were quite unable to comprehend the loving ministrations of God's true children. Had the same effort been made during the time when Abraham interceded for Sodom (See Gen. 18 : 17-33), mankind's reclamation, according to Jesus' own words (Matt. 11: 23, 24), would have been comparatively easier. Truly, " God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform." 40 But, thank God, the mystery is now being revealed, for the time is at hand when all Jesus' followers who have manifested the same loving disposition to bless, shall have the desire of their hearts realized ; and Christ shall " see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied." "Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world ?"-I Cor. 6 : 2 ; Isa. 53 : 11. It is evident that God designed mankind to learn to the full the bitter lesson of the downward course of sin. 41 Owing to their rejection of the Messiah, the favour of God was removed from the Israelites and given to the Gentiles; and as a nation they were destroyed by the Romans in the year 70 A.D. They had boasted that as the natural seed of Abraham, the promise belonged to them ; but they did not understand the full significance of this promise. Paul explains that though a man be under the Mosaic Law, this does not constitute him a child of Abraham, for " as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse" of death; but, just as Abraham believed God, and his faith was accounted to him for righteousness, so "they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham "-Gal. 3 : 10, 7. It was for this reason, that they might become true children of Abraham by faith, that Christ redeemed Jewish believers from the curse of the Law. The promise is certain of accomplishment; the Law was merely added because of transgressions till the seed should come. Who, then, is the seed? The Apostle's inspired statement is that Christ is the seed-" Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many ; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ "--Gal. 3 : 16. Isaac, the child of promise, is now seen to be merely a type of the true seed. Just as Abraham sacrificed his son, his only son and received him from the dead " in a figure " (Heb. 11 : 19), so Jehovah sacrificed his Son, his only Son, Jesus Christ, and received him from the dead, not in a figure, but in reality. 42 The Scriptural declaration is clear that Christ is the seed ; but why do we not now see the accomplishment of the w6rk which was to be fulfilled in and through the seed ? All the families of the earth are still far from being blessed. Over 71,000 are dying every day without having even heard of Christ, and during the six thousand years since God gave his word in the Garden of Eden, and the four thousand years since he confirmed his solemn promise to Abraham by an oath,-" because he could sware by no greater, he sware by himself " (Heb. 6 : 13 ; Gen. 22 : 16-18),-thousands of millions of the human race have died without having received the promised blessing. Yet God is faithful. What can be the explanation ? 43 The answer is given in the closing verses of the third chapter of Galatians. There the Apostle declares that as many as have been baptized (immersed-not into water, but) into Christ, have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female in this anointed company (the word " Christ " means "anointed "), 27
"for ye are all one in- Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise "-Gal. 3 : 29. The Apostle here reveals a further step in God's glorious plan. We now see that although there is only the one seed, that one is composed of many members, as we read in 1 Cor. 12 : 12 : " As the [human] body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body [though] being many are [nevertheless] one body: so also i s Christ." Thus the purpose of the Gospel Age is not to bless all the families of the earth, but to select the seed of Abraham, the antitypical Isaac, the Christ, head and body. Only a few have found the strait gate and narrow way to life which enables them to be members of this anointed company, and of these many are called, but few chosen. The opportunity of becoming members of the true seed of Abraham was accepted by only a remnant of the Jewish nation before the close of the year 36 AD., the end of the 70 weeks of favour. At that date it was extended to the Gentiles, and the privilege has since been open to Jew and Gentile alike; but very few Jews have crossed the gulf of prejudice and unbelief which lies between the outcast people and this position of favour with God. 44 Like their Head, the members of the body have been despised and rejected, for the world knoweth them not, even as it knew him not. But soon the full number will have made their calling and election sure, and will be glorified with the Lord Jesus. Then the world will recognize them as the seed of Abraham, heirs of God and jointheirs with Jesus Christ, and the blessing of all the families of the earth will begin, for the whole creation has been groaning in pain, waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God -Ram. 8: 19-22. Under the beneficent rule of the Christ, "Head" and "Body," 16sorrow and sighing shall flee away." Every individual in every nation will have full opportunity to regain the human perfection, the dominion over the world, and the communion with God, lost for them by Adam, and purchased for them by Jesus Christ, who came to seek and to save that which was lost, man's first estate-Isa. 35 ; Luke 19: 10. 45 It should now be clear to the reader that God has a definite, pre-arranged plan, and that it is certain of accomplishment ; and as he studies the various details of that plan as revealed in the Bible, and confirmed in the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, he will come to a fuller appreciation of the justice, wisdom and power of the Great Creator, who could devise and carry out such glorious purposes, and his heart will respond to the love which prompted them.
PLATE VI.
PRESENTEVIL WORLD Saaan the god of lhrs World' t*' I .) >COB n. rein
JEW1511
GOSPEL
ACE
dvelleth
AGE
f l ~ s b l v /woe/
CHART
OF T H E
AGES
CHAPTER 111. THE CHART OF THE AGES.
M
OST of the important features of this plan are indicated in the accompanying chart (Plate VI), in which the figure of a pyramid is fittingly chosen as a symbol of perfection ; while the thought of imperfection is represented by a pyramid with its headstone removed.' 47 The horizontal line at the top of the chart represents the stream of time from the creation of Adam onward ; while the Dispensations and Ages are marked off by vertical lines supplemented by large and small segments of circles above. The other horizontal lines represent the various planes of relationship of man to God dm'ing these Dispensations and Ages.
'
For a complete study of the subject the reader is earnestly requested to procure the Scripfure Studies, by C. T. Russell, the first volume of which, entitled The Divine Plan of fhe Ages, gives a complete description of this chart.
48 The small pyramid at the beginning of the First Dispensation represents Adam as he was created on the plane of human perfection, and therefore at peace with God. He would have remained in this condition had he continued obedient to his Creator, but through disobedience he fell to the plane of hzzman depravity or imperfection represented by the lowest horizontal line on the chart. On this plane all his posterity have been born, for by the law of heredity, they share the curse. They are indicated by the two large but imperfect pyramids shown on this lowermost line, one in the First Dispensation, representing the " world of the ungodly " before the Flood (2 Pet. 2 : 5), and the other in the Second Dispensation, representing " this present evil world "-Gal. 1 : 4. The small imperfect pyramid on the short line between the latter and the line of human perfection, represents the Jewish nation during the period of their favour with God, lifted measurably above the other nations through the yearly atonement for their sins by the sacrifices of bulls and goats; but only typically, not really justified in God's sight, $'for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins "-Lev. 16 : 34 ; Heb. 10: 4. That is why the figure is not a perfect pyramid, and why it is placed below the plane of human perfection. The whole Jewish economy was instituted to serve as types and shadows of better things to come, and could not justify those who were under it, neither reckonedly nor actually, for " b y the works of the law shall no flesh be justified "--Heb. 10 : 1 ; Col. 2 : 16, 1 7 ; 1 Cor. 10 : 11; Gal. 2 : 16. 49 It may be asked, What advantage then had the Jew? The Apostle answers, " Much every way: chiefly, because unto them were committed the oracles of God." To them, God sent his prophets and finally his Son " born under the law." It was in harmony with this that Jesus, when sending out his twelve disciples, commanded them, saying, " Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not ; but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel "-Matt. 10 : 5, 6. " He [Jesus] came unto his own [people], but his own received him not "-John 1: 11. They "denied the Holy One and the Just . . and killed the Prince of lifew-Acts 3 : 14, 15. In consequence, they were cast off as a nation from the favour of God, and Jesus after his resurrection withdrew his former restriction, and told his disciples to go to all nations-Matt. 28 : 19. The first Gentile convert was Cornelius-Acts 10. The Scriptures assure us, however, that the Jews are still beloved for their fathers' sake, and that they will in due time be restored to God's favour, and be the first to benefit under the New Covenant in the Millennia1 Age. As the Apostle says : " Blindness in part is happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in [the full number selected to become the Bride of Christ], and so all Israel shall be saved [from their blindness], for if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? "-Rom. 11: 25, 26, 15. 50 But though all the obedient of them will occupy an exalted position in the Millennial Kingdom, they will find in consequence of their rejection of Christ, that they have missed the chief honour. They will be raised to the earthly phase of the Kingdom, whereas the remnant of the Jews, and all the Gentiles who have believed in and followed Christ, will be raised to reign with him in the spiritual phase of the Kingdom. 51 The second little pyramid on the plane of human perfection represents Abraham who was accounted righteous in God's sight because of his faith. Similarly, all who
.
30
have had the faith of Abraham have been reckoned righteous or just, although actzzally there is "none righteous, no, not one "-Rom. 4: 8-13 ; 3: 10. 52 In the eleventh chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews a list is given of the " Ancient Worthies," few in number, whose faith has been accounted unto them for righteousness. In the Ages prior to the ransom-sacrifice of Christ, they proved their faith toward God in the midst of severe trials. When the hour comes, in which all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of Man, and shall come forth (John 5 : 28, 29), these saints will get their reward by rising actzzally perfect ; but their perfection will be on the human plane on which Adam stood before his fall. This was intimated by Jesus when he said, " Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist [not even Abraham, Moses, David, or any of the holy prophets] : notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he "--Matt. 11: 11. All, even the least, who will share the Kingdom with Christ will be raised to the plane of the Divine nature, but none who lived and died previous to the death and resurrection of Christ can attain to this exalted position. The reason is that it was necessary for Christ to be the " fore-runner" ; and only his " followers" can possibly gain entrance to the Holy Sanctuary-See Heb. 6: 19, 20 ; 9: 24 ; 11: 39, 40 ; Acts 2: 34, In the forty-fifth Psalm, verse 16, we are told that these fathers of Christ according to the flesh, will become his children and will be made by him princes in all the earth. Christ, as the Last Adam, will raise all men from the grave, and will give everlasting life to the obedient, thus becoming their " Everlasting Father." The faithful followers of Christ, the overcomers of this Age, will be associated with him as his Bride-Rev. 3: 21 ; 19: 7-9 ; 2 Cor. 11: 2. 53 The third little pyramid on the plane of human perfection represents Jesus Christ, who left the glory that he had with the Father before the world was, and became flesh in order that " by the grace of God he might taste death for every man" -Heb. 2 : 9. " He suffered the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh and quickened in the spirit "-1 Pet. 3 : 18, R.V. Th~zshe laid down his perfect human life for ever as a substitute or ransom-price for the First Adam. This, as God had foreknown, none of the fallen race could do-Psa. 49 : 7. It is because the death penalty passed upon the First Adam has been paid by the Last Adam, that the First Adam and all who have come under condemnation through his offence, will be liberated from the great prison-house of death. The law of perfect '~usticewhich demands a tooth for a tooth, and an eye for an eye, has been met by the payment of a perfect human life for a perfect human life-Deut. 19 : 21. " There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified [to a l l ] I N DUE TIME "-1 Tim. 2: 4-6. 54 When Jesus Christ was immersed in the Jordan by John the Baptist, he symbolized the sacrifice of his human nature unto death, and when he came out of the water and was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power (Acts 10 : 37, 38), he was then begotten to a new nature on the spirit plane. Thenceforward till his death he is represented by the small pyramid on the plane of spirit-begetting, the line situated in the Gospel Age immediately above the plane of human perfection. At his death, having given his flesh for the life of the world (John 6 : 51), he laid aside for ever his h u m a n nature, and on the third day was raised from the dead as a spirit being-1 Pet. 3 : 18,
31
R.v. During the forty days which followed he is represented by the small pyramid on the plane of spirit-birth, the perfect spirit plane, the second line above the plane of human perfection in the Gospel Age. 55 Finally, on his ascension to the Father, he was invested with glory and honour (represented by the pyramid on the highest plane, the plane of the Divine Glory), there to become the " head-stone" of the " Great Pyramid" which the Lord Jehovah will set up in the Millennia1 Age, the " Dispensation of the fulness of times "-Eph. 1 : 15-23, 10. " The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner "-Psa. 118 : 22. 56 All creation will have the opportunity of becoming " stones " in this great Antitypical Pyramid ; but the most honoured position next the Lord Jesus is held out to the followers of Christ in this Gospel Age, now near its close. These must first be justified by faith as Abraham was ; as it is written : " He [Abraham] staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God ; and being fully persuaded that what he had ~romised,he was able also to perform; and therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead ; who was delivered for our 4: 20-25. Just as offences, and was raised again for our justification "-Rom. Abraham's faith and loyalty were submitted to tests and became stronger with each, so is it with all who remain faithful in this Age ; and just as God accepted Abraham to fellowship with him, calling him friend (Jas. 2: 231, so he accepts all of this Age who have the faith of Abraham to the same terms of fellowship. The final test of Abraham's faith and loyalty came when God said to him : " Take now thy son, thine only son, Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah ; and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of "-Gen. 22 : 2. Abraham's faith in God was not shaken. He offered up Isaac on the altar, " accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from whence also he received him in a figure "--Heb. 11 : 19. In like manner, the present members of the household of faith receive their final test as regards justification, when they come to understand Christ's new commandment that they should love one another as he loved them, that is, that they should lay down their lives for one another-John 13: 34 ; 1 John 3: 16. 57 Abraham's faith could not and will not be fully rewarded until the sacrifice of the Antitypical Isaac (Christ, head and body, the Seed of Abraham) is complete. Not till the Church is glorified, will h e be raised to the perfect human plane, with the right to eternal life-Heb. 11 : 39, 40. During the Gospel Age, however, from the time that Jesus Christ "was delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification," and ascended to heaven and " appeared in the presence of God for us," whenever a justified person presents his body a living sacrifice, at that very moment God imputes full earthly life-rights to him, and then receives him in Christ as a holy and acceptable sacrifice. At the same moment also, he bestows upon him the Holy Spirit of adoption as an earnest or pledge of his future spiritual inheritance-Eph. 1 : 13, 14. Henceforth, he is on the plane of spiritual begetting. It is of such that the Apostle says, " Ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the spirit of God dwell in you," and again, '' There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit "-Rom. 8 : 9, I .
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58 Thus we see that three steps are necessary, first justification, second consecration, and the third glorification. The first two are taken by faith ; the third is by the power of God, and will be consummated when those who are faithful to their vow of consecration unto death, are given the inheritance with Christ as actual spirit beings of the Divine nature-1 Cor. 15: 5 3 ; 2 Pet. 1 : 4. These three steps are shown on the Chart (Plate VI) as three planes, and are referred to in Rom. 5: 1, 2- (1) " Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have (2) access by faith into this grace [of sanctification] wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of (3) the glory of God" (the plane of Divine Glory). 59 The Church nominal is represented on the chart by the imperfect pyramid in the centre of the Gospel Age. It is composed of four classes. Two of these are situated above the plane of spirit-begetting. They are such as have presented their justified human bodies as living sacrifices, and have been begotten of the spirit. The top portion represents the wise virgins who carry out their vows of consecration willingly and faithfully unto death. In the resurrection, they will be raised as spirit beings on the highest plane beside the Lord himself to become his Bride. They will sit with him on his throne and will reign with him a thousand years-Rev. 3 : 21 ; 20 : 6. The other portion represents another class, the foolish virgins, who, not proving so faithful, will be required to come through great tribulation, and will be forced to complete their sacrifice. Such as are rightly exercised by this discipline, will be "saved so as by fire," and will be raised, like the Bride class, as spirit beings, but on a lower plane. They are the virgins, the Bride's companions, who will follow her. Having washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, they will stand before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple, and the Lamb will lead them unto fountains of water of life, and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes, "With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought ; they shall enter into the King's palace" -Rev. 7 : 9-17; Psa. 45: 14, 15. 60 A third class are the justified believers who are not sanctified, and are not, therefore, spirit-begotten. If they do not take the step of consecration, their reasonable service, they will find that they have received the grace of God in vain (2 Cor. 6 : I ; Luke 9: 24), and will require to take their portion along'with the world in the Millennial Age. They are represented by the portion of the imperfect pyramid which is situated on the plane of human perfection or justification, and below the plane of spiritbegetting. 61 The fourth class, represented by that part which is below the human perfection plane, do not properly belong to the Church. They have no faith in Christ as their Saviour, and are therefore not even justified, but really belong to the world of the ungodly. They have become attached to the Church from purely worldly interests, or from fear. These are the " tares " which the enemy sowed, and which have been permitted, in accordance with the Lord's command, to grow side by side with the " true wheat" until the time of the " harvest" at the end of the Age, when the separation is due to take place-Matt. 13 : 18-30, 34-43. 62 This " harvest " period with its accompanying time of trouble, is represented in the chart by the shading at the end of the Second Dispensation, where the large imperfect pyramid is seen to be broken, representing the separation of the four classes which
33
have formed the Nominal Church. The worldly and justified classes fall back into the world to which they belong ; while of the two classes begotten to the spirit nature, one class will come through the trouble which the Lord will find it necessary to bring upon them in order that their " robes" of righteousness which they allowed to become spotted by contact with the world, may be " washed in the blood of the Lamb "- Rev. 7: 9-17. But the faithful class will be counted worthy to escape all those things 21 : 36. The latter form the special class for the selecthat shall come to pass-Luke tion of which the Lord has set apart the whole Gospel Age-Acts 15: 14. They are the " seed of Abraham," the " chosen generation," the " royal priesthood," the " holy nation," the " peculiar people," whom the Lord has elected in order that they may show forth his glory in the Ages to come-I Pet. 2: 9. They will be sharers with the Lord in h i s , the first, resurrection, and of such it is written: " Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection : . . . they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years "-Rev. 20: 6. 63 When the full number of this faithful class has been selected and gathered to the Lord in the " first resurrection " to become his Bride, and when the present kingdoms have been conlpletely destroyed in the great time of trouble, then the Lord Jesus Christ and his Bride will commence that wonderful Millennial reign which is referred to as " Times of Restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began "-Acts 3 : 21. 64 It is during the Millennial Age that the Lord of heaven and earth will set up his great Antitypical Pyramid ; when he will " gather together in one all things in Christ, 1 : 10. In that " day of the both which are in heaven and which are on earth "-Eph. Lord," or " day of judgment," which, as the Apostle Peter is careful to point out, is a i 6 d a y " of a thousand years (2 Pet. 3: 7-10), Satan will be bound, and all the millions of earth's inhabitants who have died during the past six thousand years because of Adam's transgression, will be called forth from the tomb-John 5: 28, 29, R.V. As Christ's "purchased possession" (Eph. 1 : 1 4 ; Micah 4: 81, they will be redeemed from the prison-house of death and will be given an accurate knowledge of the Lord and his great scheme of salvation, in order that they may progress along the " highway of holiness" which will be set up in that day ; for "the redeemed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." " He will swallow up death in victory ; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces ; . . . and it shall be said in that day, LO, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us : this is the Lord ; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation "-Isa. 35: 8-10; 25: 8, 9. 65 No wonder Paul said: " I have hope toward God . . . that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjzzst "-Acts 24: 15. He knew that Jesus had come to "seek and to save that which was lost," and that "he is the propitiation for our [the Church's] sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world "-Luke 19: 10; 1 John 2: 2. He knew that although only the few would find life by the " narrow way " of this Gospel Age, the many would yet have their opportunity ; and he had hope for them, because "when the judgments of the Lord are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness"-Rom. 5: 18, 19; Isa. 26: 9. 34
66 In that Millennial day, because of the greatness of the Lord's power in favour of the righteous and against the wicked, some of the Lord's enemies finding that it will pay them better to be at least outwardly righteous, will "yield feigned obedience " to him-Psa. 72: 7; 66: 3, margin. But most of the people will be willing in the day of his power (Psa. 110: 3) ; they will soon recognize that the Lord's judgments are for their benefit; and ultimately all nations which God has made will come and worship before him, and will glorify his name-Psa. 86 : 9. The majority will eventually love him and his righteous laws ; and " the Lord preserveth all them that love him "-Psa. 145 : 20. 67 On the other hand, should any persist in evil-doing in spite of the Lord's gcodness to them, they will be destroyed from among the people. But all, even the most incorrigible, will get at least a hundred years' trial. In Isa. 65 : 20, we read : " There shall no more come thence an infant of few days, nor an old man that shall not have the full length of his days ; as a lad shall one die a hundred years old ; and as a sinner shall be accursed he who dieth at a hundred years oldv-Leeser's translation. All those who obey the Lord, whether with feigned love or unfeigned love, will live right on to the end of the thousand years ; and then, as we are told in Rev. 20 : 7, 8, " when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations." This will be the final test which will make manifest those who are in heart-harmony with the righteous Judge. Those who have yielded only feigned obedience will no doubt see some means by which they will hope to gain more by submitting to Satan's suggestions than by loyalty to the Lord, and thus their sympathy with sin will be manifested ; the fact that they are not in heart-harmony with the Lord will be demonstrated to all. Such will be cut off in the second death as unworthy of a place in the Lord's glorious Kingdom : " for the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it ; but the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it "-Prov. 2 : 21,22. Satan and all the other evil angels will likewise be destroyed-Heb. 2 : 14 ; Rev. 21 : 8. 68 There was a " Harvest" period at the end of the Jewish Age when the " wheat " was gathered to the Lord, and the chaff " was burned in the great '' fire of trouble " which, by the year 70 A.D., culminated in the destruction of the nation of Israel-Luke 3 : 16, 17 ; John 4 : 38; 1: 11-13,- Wilson's Emphatic Diaglott. At the present time, at the end of this Gospel Age, we have entered into a similar Harvest period when the " wheat " and " tares," which were allowed to grow together until the time of the Harvest, are being separated,-the "wheat " to be gathered into the Lord's garner, and the " tares " to be bound in bundles and burned in the great fire of trouble which will, by the year 1914-1915 AD., culminate in the destruction of Christendom--Matt. 13: 24-30, 34-43. Similarly, at the end of the Millennial Age there will be a Harvest period, probably of the same duration as the others, namely, 40 years. This will be the " little season" during which Satan will be let loose, and be permitted to seduce those of a wayward (goat-like) character. Those, however, who are docile and faithful (sheeplike in character) will know the true Shepherd's voice and will not listen to the voice of a stranger. 69 In Matt. 25 : 31-46, which describes the judgment of the Millennial Age, and especially the Harvest of that Age, we are told : " When the Son of Man shall come in '$
35
his glory [the Second Advent], and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory : and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats." The "goat" class will go into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels (the " second death," see Rev. 21 : 8) ; while the " sheep " class will inherit the kingdom prepared for them " from the foundation of the world." 70 The "wheat" class of the Jewish Harvest and of the Gospel Age, having been begotten of the Lord to the spirit nature (John 1: 11-13; 3: 7, 8), and being " Sons of God" in a special sense, will have eternal life in heaven with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; but this privilege has been restricted to the faithful of this Gospel Age. The " sheep" class of the Millennia1 Age will not be called to lay down their lives, and will not, therefore, be begotten to the spirit nature (2 Cor. 6 : 1, 2), but will regain all that was lost by Adam in the beginning. Paradise will be restored and all human beings, perfect as Adam was before the Fall, and " crowned with glory and honour" (Psa. 8: 4-9), will have communion with God and the holy angels. They will have dominion, also, " over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth." Then will follow the "Ages to come" when the prayer which the Lord taught his disciples to offer will be fully answered, and the will of our Heavenly Father will be done on earth as it is done in heaven. These Ages will be " the days of heaven upon the earth " spoken of by Moses (Deut. 11: 21), for "the heavens are the Lord's : but the earth hath he given to the children of men "-Psa. 115 : 16. " And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes : and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain : for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write : for these 21: 3-5. words are true and faithful"-Rev.
CHAPTER IV. THE GREAT PYRAMIDIN BPE AND ANTITYPE.
T
HE faithful followers of Christ, for whose selection God has set apart the Gospel Dispensation, are likened to "living stones" and are urged by the Apostle to come unto Christ, the " Chief corner-stone," and be shaped, polished, and built in line with him-l Pet. 2: 1-8. " Thus saith the Lord God, Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation "-Isa. 28: 16. 72 To believers, the "Head corner-stone," Jesus Christ, is precious, because they recognize his peculiar fitness for the exalted and central position assigned to him. Studying the plan of the Great Master Architect they see only one place in the Pyramid for this " Stone," namely, at the apex, a position of pre-eminence which no other stone in the building could possibly occupy-Col. 1: 16-19. They see also, that without this " Head corner-stone," the whole plan of God would be incomplete. It may on first thought appear strange that the prophet Isaiah and the Apostle Peter should state that the " Head-stone " is also the " Foundation-stone" in the Great Antitypical Pyramid ; but when we consider that its foundation is " laid in heaven," and that the attraction which draws us to Christ is upward, or heavenward, not downward or earthward as in an earthly building, the apparent contradiction vanishes. 73 A little reflection will also render manifest that the topmost stone of such an edifice as the pyramid must itself be a pyramid, and therefore complete in itself; but the rest of the structure, apart from this top-stone, however polished and adapted to each other the individual stones may be, would be incomplete, imperfect. Place the top-stone in position, however, and at once the whole structure leaves nothing to be desired. The four sloping sides would then meet in a point at the top-stone, which would, therefore, be the " chief corner-stone," the " head-stone of the corner "-Eph. 2 : 20 ; Psa. 118 : 22. 74 As with Solomon's Temple, so with the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, the stones were cut and prepared at the quarries before they were brought and placed in position. This fact is carefully explained by Professor Flinders Petrie in his admirable work, The Pyramids and Temples of Gizeh. Treating on the method of work employed in building the Great Pyramid, he writes :-" From several indications it seems that the masons planned the casing, and some at least of the core masonry also, course by course on the ground. For on all the casing, and on the core on which the casing fitted, there
37
are lines drawn on the horizontal surfaces, showing where each stone was to be placed on those below it. If the stones were merely trimmed to fit each other as the building went on, there would be no need to have so carefully marked the place of each block in this particular way ; and it shows that they were probably planned and fitted together on the ground below. Another indication of very careful and elaborate planning on the ground is in the topmost space over the King's Chamber ; there the roofing-beams were numbered, and marked for the north and south sides ; and though it may be thought that it could be of no consequerice in what order they were placed, yet all their details were evidently schemed before they were delivered to the builders' hands." 75 A beautiful illustration is this of the living stones in God's great Antitypical Pyramid, Jesus Christ and his Church, selected and prepared in the quarry of this world, before being placed together to form the glorious symbolical building of the Millennia1Age ! One can imagine that the Egyptian builders (who, according to the account of Herodotus, were forced into the work by their mighty invaders, the Hyksos kings), when they were engaged under the architect's supervision in shaping the chief comerstone, would find it strangely out of harmony with all their traditional ideas ; for the Great Pyramid was the first of its kind. It may be that in their ignorance they despised and rejected it ; and such an awkwardly-shaped stone with its five sides, five corners, and sixteen angles, must doubtless have been " a stone of stumbling " to builders whose heads did not understand, and whose hearts did not appreciate, the great work upon which they were engaged. 76 But though we may not be certain how the Egyptian builders treated the typical chief comer-stone, we have the definite declaration of the Word of God that the builders of the Antitypical building, those who were permitted by God, the Great Architect, to chisel and polish Jesus Christ by the trials and sufferings to which they subjected him, did not comprehend him. Because of their traditional beliefs and the hardness of their hearts, he had no form nor comeliness in their eyes, and as it seemed to them that there was no beauty in him that they should desire him, they despised and rejected him-Isa. 53: 2, 3. 77 The Scriptures assure us that the work on which these men were engaged through the Lord's providences, was done by them largely in ignorance, for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory "--Acts 3: 17 ; 1 Cor. 2: 8. Nevertheless, a measure of responsibility rested upon them. It was because of the wrong attitude of their hearts that'they found Christ " a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence" (1 Pet. 2: 7, 8), and, therefore, this stone which they rejected and over which they stumbled, in due time fell upon them and crushed them. This was confirmed by Jesus in the words of the prophets: " What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken ; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder "-Luke 20 : 17, 18. The inspired writer then adds in verse 19, " The chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him ; . . . for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them." 78 In the ninth chapter of his letter to the Romans (verses 31-33), the Apostle Paul points out why Christ was to the Jews a stumbling-stone and rock of offence. It was because they were seeking to follow after the law of righteousness not by faith, but as it
38
were by the works of the law. Therefore they stumbled at that stumbling-stone, and later the vengeance of the Lord was executed upon them, and, as a nation, they were broken in pieces like a potter's vessel. 79 In the present time, history is repeating itself. Once more those who consider themselves the people of God, appropriating to themselves the name of Christendom (Christ's Kingdom), are rejecting the Lord that bought them. Thus is fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah (8: 14) : "He [Christ] shall be for a sanctuary [to the true Church] ; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to b o f h the hozzses o f Israel" (Fleshly and Spiritual). Both sets of builders, while permitted by the Lord to chisel and polish the living stones of the Antitypical Pyramid, have not known Christ (head and body), and have rejected him. Both have been guilty of unbelief and hardness of heart, and the judgment of the Lord on Nominal Fleshly Israel will be repeated on Nominal Spiritual Israel. Christendom (so called) will be broken ; as foretold by the Psalmist, " Thou shalt break them [the nations] with a rod of iron ; thou sl~altdash them in pieces like a potter's vessel "-Psa. 2: 9. 80 In due time all the living stones of the Antitypical Pyramid will be made perfect through sufferings, and then the whole building will be "fitly framed together" as a holy temple in the Lord. Jesus Christ himself will be the chief corner stone, and as such will occupy the exalted place of honour in the centre, and the twelve Apostles of the Lamb will be the foundation stones, next to the Lord in position-Eph. 2: 20-22 ; Rev. 21: 14. 81 Whatever the feelings of the Egyptian builders may have been during the period of quarrying and preparing the stones for the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, they must have marvelled and rejoiced when the top-stone was placed in position ; for this, the crowning work of the edifice, must have appealed to them more than would the finishing touches in any other known form of building, demonstrating to them that their labours were now completed, and that a measure of rest could be enjoyed by all. So with Jehovah's Great Antitypical Pyramid, when "he shall bring forth the head-stone thereof," he will shout " Grace, grace unto it," and the whole creation in heaven and earth will marvel and give glory to God, and will honour the Son even as they honour the Father-Zech. 4: 7 ; John 5: 23. Amid great rejoicing, every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, will say : Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever-Rev. 5: 13. 82 The identity of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh to the exclusion of all the other pyramids, as the one referred to in the Holy Scriptures, is shown by an allusion to one of its characteristic distinctions, namely, its socket foundations. This allusion is found in Job 38: 4-7, where the language, although evidently intended as a description of the creation of the earth, will fully answer only to that of the erection of the Great Pyramid, the type of the New Creation. The Scripture reads thus : " Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth ? Declare if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest ? Or who hath stretched the line upon it ? Whereupon are the sockets thereof made to sink ? Or who laid the corner-stone thereof : when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy ?" (Marginal reading). The Great Pyramid of Gizeh is the only one which possesses 39
PLATE VII.
/
REMNANT OFTHE ORIGINAL CASING-STONE SURFACE OF THE GREAT PYRAMID. NTAR THE
MIDDLE
OF ITS NORTHERN FOOT. A S D I S C O V E R E D BY THE EXCAVATIONS OF C O L O N E L H O W A R D V Y S E I N 1837.
I
socket-foundations, Commenting upon this fact, Dr. Seiss declares : " Nor is it only to the pyramidal form in general that the allusion is, but to a particuIar pyramid. By that strange reference to the sunken feet or planting of the foundations in ' sockets,' we are conducted directly to the Great Pyramid of Gizeh. Two socketed ' encastrements,' 'socles,' shoes, or incised sinkings into the rock were found under two of its base corners by the French savants in 1799, which were again uncovered and described by Colonel Howard Vyse, in 1837. And as God here speaks of such a fastening down of the foundations in general, Professor C. Piazzi Smyth was persuaded that there were corresponding ' sockets ' at the other two base corners, and when search was made for them in 1865, they were found by Messrs. Aiton and Inglis, assisted by Professor Smyth. Here then are the whole four' ' sockets ' or fastened foundations. Nothing of the sort exists at any other known pyramid. They are among the distinctive marks of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh. They are the enduring tracks of its feet cut into the living rock, by which almighty God himself identifies it for us as the original image from which his own description of the creation is drawn "-See Plate V. 83 During this Gospel Age there has been erected a counterfeit Antitypical Pyramid, the workmanship of Satan. Claiming to rule by Divine right, it has dominated the whole world for many centuries ; but it is not the Kingdom for which the Lord taught his disciples to pray: " Thy Kingdom come." Soon its sins will have reached unto heaven, and God will remember its iniquities ; and its plagues will come in one day, death and mourning and famine ; and it will be utterly destroyed with fire ; for strong is the Lord God who judgeth it-Rev. 18: 5, 8. This will be in the great time of trouble which will end this Gospel Age. In the Chart of the Ages given in the preceding chapter (Plate VI), the great time of trouble is represented by the shaded part at the end of the Gospel Age. The large imperfect pyramid here shown falling in ruins, represents the destruction of " Babylon the Great," the counterfeit Antitypical Pyramid which has never been completed. In the 5lst chapter of Jeremiah, the Lord intimates that for it there will be neither '' headstone," nor I' foundation-stones." " Behold I am against thee, 0 destroying mountain [kingdom], saith the Lord, which destroyeth the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain : and they shall not take from thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations ; but everlasting ruins shalt thou be, saith the Lord" -Jer. 51: 25, 26,-Leeser's translation. This vivid description of the Lord's judgment doubtless applied to the literal Babylon of the prophet's day, but as indicated by the many citations in the book of Revelation, it is to have its Antitypical fulfilment in the destruction of " Babylon the Great "-Rev. 17: 5 ; 18. 84 The Great Pyramid of Gizeh, according to Greek, Roman, and early Arabian writers, was formerly covered by a beautiful smooth white-stone casing, which gave to the structure almost mathematical truth and perfection. This casing remained in position until about the year 1000 A.D., when, profiting by the effects of a severe earthquake recorded to have happened in 908 AD., the Caliphs of Egypt began to strip off the polished bevelled blocks. The Great Pyramid now presents a dilapidated appearance, and surrounding it on all four sides are great mounds of rubbish fifty feet high, the fragments of many of the once beautiful casing-stones. 85 In his explorations in 1837, Colonel Howard Vyse, employed hundreds of 41
workers to dig down through the hills of rubbish at the north side, and having exposed three of the original casing-stones in s i f u , adhering closely by their original cement to the platform base of the building, demonstrated what was once the outside of the Great Pyramid-Plate VII. These casing-stones consisted of white, dense limestone, almost like marble, and exhibited matchless workmanship practically as true as modern work by optical instrument-makers. The joints are no thicker than silver-paper, yet they include between the polished surfaces an extraordinarily fine film of white cement. 86 Professor Flinders Petrie in his work, The Pyramids a n d Temples o f Gizeh, gives a description of the joints of these casing-stones. He writes : " The mean thickness of the joints there is one-fiftieth part of an inch ; and the mean variation of the cutting of the stone from a straight line, and from a true square, is but one-hundredth part of an inch in a length of 75 inches up the face, an amount of accuracy equal to most modern optician's straight-edges of such a length. These joints, with an area of some 35 square feet each, were not only worked as finely as this, but were cemented throughout. Though the stones were brought as close as one-five-hundredth part of an inch, or, in fact, into contact, and the mean opening of the joint was but one-fiftieth part of an inch, yet the builders managed to fill the joint with cement, despite the great area of it, and the weight of the stone to be moved-some sixteen tons. To merely place such stones in exact contact at the sides would be careful work, but to do so with cement in the joints seems almost impossible." Colonel Howard Vyse, in drawing attention to this wonderful cement, writes: " Such is the tenacity of the cement with which they (the casing-stones) are held together, that a fragment of one that has been destroyed remained firmly fixed in its original alignment, notwithstanding the lapse of time, and the violence to which it had been exposed "-Plate VIII. 87 Thus does the Great Master Architect illustrate the close union of all the " living-stones " with the Headstone and with each other. The invisible cement which binds them so tenaciously together is Love. But before they are ready to be compactly fitted together and the building completed, they must first undergo much knocking, shaping and polishing to conform them to the harmonious lines of the top-stone, for the least want of conformity in any of these L'stones " would prevent their close adherence to their fellow-members. Like their " chief corner-stone," they must be perfected through sufferings "Until by means of strokes and blows, The shapeless mass appears Symmetric, polished, beautiful, To stand th' eternal years."
Psa. 118. 22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. 23 This is the Lord's doing it is marvellous in our eyes.
Isa. 28.
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation : he that believeth shall not make haste.
PLATE VIII.
Rom. 9.
33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence : and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Isa. 8.
13 Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself ; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.
Matt. 21.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.
Acts 4.
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone ; 21 In whom all the building, fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord : 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
1 Pet. 2.
3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. 4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious. 5 Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a . chief corner stone, elect, precious : and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious : but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner. 8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient : whereunto also they were appointed.
Job 38.
4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. 5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest ? or who hath stretched the line upon i t ? 6 Whereupon are the sockets thereof made to sink? or who laid the comer stone thereof, 7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Zech. 4.
7 Who art thou, 0 great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain : and he shall bring forth the head-stone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it !
42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner : this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes ? 43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. 44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken : but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
Mark 12. 10 And have y e not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner : 11 This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes ? 12 And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people; for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way. Luke 20.
Eph. 2.
17 And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner ? 18 Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken ; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. 10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. .llThis is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
.
CHAPTER V. THE PASSAGEAND CHAMBERSYSTEM OF THE GREATPYRAMID.
I
N the third volume of his Scriptzzre Stzzdies, page 330, C. T. Russell writes : " But while the outward testimony of this great structure is thus complete and in accord with God's written revelation, its inner construction is even more wonderful. While its outward form illustrates the completed results of God's Plan of Redemption, the inner construction marks and illustrates every prominent feature of that plan as it has developed from age to age, down to its glorious and complete consummation." It is the purpose of the present work to demonstrate the truth of this statement. 89 In order to an intelligent and appreciative understanding of the symbolism of the Great Pyramid Passage and Chamber system, it will be necessary for the reader first to acquaint himself with its architecture. The names here given to the various passages and chambers are those commonly accepted by Pyramid students. They are mentioned in the order in which they appeared to us during our visit to the Great Pyramid in the months of June and July of the year 1909, and will be easily followed and understood by the reader if reference be made to Plate IX. 90 There is only one Entrance into the interior. High up on the north side of the building, and twenty-four feet to the east of the middle line, a small doorway leads into the Entrance or Descending Passage, which, like all the other passages in the Pyramid, runs directly from north to south. So low is its roof (scarcely four feet), that we required to stoop considerably, and the difficulty of progression was increased by the slipperiness and steep downward inclination of the passage. For the first seventy-eight feet, the centre of the floor is hewn and worn into a series of irregular shallow and deep trenches. These to some extent increased the difficulty of progression. The only advantage they possessed was that, in certain places, we found them sufficiently deep to enable us to stand upright. 91 A few feet further down, we noticed a rectangular, dark granite block which occupies a depression in the roof. This is the lower butt-end of a series of three large granite stones, named collectively the Granite Plug, because they completely block the lower end of the First Ascending Passage. At this place the floor of the Descending Passage is composed of such hard limestone, that the traffic and vandalism of centuries have made very little impression on it. The surface is so smooth that to walk on it is impossible, unless one is wearing rubber shoes, or has bare or stockinged feet, and even
VERTICAL SECTION
then the support afforded by the side walls may not be disdained. Visitors who are wearing boots and have no one to assist them, have generally to sit on their heels at this part, and slide down a few feet till their further descent is arrested by a block of limestone. This block lies on the floor end-on against a large fractured granite stone, which is tightly wedged in the passage. Across the top of this granite stone, between it and the roof, a small iron grill-door has been adjusted. (Neither the two stones nor the grill-door form any part of the original design.) So confined is the space between the upper surface of the block of granite and the roof, that, whenever we required to descend to the lower parts of the Pyramid during the progress of our work, we were compelled first to sit on the granite stone with our feet thrust through the narrow opening, and then, taking firm hold of the thin iron lintel of the grill-door, lower ourselves cautiously through the opening till our feet rested on the inclined floor of the passage below the block. This grill-door is generally locked, but M. Maspero, DirectorGeneral of Antiquities in Egypt, kindly permitted it to remain unlocked during the course of our investigations at the Pyramid. 92 This lower portion of the Descending Passage is a direct continuation of the part above, and is similar to it, except that it is nearly three times the length, and instead of being built with masonry, it bores though the solid rock on which the Pyramid is erected. It ends in a Small Horizontal Passage which, in its turn, leads past a small Ante-Chamber or Recess on its west side, to a large unfinished Pit, or Subterranean Chamber, hewn in the solid rock a hundred feet vertically below the base-line of the Pyramid-Plate X. 93 In the floor of the Pit appears the opening of a large square shaft, which descends vertically to a considerable depth ; and directly opposite on the south wall, is the square doorway of a small passage, which, on investigation, we found to run horizontally southwards for a length of over 50 feet to a blind end. In passing round the large open shaft to get to this small south passage, we had always carefully to avoid walking too near its edge, because of the loose crumbling debris which covers the floor of the Pit. 94 In the Descending Passage at a distance of seven or eight yards up from the foot, there is an opening in the west wall, so that when we retraced our steps, it appeared in the wall on our left-hand side. This is the entrance into a small passage, six feet in length, which leads to the lower end of an almost vertical shaft, only a little over two feet square in bore, named the Well. A reference to Plate IX will show that this shaft communicates with the upper passages. 95 Immediately above or north of the granite stone on which the grill-door is fixed, there is an irregular opening in the west wall of the Descending Passage. When we stepped through this opening, we found ourselves in a large cavernous space hollowed out in the Pyramid masonry. This large cavity and the opening into it from the Descending Passage, were forced fully a thousand years ago by Caliph A1 Mamoun, son of Harun A1 Raschid of Arabian Nights' fame. After entering the cavity, when we turned round and looked up, we saw by the light of our candles that the west side of the upper two-thirds of the Granite Plug, already mentioned, had been exposed by the large excavation. 96 The small space between the lower end of the Granite Plug, and the roof-line
47
PLATE XI.
of the Descending Passage, was originally closed by a smooth limestone block similar to the other stones which form the roof of the Descending Passage, and in line with them -Plate XI. So effectually did this limestone block conceal the entrance of the First Ascending Passage, that none of the classic nations knew anything about the upper passages and chambers. Later, the little of what was once known by ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, was lost, for even the site of entrance to the Great Pyramid became forgotten. Consequently, when Caliph A1 Mamoun, with the mistaken idea that the Great Pyramid contained treasures of gold and precious stones, desired to enter it and explore its wonders, there was only an indistinct rumour to guide him towards trying the northern rather than any other side of the monument. He selected a spot in the middle line on the seventh course of masonry, and, therefore, several feet below and to the right of the true Entrance. Here he caused his workmen to force a passage horizontally into the great solid mass of the Pyramid. 97 It is reported that after weeks of fruitless quarrying, the Caliph's despairing workmen were disposed to abandon their task, when one day they heard a noise as if something had fallen in an interior space a few feet from where they were. They immediately set to work eastwards in the direction of the sound, and soon burst into the Descending Passage, thus forming the irregular opening already described. There they found that the noise had been caused by the falling of the large angular stone, which lor ages had formed part of the roof of the Descending Passage, and had sealed up the entrance to the upper passages and chambers. In this way, this most important secret was revealed for the first time since the erection of the building ; and had it not been for the shaking of the masonry which caused the roof-stone to become dislodged and fall, the upper passages might even yet have remained unknown. 98 But the workmen, though they had discovered the First Ascending Passage, found that access into it was prevented by the Granite Plug, which is so tightly wedged that it is impossible to remove it entire, and so hard that it would have been extremely difficult to break it. Accordingly, they chose the easier plan of breaking up and removing the limestone blocks to the right or west of the Granite Plug, and so forced their way upwards into the passage above. This discovery of the upper passages was made in the year 820 A.D. ; and as the Great Pyramid was built about the year 2170 B.C., their existence must have been unknown for practically three thousand years ! The due time had arrived, however, when the Lord permitted these upper passages and chambers to be discovered, in or'der that their secrets might be revealed in the latter days of this Dispensation, and that, by means of the Great Pyramid as well as from the Bible, men might learn that the Lord is God, " declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure"-Isa. 46: 10. 99 It was many years after A1 Mamoun's attack on the inside of the Great Pyramid that there began, with the object of building the new Mussulman cities and mosques, that spoiling of its outside which resulted in the removal of the top-stone, and of nearly all the smooth, white casing-stones that formerly covered or encased the building. Prior to this act of vandalism, the shining white Pyramid must have presented a glorious sight. Professor Flinders Petrie points out that the stones at the summit of the Pyramid continued to be thrown down from time to time till so recently as the beginning
PLATE XII.
I
IT
GROUND PLAN
OF THE
NORTHERN END
OF THE
OF
THE
GRAND GALLERY
AND
"WEL
THE"WELL'
SHOWING THE SMALL HORIZONTAL PASSAGE LEADING FROM THE GRAND GALLERY WESTWARD TOTHE WELL
VERTICAL E N D SECTIONS (Loox/~cSOU~H)THROUGH THE LINE OF THE NORTH E D G E OF THE'WELL SHOWING THE SMALL HORIZONTAL PASSAGE LEADING FROM THE GRAND GALLERY WESTWARD
of last century. This is evident from the names and dates which innumerable visitors have carved on the stones that form the present flat summit, the size of which is about twenty-three and a half feet square, forming, therefore, a platform with an area of over 550 square feet. 100 To resume: having passed through the forced hole in the west wall of the Descending Passage into the cavernous hollow, and having examined the exposed west side of the upper two-thirds of the Granite Plug, with above it the opening into the First Ascending Passage, we looked about us and saw in the upper portion of the west wall of the hollow, the inner extremity of the long channel which A1 Mamoun's workmen had forced through the core masonry from the north face of the Pyramid-Plate V. Then, taking advantage of a ledge and a series of notches on the high south-east wall of the hollow, we climbed to the upper end of the Granite Plug and gained access to the First Ascending Passage, which runs in the same vertical plane and at the same angle to the horizon as the Descending Passage. 101 To proceed up this passage, we required to stoop uncomfortably low, for, like the Descending Passage, its roof is scarcely four feet above its floor. When, however, we reached the southern upper extremity of the passage, we emerged into a large place where, to our joy, we found a level floor, and abundance of room to stand erect and so relieve our aching backs. We were now at the lower end of the noblest passage in the Great Pyramid, which has been well named the Grand Gallery. This Gallery ascends in the same vertical plane, and at the same angle, as the First Ascending Passage, of which, therefore, it forms a continuation. The reason why the floor is level is because another passage, called the Horizontal Passage, also has its beginning at the upper extremity of the First Ascending Passage. 102 Every time we reached the Grand Gallery, we were glad of a little rest and a quiet look round-Plate XII. (1) Behind us was the low steep passage up which we had just laboriously clambered. (2) When facing south, we perceived at our feet, on the west or right-hand side, a very small passage branching off in a horizontal direction. The roof of this small passage is on a level with the floor of the Horizontal Passage at this place. When investigating this small passage we found it necessary, after stepping down into it, to crawl along its floor on hands and knees, but we required to exercise extreme caution, for at a very short distance to the west, it terminates in a deep vertical shaft, 28 inches square in bore. This is the upper end of the Well, the lower opening of which, as already mentioned, appears on the west wall near the foot of the Descending Passage --Plate XIII. (3) Straight in front of us we saw the low entrance to the Horizontal Passage, which extends southwards in the same vertical plane as the Descending and First Ascending Passages, but, as indicated by its name, in a horizontal direction. In height and width, it corresponds to the Descending and First Ascending Passages, and leads to a large square room with a high gabled roof, known as the Queen's Chamber, on the east wall of which is a peculiar shallow Niche. On the occasions of our visits to the Queen's Chamber, we required to keep a careful watch as we proceeded along the low Horizontal Passage ; otherwise we would have been in danger of a severe fall, for after
PLATE
XIV.
traversing six-sevenths of the distance we came to a place where the floor suddenly drops to a lower level-Plate XIV. (4) Above the low entrance of the Horizontal Passage, sixteen and a half feet in front of us, we beheld the commencement of the Grand Gallery floor. Strictly speaking, however, the commencement is at the north end-wall. At this place the floor of the First Ascending Passage appears to project about two feet into the Grand Gallery ; but this little inclined portion, though continuous with the floor of the First Ascending Passage, is really the commencement of the Grand Gallery floor. Between this portion and the portion further south above the Horizontal Passage, there is a large gap-for the purpose of affording entrance along the Horizontal Passage to the Queen's Chamber. Some think that originally there was no break in the continuity of the Grand Gallery floor, and that thus the entrance into the Queen's Chamber was concealed, but it is more probable that the gap was constructed in order to give the appearance of having been forced. There are certain features which seem to indicate this. 103 The Grand Gallery is narrow, being only seven feet in width ; but with the aid of a good light its lofty vaulted roof, twenty-eight feet in vertical height, is seen sloping upwards into deep obscurity, a most impressive sight ! Even more impressive is this wonderful passage when it is illuminated with magnesium wire burnt behind the spectator as he is standing at the north end. On several occasions we got our Arab attendant to burn magnesium away up at the south end of the Gallery, and then every part of it became visible :-the two side-walls approaching each other from their base upwards by seven overlappings till at the roof they are only three and a half feet apart ; the narrow roof itself with its thirty-six overlappings sloping steeply upwards ; and about 160 feet away at a level of 70 feet above us as we stood at the lower or north end of the Grand Gallery, the high tapering south wall with, in the centre of its base, the dark square opening of still another low passage. This low passage, which is only three and a half feet square in bore, leads horizontally southwards to a small peculiarly marked apartment called the Anfe-Chamber, from the south wall of which a similar low passage leads to a large rectangular hall known as the King's Chamber. 104 When we looked along the floor of the Grand Gallery, we saw that the walkingspace is narrowed to three and a half feet by a pair of low square stone benches or Ramps, extending the whole length of the Gallery at the base of the two side walls. The floor of the Grand Gallery is, therefore, of the same width as the Descending and First Ascending Passages, the Horizontal Passage, and the two small horizontal passages which communicate with the Ante-Chamber and King's Chamber from the south or upper end of the Grand Gallery. 105 As the apparent commencement of the floor of the Grand Gallery is over seven feet above the floor of the Horizontal Passage, it would be extremely difficult to ascend the Grand Gallery were it not that the East Ramp extends right down to the north wall, and is sufficiently broad to permit one to walk upwards along it till the sloping floor of the Gallery is reached. The East Ramp is always the one chosen by visitors desiring to ascend the Gallery, because, although the West Ramp also extends right down to the north wall of the Gallery, the Well-mouth breaks its continuity. Along the top of the East Ramp, footholds have been cut, which we found of great assistance, and without which it would be practically impossible to ascend this narrow slippery ledge.
106 At the head of the Grand Gallery (the south end), there is a great Step, thirtysix inches in height, which, though broken to a considerable extent in the middle, we found difficult to surmount, not only on account of its height, but also because of the sloping floor on which our feet rested ; but we found that the Ramps, which terminate against the front of the Step, proved of assistance, for by carefully placing a foot on top of one of them, we gained sufficient purchase to enable us to spring to the upper surface of the Step. This upper surface is a level platform, measuring seven feet from side to side, and five feet from front to back. We always had a feeling of rest when we reached the top of the Step, after our laborious and somewhat dangerous climb up the long steep Gallery. Most visitors to the interior of the Pyramid, when they reach the lower end of the Grand Gallery, hesitate to proceed further. The absence of the floor at this part, the long inclined walls and the high receding roof disappearing into the deep gloom above, gives them a feeling of awe and makes them afraid to go on. It is only on the repeated assurances of their voluble Arab guides that some of them are induced to make the attempt. Indeed, many of the visitors do not penetrate even to the lower north end of the Grand Gallery, the high south-east wall in A1 Mamoun's cavity, and the steep and very slippery floor of the First Ascending Passage, deter them from proceeding further than the junction of the First Ascending Passage ; and very many more will not even venture inside the Pyramid at all, the low narrow Entrance, and above all the smooth glossy white floor which slopes away so suddenly from them, proves too much for their nerves. Those, therefore, who reach the top of the Step at the head of the Grand Gallery, and pass through the low horizontal passages to the King's Chamber, are comparatively a very small and select company indeed ! 107 Our inspection of the lofty tapering wall which forms the south terminus of the Grand Gallery, showed us that, like the two side-walls, it has seven overlappings, each of which projects about three inches. The topmost overlap near the roof, therefore, projects about twenty-one inches beyond the base of the wall. The north end-wall at the foot of the Gallery has only six overlappings. As the two passages, the first from the Grand Gallery into the Ante-Chamber, and the second from the Ante-Chamber into the King's Chamber, are each only three and a half feet high, we found it necessary to stoop considerably when going through them. Special care required to be exercised on emerging from the first low passage into the Ante-Chamber ; for at a short distance (21 inches) from the north wall of the chamber, two thick plates of granite, one above the other, forming together what is called the Granite Leaf, are fixed between the side walls in such a way, that the bottom of the lower one is on the same level as the roof of the low passage into the Ante-Chamber-Plate XV. 108 The King's Chamber, constructed entirely of immense beautifully squared and levelled blocks of dark polished granite, is the chief apartment in the Great Pyramid, the one "to which, and for which, and toward which, the whole Great Pyramid was originally built." The Granite Coffer is near the west side of the chamber, and is the only movable article of furniture in the building. Though named the Sarcophagus by those who hold to the tombic theory of the Great Pyramid, it exhibits none of the hieroglyphics nor other markings which are usually found on the sarcophagi in Egypt, nor is there any record of a mummy ever having been discovered in it. The King's Chamber is situated on the 50th course of the Pyramid masonry at a height of about 150
PLATEXV.
CHAMBER
feet from the ground, and its size is, approximately, 34 feet from east to west, 17 feet from north to south, and 19 feet in height. The four walls are built of exactly one hundred stones varying in size, and the ceiling is formed of nine enormous granite beams, stretching from north to south, and extending five feet beyond each side wall. These granite beams are of greater depth than breadth, joist fashion, and constitute the largest stones in the whole Pyramid. One of them has a breadth of five feet, a depth of about seven feet, and a length of twenty-seven feet, and weighs about eighty tons. (How did the builders manage to get it into its position ?) 109 Above the King's Chamber there are five shallow spaces called Chambers of Construction, into the lowest of which, known as "Davison's Chamber" after its discoverer, access is gained by a small passage entering from the top south-east corner of the Grand Gallery. This small passage is rough, but is apparently original. It is about 24 feet in length, and only 32 inches in height by 28 inches in width. We did not get an opportunity to explore these upper chambers ; and a visit to them is attended with danger. We were informed that there is only one guide (who lives at the Sakkara Pyramids, about seven miles further up the Nile) who will venture to ascend to the mouth of the small passage, in order to hold a rope for the venturesome visitor who desires to extend his investigations to these upper regions. This guide mounts the giddy height by means of notches cut in the walls at the south-east angle of the Grand Gallery. When we remember the limited area of the upper surface of the Step, the vast sloping depth of the Grand Gallery below, and the great height of the roof where the mouth of the small passage is situated, we can well understand that this guide will require, as the French say, to "take his courage in both hands." Our Arab attendant essayed to ascend for us, but after climbing a third of the height, said he was afraid and came down again. 110 It was on the 8th of July in the year 1765 A.D.,that Davison, accompanied by a few friends (who did not, however, go with him all the way), discovered and examined the lowermost Chamber of Construction. He ascended to the mouth of the small passage by a ladder: and had great difficulty in making his way along the confined passage because of the large amount of dirt and bat's manure with which it was choked. He perceived that the floor of the chamber was composed of the reverse of the granite beams which form the ceiling of the King's Chamber, and that the entire widths of their upper surfaces were exposed, thus making this low space about four feet longer than the chamber below, although the width from north to south is the same. 111 This comprised all that was'known of the parts above the King's Chamber until 1837, when, on the 14th of February of that year, Col. Howard Vyse instructed his workmen to commence an excavation from the inner end of the small passage in a vertical direction, in order to penetrate above the roof-beams of Davison's Chamber. He states that his reason for pursuing this operation, was his belief that a sepulchral apartment lay above Davison's Chamber, the latter being, as he thought, merely an entresol or low division between the two main apartments below and above. The work of excavating proved laborious and most dangerous, because of its being overhead work, and carried on in so confined a space. It was not until after six weeks of constant boring and blasting, that the workmen managed to make a small hole into the cavity above.
112 On receiving this information, the Colonel, in great expectation, examined the chamber by the aid of a lighted candle on the end of a rod pushed through the small opening ; but, he wrote :-" I had the mortification of finding that it was a chamber of construction, like that below it." He still entertained a hope, however, of discovering a sepulchral apartment somewhere above the King's Chamber, and his men continued to work upwards, breaking into each Chamber of Construction in succession, until, after three and a half months' labour, when they had forced a vertical shaft up to a total height of forty feet above the small passage, the fifth cavity was entered. This, owing to its inclined pointed roof, Col. Howard Vyse believed to be the highest and final chamber. According to his measurements, the apex of the gabled roof of this chamber is seventy feet above the floor of the King's Chamber-Plate XVI. 113 On the surrounding masonry of all these Chambers of Construction, excepting the lowest, Col. Howard Vyse discovered many red-painted marks and hieroglyphs. He had careful copies of these taken and sent to the British Museum, where they were examined and pronounced to be merely quarry-marks and instructions for the masons, painted on at the quarries at the Mokattam hills on the opposite (east) side of the Nile. These are the marks referred to by Professor Flinders Petrie-Par. 74. 114 From the foregoing, it will be gathered that the "Chambers of Construction" are not chambers in the usually accepted sense of that word, but merely hollows or vacancies consequent upon the peculiar construction of the masonry above the King's " The series of five layers Chamber, and hence the name " Chambers of Constr~ction. of great granite beams which are built one above the other at short distances apart, and the additional pairs of great inclined limestone blocks which form the gabled roof of the topmost hollow (with also, probably, other inclined blocks resting upon these again), were evidently intended by the ancient builders to form together a support for the enormous weight of the superincumbent mass of masonry (the ancient top-stone lay more than 300 feet above the King's Chamber), which would be solid enough to preserve for thousands of years the chaste simplicity of the noble chamber which they protect. 115 Nor were the precautions against destruction too great, for even with it all there is a slight settlement or inclination of the whole of the King's Chamber towards the south-west corner, caused by an earthquake, most probably that reported to have occurred in the year 908 A.D.-Par. 84. The shock of this earthquake must have been very severe, for every one of the beams which form the immediate roof of the King's Chamber, great and strong though they be, are broken across near the south wall, so that as Professor Flinders Petrie has said, the whole of the immensely heavy granite ceiling is upheld solely by sticking and thrusting ! Moreover, in every one of the spaces above, the massive roof-beams are either cracked across, or are torn more or less out of the wall principally on the south side ! Nevertheless, the wonderful and unique method of construction devised four thousand years ago by the ancient architect, has so well succeeded in preserving the symmetry and squareness of the great chamber, that none of the effects of the mighty convulsion of nature are apparent to the eyes of the observer standing in it. These effects reveal themselves only upon close scrutiny, with careful measuring and levelling. 116 All the chambers in the Great Pyramid run longer from east to west, than from north to south, and the entrance doorway of each opens on the extreme east of the
PLATE XVI.
north wall, the Grotto, even, being no exception to this uniform rule. (We give a full description of the Grotto in our letters from Egypt.) As all the passages run in the same vertical plane, a sectional drawing of the Pyramid from east to west would show the various chambers situated vertically one above the other.-See Plate XVII, which shows the Chamber System of the Great Pyramid, looking north. 117 In none of the passages and chambers of the Great Pyramid have we found any of the sculpture-work and carved hieroglyphics which are so common in many of the smaller pyramids, and in all of the temples, obelisks, sphinxes, etc., erected throughout Egypt. There are, indeed, the few red marks in the Chambers of Construction ; but these have been pronounced on good authority to be quarry-marks, and are found on the walls of spaces which are strictly speaking not chambers, and were originally built up with solid masonry. In all the other chambers and passages, on the contrary, intended to be visited, the masonry was finished off plain, and polished (though now much serrated and injured by the effects of time and vandalism) ; and in them neither quarry-marks nor hieroglyphics of any kind have ever been discovered, though many investigators have sought long and diligently for them. It is not by hieroglyphics nor by sculpture-work, but by symbol, measure, and angle, that the Great Pyramid of Gizeh in the land of Egypt yields its secrets, and testifies to the Divine plan of the Ages.
I PLATE XVII.
-
OF
-KING'S
CHAMBER
CHAMBERS
COHZTRIICTlOY
-GRAND
;, ;
,
!
:
WELL-::
SHAFT
'
!j
-
: /
j i
:I
. i : ., .. .;. :,. :
FIRST ASCENDING PASSAGE
:
, ii , , '.,
GALLERY
/
SMALL L A 5 7 (7.. F. % 3.4
PVRAMIDS
CHAPTER VI. THE SYMBOLISMOF THE PASSAGES AND CHAMBERS OF THE GREATPYRAMID.
I
F the north wall of the Grand Gallery be assumed to indicate the date of the birth of Jesus Christ, and a space of 33% inches, measured from this point up the inclined floor, be taken to symbolize the years of his earthly life, the terminal point of this measurement will be found to occupy a position "over against the mouth of the Well,"not opposite the centre of that opening, but sufficiently near to it to have suggested the thought to the mind of a young Scotsman, Robert Menzies by name, that the Well symbolizes Hades, the death-state, into which, in the words of the prophet, our Lord Jesus " poured out his soul "-Isa. 53: 12. And because the surroundings of this Well present the appearance of its mouth having been, in time past, covered by stone-work, and later violently uncovered (as if burst open from beneath by an explosion), the additional thought of Christ's resurrection was suggested. 119 As a sequence to these thoughts, it was naturally suggested that the First Ascending Passage which leads up to the point thus assumed to indicate the date of Christ's birth, would, therefore, symbolize that Law Dispensation which preceded and led up to the Advent of the Messiah; and, also, that the Descending Passage from which the First Ascending Passage branches, would symbolize the world on its downward course to the " Pit " of destruction. On the other hand, the lofty Grand Gallery, continuing in the same upward direction as that of the First Ascending Passage, would appropriately symbolize that Dispensation of Grace, during which the " Glad Tidings " of the Advent of a Saviour for the world, was to be witnessed to all nations. 120 These thoughts, which were suggested by Robert Menzies as a possible interpretation of the symbolism of the Great Pyramid's passages and chambers, have since been proved to be reasonable, and have led the way to the discovery of many beautiful, and otherwise undiscoverable, corroborations of the various features of the plan of salvation as contained in the Holy Scriptures. It is important to realize that it was the recognition of the symbolism of the Well, which formed the key to the interpretation of the design of the passage system. This is only what we should expect, for it is the due recognition of the death and resurrection of Christ, symbolized by the Well, which forms the key to the proper understanding of the teaching of the Bible. With these leading thoughts in mind, the symbolism of the various passages and chambers will first be stated somewhat ;briefly, so that a comprehensive view may be taken of them, and then they will be considered in fuller detail. E
61
121 In 2 Tim. 1: 10 it is stated that Jesus, by his death and resurrection, abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. Life on the plane of human perfection, as it will be at the end of Christ's Millennia1 reign on earth, is indicated by the Queen's Chamber. Immortality is indicated on a higher level by the King's Chamber, into which entrance is gained only by means of the Grand Gallery and Ante-Chamber. The Grand Gallery represents the pathway of justification by faith which leads to the high or heavenly calling to joint-heirship with Christ ; and the AnteChamber represents the " School of Christ," the school of consecration unto death, in which those who accept the calling and are accepted by the Lord, are made meet for the heavenly inheritance symbolized by the King's Chamber. The Grand Gallery, Ante-Chamber, and King's Chamber have the same significance as the Court, Holy, and Most Holy of the Tabernacle-See Tabernacle Shadows by C. T. Russell, pp. 19-21. 122 The Descending Passage symbolizes the downward course of " this present evil world" (Gal. 1: 4) to destruction, represented by the Pit, or Subterranean Chamber. It is important to notice that it is not the people, but " this present evil world "-the present evil institutions-which will be destroyed in Gehenna. These evil institutions will, thank God, never be re-awakened. The Pit thus symbolizes Gehenna, the condition of death from which there will be no awakening, just as the Well symbolizes Hades, the condition of death from which there will be an awakening. 123 From the Descending Passage, representing the plane of Adamic condemnation, to the upper planes of life and immortality represented by the Queen's Chamber and the King's Chamber respectively, two ways are shown in the Great Pyramid, namely, the First Ascending Passage, and the Well. A glance at Plate IX, which represents the passage system of the Great Pyramid, will show that of these two ways, the First Ascending Passage, representing the Law Covenant, appears to be much easier to ascend than the other. That is how the Israelites regarded the Law Covenant. When Moses laid before them the words which the Lord commanded him, " All the people answered together and said, ' All that the Lord hath spoken we will do ' "-Exod. 19: 8. They thought they could keep the Law and thus gain life, for God had said : "Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments : which if a man do, he shall live in them : I am the Lord "-Lev. 18: 5. They did not recognize that it was impossible for fallen flesh to obey the Divine Law. What was it that blocked this way to life ? It was the perfect Law of God. Just as the Granite Plug completely blocks the entrance of the First Ascending Passage of the re at Pyramid, so the Divine Law blocked the way of life which the Law Covenant offered to the Jew. Thus the Granite Plug symbolizes the Divine Law. As the Apostle put it, " The commandment, which was ordained to 7:'lO. Through the Atonement Sacrifices, life, I found to be unto death "-Rom. however, which the Lord instituted, the Israelites were typically justified (not really justified, because "it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins "-Heb. 10: 4), and were accordingly reckoned by God as typically obeying the Law and progressing along the Law Dispensation. The First Ascending Passage, therefore, symbolizes both the Law Covenant and the Law Dispensation. 124 As the First Ascending Passage is blocked, and the passage forced by A1 Mamoun is no part of the original design of the Great Pyramid, it follows that there is only one way open from the Descending Passage, symbolical of Adamic condemnation, 62
to the upper passages which symbolize life and immortality, namely, by the Well. But this way is vertical for a great part of its course, and is only 28 inches square in bore. It is not a passage at all in the proper sense of the term. As already intimated, it symbolizes Christ's ransom-sacrifice. Thus the teaching of the Great Pyramid corroborates that of the Word of God, which intimates that the way to life and immortality was first opened up through the death and resurrection of Christ, and that salvation is by faith. " By grace are ye saved, through faith ; and that not of yourselves ; it is the gift of God : not of works, lest any man should boast "-Eph. 2: 8,9. None can ascend from the plane of condemnation and death, to the plane of reckoned justification except by faith. Justification by faith is not the result of works. 125 Only two men have been capable of keeping the perfect Law of God, because none but these two began life in this world on the plane of human perfection. The first one, Adam, wilfully broke God's Law (1 Tim. 2: 14) and sold the whole human race under sin and death. The other, on the contrary, the man Christ Jesus, kept the Law, and did not require to die; but delighting in the will of God, he voluntarily gave up his life as a sacrifice, the just for the unjust (1 Pet. 3: 18) ; and then, as it was not possible that he, the innocent one, should be holden of death (Acts 2: 24), God burst the bonds and raised his beloved Son from hades, the death-state. Through the risen Christ as the Last Adam, the First Adam with all of his family will eventually also be raised from the death-state-1 Tim. 2: 4-6. Thus "the first shall be last, and the last first." 126 Jesus, then, was not born on the plane of condemnation and death represented by the Descending Passage, but on the plane of human perfection. He was "holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners "-Heb. 7: 26. But he was born under the Law-Gal. 4: 4. This would require that the Great Pyramid should indicate the date of his birth somewhere in the First Ascending Passage. How could it be at one and the same time in the First Ascending Passage, and on the plane of human perfection ? The answer is given in an ingenious and yet simple fashion. The Queen's Chamber symbolizes human perfection as it will be at the end of the " Times of Restitution" spoken of by the Apostle Peter, and by all the holy prophets since the world began-Acts 3: 21. Its floor, therefore, should represent the plane of human perfection. If the line of the floor be produced northwards till it touches the floor of the First Ascending Passage, the point of contact will necessarily be on the plane of human perfection. This point will, therefore, fulfil the required conditions-Plate XVIII. It indicates the date of the birth 'of Jesus, because (1) it is in the First Ascending Passage, symbolizing the fact that Jesus was born under the Law ; and (2) it is on the plane of the Queen's Chamber floor, symbolizing the fact that Jesus was born on the plane of human perfection. It will be noticed that the level of the Queen's Chamber floor is not below the summit of the Well, because, properly speaking, the summit of the Well is the upper extremity of the vertical shaft, to which access is gained by the short horizontal passage leading out from the lower or north end of the Grand Gallery, and this, the true summit, is slightly below the level of the Queen's Chamber floor. 127 That this point on the floor of the First Ascending Passage indicates the date of the birth of Jesus, is confirmed by the following interesting fact. It has been shown that the First Ascending Passage and the Grand Gallery, symbolize respectively the Law Dispensation and the Gospel Dispensation. It follows that the point on the floor
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PLATEXVIII.
which is in line with the north wall of the Grand Gallery, and which marks, therefore, the end of the First Ascending Passage and the commencement of the Grand Gallery, indicates the date of the death and resurrection of Christ which closed the Law Dispensation, and ushered in the Gospel Dispensation-Col. 2: 14. This line of demarcation, as indicating the date of the death and resurrection of Christ, is confirmed by several distinct time-measurements (in all of which a Pyramid inch corresponds to a year-Par. 25), the consideration of which is reserved for Volume I1 of Greaf Pyramid Passages. Now, if we measure along the floor of the First Ascending Passage from the point already determined as indicating the date of the birth of Jesus, to this line of demarcation which indicates the date of his death, the distance between the two is found to be 33% inches, the exact length which corresponds to the duration of Jesus' life on earth at the rate of an inch to a year.' 128 The fact that two or more parts of the Great Pyramid may symbolize the same feature of the Plan of Salvation (as, for instance, the Well, and the line of demarcation between the First Ascending Passage and the Grand Gallery, both of which symbolize the death and resurrection of Christ), and the fact that one portion of the Great Pyramid may symbolize two or more features of the Plan of Salvation (as, for instance, the First Ascending Passage which symbolizes both the Law Covenant and the Law Dispensation), should occasion no surprise ; for the same principle is observed in the Bible, where, for example, the followers of Christ are represented by various symbols-sheep, stones, guests at a wedding, branches in a vine, a bride, etc. In no other way would it be possible to represent so many features by the few simple passages and chambers contained in the Great Pyramid. 129 Dr. Seiss, arguing for the same reasonable interpretation of the symbolism of the Great Pyramid, writes : "Does not the same alphabet spell all our words, and by its various combinations serve to record all our knowledge ? And when, by reading certain .features of the Great Pyramid in one way, we get one circle of truths, and by reading them in other ways, based on Pyramid presentations, we get quite other circles of truths, or trace in one part coincidences with readings in a different kind in another part, where is the illogicalness of it or the confounding of things any more than in the cases just named ?" 130 While bearing this in mind, it will at the same time be noticed that nowhere are the presentations strained or out of harmony with the general symbolization of the various passages and chambers, but that, on the contrary, they tend to establish more firmly those symbolical applications; and new beauties, which otherwise would be lost, are brought to light, corroborating the testimony of the Scriptures. ' I n his Life and Work at the Great Pyramid, Vol. Z , Professor C. Piazzi Smyth states that the floor of the Horizontal Passage is from 2094 to 21 inches above the Queen's Chamber floor, and 6 inches above the line of demarcation between the First Ascending Passage and the Grand Gallery. This line of demarcation is, accordingly, froni 14% to 15 (say 14.85)inches above the level of the Queen's Chamber floor, which is on the same level as the point on the floor of the First Ascending Passage that marks the date of Jesus' birth. This vertical measurement of 14.85 inches is the perpendicular of a right-angled triangle, the hypotenuse of which is the length of that portion of the floor of the First Ascending Passage lying between the two points which indicate the dates of the birth and death of Jesus. The angle of inclination of the floor (the hypotenuse) is 26" 18' lo", and the sine of this angle is .4431146 (See any table of logarithms). If this be divided by the length of the perpendicular, 1485 inches, the hypotenuse is found to measure 33.5 inches.
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CHAPTER VII. THE SYMBOLISM OF THE PASSAGES
AND
CHAMBERS OF THE GREAT PYRAMID
MORE FULLY CONSIDERED.
( A ) THE KING'S AND QUEEN'SCHAMBERS,
W
ITH a view to the proper understanding of this subject, let us first consider what are meant by "Mortality" and "Immortality." "Mortality" signifies a state or condition of liability to death ; a condition in which death is a possibility, not in which death is a certainty. "Immortality" signifies a state or condition not liable to death ; not merely a condition of freedom from death, but a condition in which death is an impossibility. 132 Adam was mortal, that is, in a condition in which death was a possibility. He had life in full and perfect measure, yet not inherent life. His was a life sustained by " every tree of the garden " save the one tree forbidden ; and so long as he continued in obedience to and in harmony with his Maker, his life was secure,-sustaining elements were not denied. Thus seen, Adam had life, and death was entirely avoidable ; yet he was in such a condition that death was possible, he was mortal. 133 Immortality is ascribed only to the Divine nature. Originally it was possessed by Jehovah alone; subsequently it was given to our Lord Jesus in his highly exalted condition ; finally it will be imparted to the Church, the body of Christ, when glorified with him--1 Tim. 6 : 16 ; John 5 : 26; 2 Pet. 1 : 4 ; 1 Cor. 15: 53, 54 (Scripture Studies, Vol. I, pp. 185-6). 134 In the Chart of the Ages (Plate VI) three important planes are represented : (1) the lowest, the plane of human depravity, condemnation and death ; (2) above this, the plane of human perfection ; and (3) the highest plane, the plane of the Divine nature, immortality. These three conditions-are symbolized in the Great Pyramid by the same method of superimposed planes : (1) the Descending Passage represents the plane of Adamic condemnation to death ; (2) the Horizontal Passage and Queen's Chamber (more particularly the level of the Queen's Chamber floor) represents the plane of human perfection, the condition in which everlasting life is a possibility, but not a certainty ; and (3) the King's Chamber, the plane of the Divine nature, immortality, the condition in which death is an impossibility. 135 In his work, Tabernacle Shadows, C. T. Russell points out that gold in the tabernacle symbolizes things Divine ; and copper, things human. In the third volume of Scripture Studies, he points out that the granite and limestone of the Great Pyramid teach the same lessons ; for instance, the Granite Plug in the First Ascending Passage symbolizes the Divine Law. An examination of Plate IX will show that the only other 66
positions in the Great Pyramid where granite (represented in the Plate by crossed line shading) is used for constructive purposes are the Ante-Chamber, the King's Chamber, andFkthe five spaces above the King's Chamber named by Col. Howard Vyse the " Chambers of Construction "-Pars. 110-115. This would indicate that these chambers symbolize spiritual and Divine things or beings, and that all other parts of the interior of the Great Pyramid, with the exception of the Granite Plug, symbolize human things or beings. 136 Immortality, or the Divine nature, the highest of all spirit natures, is symbolized by the King's Chamber, which is built entirely of granite. The Queen's Chamber, on the other hand,. being built entirely of limestone, symbolizes the human nature; but inasmuch as it is seven-sided (including the floor and double-inclined roof) it symbolizes that perfection of human nature which will be obtained by all the obedient among men at the end of the " Times of Restitution," when the will of God will be done on earth as it is done in heaven. 137 Another clue to the interpretation that the plane of the Queen's Chamber signifies the plane of human perfection, the condition in which everlasting life is a possibility, is that the level of its floor is above the summit of the Well. We have seen that the Well symbolizes not only in a particular sense the death and resurrection of Christ, but also in a general sense Hades, the state of death from which there will be an awakening. Accordingly, the level of the Queen's Chamber indicates that plane of being which is superior to death conditions. This is the plane of the perfect human nature, which enables individuals to obey the perfect Law of God, and, by continuing to obey, to live for ever as human beings. The fact that this plane is only just at the summit of the Well, would indicate that in this condition there is, nevertheless, always the possibility of death, which, however, would ensue only in the event of disobedience ; whereas the plane of the King's Chamber which is high above the level of the summit of the Well, indicates the plane of being (immortality) in which death is an impossibility. 138 Again, an important proof that the level of the Queen's Chamber represents eternal life on the human plane, is that access to it is gained either by the First Ascending Passage, or by the Well, both of which symbolize means of access to earthly life-rights. (1) The First Ascending Passage symbolizes the Law Covenant, which did not offer spiritual life and blessings nor a heavenly inheritance, but eternal life on the human plane with earthly blessings (Gal. 3 : 12 ; Lev. 18 : 5 ; Deut. 11 : I-; 28 : I-) ; but just as the First Ascending Passage is completely blocked by the Granite Plug, so the Law Covenant as a way to life was blocked by the Divine Law. The Commandment which was ordained to life was found to be unto death, because none could obey itRom. 7: 10. Thus throughout the long period of the Law Dispensation, it was fully evidenced that in spite of all the advantages of knowledge and opportunity which were given under the Law Covenant, none of the fallen race could, by his own works, pass from the plane of Adamic condemnation to the plane of eternal life. Much less could any of the Gentiles without the Law satisfy the requirements of justice. Thus the wisdom and righteousness of God, as well as his love, were manifested in the great scheme of salvation through Christ Jesus, which he had planned before the foundation of the world. As all were guilty before God, it was necessary that the Son of God
should be born as a perfect human being under the Law, and, after proving his right to eternal life on the human plane, surrender this right for ever for the benefit of the human race. It is in harmony with this that, as already shown (Par. 127), the date of the birth of the " man Christ Jesus," as a perfect human being born under the Law and able to keep it, is indicated in the Great Pyramid at the upper end of the First Ascending Passage, and on the same level as the floor of the Queen's Chamber. What Christ gained by keeping the Law was earthly life-rights, and it was these which he surrendered for the world's sake. " The man Christ Jesus gave himself a ransom for all" ; "My flesh I will give for the life of the worldu-I Tim. 2 : 5 , 6 ; John 6: 51. As a reward, and in order that he might be enabled to bless all the families of the earth by giving them the earthly life-rights which he had surrendered, God raised him from the dead and exalted him to the Divine nature and the heavenly inheritance, symbolized in the Great Pyramid by the King's Chamber. (2) Thus we see that access to the plane of human perfection is impossible for any of the fallen race by their own works through the Law Covenant, and that the only way to life is through the ransom-sacrifice of Christ. This is symbolized in the Great Pyramid by the fact that the First Ascending Passage is completely blocked by the Granite Plug, and that the only means of access from the Descending Passage to the level of the Queen's Chamber is by the Well, which, from this point of view, symbolizes the ransom-sacrifice of Christ. During the Millennium, the Israelites, and through them the other nations, will return to their former estate and receive the testimony that the man Christ Jesus, the Mediator between God and men, gave himself a ransom for all1 Tim. 2: 4-6. Thus the ransom is the perfect human life of Jesus sacrificed for all ; and the final outcome of the ransom will be the restitution to the whole human race of all that was lost by Adam. But only the obedient will receive eternal life, for " every soul which will not hear [obey] that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people" -Acts 3: 19-23. During the Gospel Age those who have ears to hear and who have living faith in the ransom-sacrifice of Christ, are justified by faith, that is to say, they have the earthly life-rights, surrendered by Jesus, imputed to them in advance of the world ; but the sole purpose of this justification by faith is that they may sacrifice these earthly life-rights as Jesus did. 139 Access to the King's Chamber is possible only by the Grand Gallery and the Ante-Chamber. This corroborates the teaching of the Scriptures that access to the heavenly inheritance on the Divine-plane is limited to this Gospel Age, and is possible only through justification and sanctification. The Grand Gallery symbolizes the faithjustification of this Age, the condition of those who, through faith in the ransomsacrifice of Christ, have passed from the plane of condemnation, and have had imputed to them the earthly life-rights surrendered by Jesus on their behalf, and through them on behalf of the world. The Ante-Chamber symbolizes the sanctification of the Gospel Age, the condition of those who, having been justified to human life-rights, have responded to the loving invitation of God, and have by faith made a covenant with him to follow in Jesus' footsteps of sacrifice unto death. These are reckoned by God as no longer in the flesh but in the Spirit, and are prepared through sufferings for the heavenly inheritance, which will be the everlasting possession of Christ and all those of his followers who have been faithful unto death.
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140 There is a very great difference between the Kingdom promised to the followers of Christ, and the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world for the obedient of the rest of mankind (1Cor. 15: 50 ; Matt. 25: 34) ; for just as ii the heavens are higher than the earth" (Isa. 55: 9), so the King's Chamber, which symbolizes the heavenly inheritance and is situated upon the 50th course of the Pyramid masonry, is high above the level of the Queen's Chamber which is situated on the 25th course, and symbolizes the earthly inheritance. 141 There is still another method by which the builders of the Great Pyramid, under Divine direction, symbolized the essential difference between immortality and mortality. C. T. Russell draws attention to this in the third volume of Scripture Studies (pp. 370, 373), and better could not be done than to quote what is there said: " As the King's Chamber by its ventilating tubes indicates that it symbolizes a permanent residence, an everlasting condition, so the Queen's Chamber symbolizes the fact that the condition of human perfection, when reached, may be made an everlasting state; for it also has similar ventilating tubes or air passages provided. In one case we may say it symbolizes a permanent condition, and in the other that it may be made a permanent or everlasting condition, because this is the fact as indicated both by the Scriptures and by the testimony of the stone Witness. The Scriptures say of thase who attain the condition represented by the King's Chamber, that they partake of the Divine nature, and are immortal, or proof against death-that they cannot die thereafter. And they show that those others who reach the full restitution, though they will not possess that quality termed immortality, which is essentially an element of the Divine nature only, will be supplied with life everlasting under provisions already arranged by the great Architect of the plan of salvation. If they abide in harmony with God and in obedience to his will, they will live for ever. 142 " The Great Pyramid declares these same truths ; for while the King's Chamber had open ventilators [Plate XV], the ventilators in the Queen's Chamber were originally peculiarly covered. The air-tubes were complete from the outside of the Great Pyramid to within half an inch [this should read five inches] of the surface of the inner walls of the Queen's Chamber, the stones on either side of the Queen's Chamber, except the said half-inch [five inches] in thickness, having been chiselled out, showing design on the part of the Great Pyramid's Architect, just as every other feature shows it. Mr. Waynman Dixon made this discovery while examining the walls of the Queen's Chamber. He noticed that the wall at a certain spot sounded hollow, and, breaking through the surface, he found one ventilating tube; and then by the same process he found its mate in the opposite wall [Plate XIX]. Thus the Pyramid, in harmony with the Scriptures, declares that ample provision has been made, whereby the perfect human condition, represented by the Queen's Chamber, nzay be an everlasting condition to each one who conforms to its regulations and laws." 143 Thus does the Queen's Chamber with its ventilating air-channels now open to the winds of heaven, suggest the thought of the " breath of life" being breathed into ',. man's nostrils, and man becoming a ii living soul "-Gens 2: 7. " Come from the four , \ .-winds, 0 breath, and breathe upon these slain that they may live. and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army" -Ezek. 37: 9, 10.
...
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PLATE XIX.
I.
The KING'S CHAMBER symbolizes immortality, the possession of the Divine nature, in which death is an impossibility, by the following features :4 Just as "the heavens are high above the earth," so the King's Chamber symbolical of the Church's heavenly inheritance, is high above the Queen's Chamber symbolical of the world's post-millennia1 earthly inheritance. 5 It is provided with open ventilating channels, thus teaching that the King's Chamber symbolizes a permanent residence or condition.
1 It is composed entirely of granite, which in the Great Pyramid symbolizes things Divine. 2 It is situated high above the summit of the Well, which symbolizes Hades. 3 Access to it is gained only by the Grand Gallery and the Ante-Chamber, just as the heavenly inheritance is attained only by way of faith-justification (Grand Gallery) and faith - consecration ( Ante-Chamber ) during the Gospel Age.
11. The QUEEN'S CHAMBER symbolizes the perfect human nature in which everlasting life is a possibility, but death not an impossibility, by the following features :is completely blocked by the Granite Plug, symbolical of the Divine Law), or (b) by the Well, symbolical of the ransom-sacrifice of Christ, the outcome of which will be restitution to all that was lost by Adam, given actually to the world by the end of the Millennial Age, imputed to the household of faith in the Gospel Age. 5 It is provided with ventilating channels which were originally covered, and were useless as conductors of air until someone would seek, find, and remove the barrier, thus symbolizing that ample provision has been made whereby the perfect human condition, represented in the seven-sided Queen's Chamber, may in due time be an everlasting condition to all who conform to God's regulations and laws.
1 It is composed of limestone, which in the interior of the Great Pyramid symbolizes things human. 2 It is situated just above the level of the summit of the Well, symbolical of Hades, and therefore symbolizes that plane of being, human perfection, which is superior to death conditions, but in which, nevertheless, there is always the possibility of death-in the event of disobedience. 3 It is situated on the same plane as the point which indicates the birth of the "man Christ Jesus " at the upper end of the First Ascending Passage-Par. 127. 4 Access to the plane of the Queen's Chamber is gained either (a) by the First Ascending Passage, symbolical of the Law Covenant which offered to the obedient perfect human life on the earth (this 'passage
AND SUBTERRANEAN CHAMBER. ( B ) THE DESCENDINGPASSAGE
THOUGHthe Descending Passage of the Great Pyramid is nearly three hundred and forty feet in length, it measures but three and a half feet from side to side, and rather less than four feet transversely from floor to roof. Its Entrance is situated in the north side of the Pyramid at a spot about 49 feet vertically above the ground. From this point the passage descends southwards at a steep angle. 145 Only one-fourth of the total length of the Descending Passage runs through the Pyramid proper. The remaining three-fourths, progressing southwards at the same 71
steep angle, is forced through the solid rock upon which the Pyramid stands, and ends in the Small Horizontal Passage which continues in the same southerly direction, and leads first to a small Recess, and then to a large Subterranean Chamber carved out in the heart of the rock about one hundred feet vertically below the centre of the base-line of the-Pyramid. Though the roof and four walls of this Subterranean Chamber have been made fairly even, the floor, on the contrary, has been left in an extremely broken and unfinished condition, by reason of which the name of Bottomless Pit " has been applied by some to this chamber. It is a fitting termination to the long low passage which leads downwards to it. 146 Because of its downward slope and very small bore, the whole Descending Passage suggests the thought of the world of mankind bowed under the curse, hastening towards destruction. Since the transverse height is scarcely four feet, the man who travels down this passage requires to stoop very low ; and the steep downward inclination of the roof compels him to bow his head and shoulders even lower than if the passage were horizontal. So cramped is the posture, that before he has gone far his back and head begin to ache, and he longs for an opportunity to stand upright; but there is no relief, and as he continues his downward course he finds it more and more laborious and painful. At first, the light streaming in from the Entrance aids him . ,in choosing his footing, but the further he proceeds the gloomier becomes the way, until at length he requires to grope along in almost complete darkness, unless he possess a lamp or torch. When he has reached the lower extremity of the passage, should he look back, he will see the light at the Entrance now reduced to a mere point owing to the distance, and serving him only as a reminder of the freedom and light he once enjoyed. But after he passes the bend of the passage at the horizontal portion (Plate IX), even this small link with the past becomes lost. As the roof here is even lower than that of the Descending Passage, at this part of the journey he will be forced to his knees, and if he should continue unprovided with a lamp, he will require to creep on in complete darkness, till he stumbles into the "Pit." A few feet before the end of the way, the passage is a little roomier (Plate X), and this may cause him to imagine that he will obtain more freedom if he perseveres; but the hope is a delusive one, for the passage becomes as narrow as it was before, and remains so till the Pit is reached. 147 Is not this a graphic illustration of the condition of the world, bowed under the yoke of the Adamic condemnation to death, groping and stumbling in the darkness, and finding no permanent peace and happiness in spite of all its plans and speculations. This downward course had its first beginning at the fall when God, in passing the sentence of death upon Adam, the head of the race of mankind, said to him : " Cursed is the ground for thy sake ; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life ; thorns \, also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee ; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground ; for out of it wast thou taken ; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return1'--Rom. 8: 22 ; Gen. 3: 17-19. 148 Though, as we have seen, God has been silently choosing a special people to himself and has been carrying out his beneficent purposes in them, "the whole world [still] lieth in the wicked one "-1 John 5: 19, R.V. The only hindrances placed by
God in the way of the downward course of mankind have been (1) the indirect restraining influence of the truth manifested in the lives and sayings of his people (Matt. 5: 13, 14), and (2) the direct prevention of anything which would interfere in any way with the outworking of the Divine plan of salvation. Had men been given complete liberty, their evil desires and lack of judgment would long ago have precipitated matters, but God restrained them, as we read in Psa. 76: lo-" Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee : the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain." 149 During the long period of 6040 years from the fall to the overthrow of " this present evil world " and the setting up of Christ's Kingdom, men have tried in every conceivable way to obtain a form of government and mode of life which would ensure lasting health and happiness, peace and contentment, but to no purpose. The reason of the failure is to be found in man's moral, mental and physical imperfection, due in part to his own fault, but chiefly to heredity and environment. God knew beforehand that men could not rule themselves, but he knew also that it was best for them to learn by bitter experience that there is no other way of salvation from sin and its train of evil consequences-pain, disease, misery and death,-than that which he himself has provided in his Son Christ Jesus. In harmony with this, the Apostle Peter said to the rulers and elders of Israel : i 6 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other ; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" -Acts 4: 11, 12. 150 In the beginning Adam had God's law written on his mind and heart, that is to say, he was perfect and at peace with God, and thus he enjoyed sweet communion with the Lord from day to day. But after the fall how changed were all the conditions! His descendants lost the desire to obey the law of God, and with this they lost also to an increasing extent the ability to discern good and evil. God permitted this condition to continue, with the result that the race became more and more degraded, and its consequent alienation from God grew daily wider. " When they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful ; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their hearts . . . and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind [margin-a mind void of judgment], to do those things which are not convenient "--Rom. 1: 18-32. 151 For the first sixteen and a half centuries of this long period of 6040 years, the angels were permitted the attempt to save men, in order to demonstrate their inability to do so, and at the same time to test their loyalty to God. Far from saving men, some of these angels became contaminated with the general evil, and so degraded did the human race become that God brought that First Dispensation to an end by means of the Deluge, and "the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day " (Jude 6), that is to say, he has ever since prevented them from communion with the holy angels and from materialising and mingling with men.
152 With the termination of the First Dispensation a second beginning was made ; but again the course has been downward toward destruction. It is this Second Dispensation, called by the Apostle Paul " this present evil world " (Gal. 1 : 4,-see the Chart of the Ages, Plate VI), which is especially symbolized by the Descending Passage. During the first eight and a half centuries of this Second Dispensation God still refrained from giving a written Law, but the result was the same, namely, increased misery due to deep degradation, and the gradual obliteration of God's image from heart and mind. 153 Then for a period of 1685 years God, having specially chosen and prepared a people for himself, separated them from the nations around so as to protect them from their corrupt influences, and gave them his Law, engraved on tables of stone; but though he watched over them with the jealous care of a wise and loving Father for his children, punishing them for wrong-doing and blessing them for well-doing, and though he sent them prophet after prophet to warn and exhort them, it was all of no avail. Why was this? Was God disappointed? Did he expect the nation of Israel to keep his Law? By no means. God knew that "by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified." He was merely permitting men to learn for themselves the lesson that "both Jews and Gentiles . are all under sin ; as it is written, There is none righteous, no, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty not one ; before God ; . . for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." The Lord's purpose in this was that his righteousness, which is by the faith of Jesus Christ, might be manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets-Rom. 3: 9-26. 154 During their existence as a nation, from the exodus from Egypt, God led the Israelites through various experiences. After their period of 40 years in the wilderness, and six years in taking possession of the promised land, they had judges for a period of 450 years, then kings for 513 years, and lastly they were a subject nation to various Gentile powers for the remaining period of 676 years, after which they ceased to exist as a nation, although as a people they preserve their identity to this day. Thus even a specially prepared people with all the help that God could give them, short of taking away the freedom of will, were unable to keep the perfect Law of God; and by this means the Lord demonstrated that, so long as evil was permitted to reign unchecked, the race must continue on the downward course to destruction. 155 In 606 B.C.,with God's permission, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, destroyed Jerusalem, and the Times of the Gentiles referred to by Jesus, began-Luke 21 : 24. In Scripture Studies, Vol. 11. Chap. 4, C. T. Russell proves conclusively that the Times of the Gentiles, the period during which the Israelites, first as a nation, then as a people, have been subject to the various Gentile governments which have held sway over the world, is an era of 2520 years, beginning in 606 B.C., and terminating in 1914 A.D. 156 There was a two-fold purpose in this arrangement. First, God thus permitted the Gentiles to take control and try the experiment of ruling, I r that thus the world might also learn the futility of its own efforts at self-government while in its present sinful condition. AS he had given the dominion forfeited by Adam to the angels, to demonstrate their inability to rule and bless the world, so he now delivered that dominion over to the Gentiles, to let them try their various methods, unaided by him. These various experiments God permits as so many valuable and necessary lessons, filling the intervening time until the Lord's anointed, whose right it is, shall come and take
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the dominion and accomplish all his gracious purposes "-Scripture Studies, Vol. 11, page 75. As foreshadowed by God in the great image, seen by Nebuchadnezzar in his dream and explained by Daniel (Dan. 2: 31-45), various forms of government under Babylonia, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome, have been attempted, but just as the_various parts of the image deteriorated from above downwards, first gold, then silver, then brass and lastly iron, so the empires named likewise degenerated both mentally and morally. In the present time of the divisions of the Roman Empire, represented in the great image by the ten toes, though the downward course has been stayed to some extent through the influence of the Reformation, the progress is still toward destruction. Men are using their increased knowledge and their many wonderful discoveries and inventions for their own selfish ends, and, as a result, unrest and discontent are so much on the increase that all thinking people recognize breakers ahead, and are predicting a general wreckage of present institutions. 157 The second purpose was to teach Israel, the chosen people, a much needed lesson. For seventy years they were imprisoned in Babylon and their land was left desolate, and never since then have they had a king to reign over them. When the seventy years were accomplished and all the former wicked generation had died out, only such of their descendants were permitted to return and build the temple and walls of Jerusalem as loved God and had respect to his promises. This was a period of great reformation in Natural Israel, and, dating from Nehemiah's commission in 454 B.C.to build the walls of Jerusalem, the nation was promised seventy weeks (7 times 70 = 490 years) of continued favour-Dan. 9: 24-27. But, though they never again relapsed into gross forms of idolatry, their moral condition, when the Messiah came at the beginning of the seventieth week, showed that there had been a marked decline. They loved darkness rather than light, and crucified the Holy One. Thirty-seven years later, in the pear 70 A.D., God visited his vengeance on his people ; and once more destroyed their city and left their land desolate. Since then there has been no nation of Israel, nor will there be till the Gentile Times are fulfilled, and "he comes whose right it is " to take the Kingdom-Ezek. 21: 25-27. 158 At the end of the seventy weeks, in the year 36 A.D., God first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name (Acts 15: 14),and during the course of this Gospel Age, all, chiefly Gentiles, who have been justified by faith in Jesus as the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world, and who have denied themselves, and taken up their cross to follow in the Master's footsteps of sacrifice unto death, have had Christ written on their mind and heart by the Holy Spirit-2 Cor. 3: 3. But not all who have professed the name of Christ have been truly his disciples. As the Church grew in numbers and influence, the idea took shape that if only she were properly organized under a head, she would be able to do that which others had failed to do,-to rule and bless the world. God in his wisdom and in pursuance of his great plan of the Ages, permitted the attempt to be made. The great apostate system, called in the Scriptures " Babylon the Great," came into existence, and its head, the Pope, became " King of kings, and Lord of lords." What was the result 3 Far from being saved, the world was plunged into such a depth of ignorance, superstition and moral degradation, that the epoch when the "Church" was at the height of her power has been universally denominated " The Dark Ages."
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159 Then God sent reformers to the Church, just as he had formerly sent prophets to the Jews. The Great Reformation followed, and the Lord granted to Spiritual Israel, just as he had granted in similar circumstances and at a parallel date to Natural Israel, a period of seventy weeks (490 years) of continued favour. In consequence of this and of the general spread of education due to the invention of the art of printing, the downward course has been for the first time stayed, just as in the Great Pyramid the traveller on reaching the foot of the Descending Passage, passes into the Small Horizontal Passage. But the knowledge which has been acquired is not the true light. In reality, just as the Small Horizontal Passage is darker than the Descending Passage, so, since the end of the Reformation period, the world has been in grosser darkness than before respecting God and his glorious purposes in Christ Jesus. This is clearly shown by the use to which the increased knowledge and the numerous inventions have been put. They have been used simply for selfish purposes, and instead of the good government with universal peace and happiness, which was at first anticipated, they have resulted in such friction and heat between "the classes and the masses" that but a spark is needed to enkindle a general conflagration which will destroy " this present evil world." The Scriptures and prophetic parallels show that this destruction is due to take place during 1915 A.D., the year after the end of the lease of power to the Gentiles. But, thank God, it will not mean the end of the physical world, for the " earth abideth for ever "; it will be merely the termination of the Second Dispensation, the destruction of all the present evil institutions, in order to the setting up of the Third Dispensation, the first thousand years of which have been set apart as Christ's Kingdom-Plate VI. The conflagration also will not be a literal fire, but will be what the prophet Zephaniah calls " the fire of God's jealousy," his consuming wrath against evil. " Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey ; for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger ; for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. For then will I turn to the people a pure language [message], that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent "-Zeph. 3: 8, 9.
I.
The DESCENDING PASSAGE symbolizes the course of "this present evil world" (the Second Dispensation, and therefore the plane of the Adamic condemnation to death-Plate VI), by the following features :-
1 Its inclination downwards. 2 Its termination at the Pit, which symbolizes Gehenna, the condition of death from which there will be no awakening. 3 Its low roof necessitating the bowing of head and shoulders, so symbolizing the world groaning under the yoke of the Adamic curse. 4 Its increasing darkness, representing the increasing ignorance of the world regarding the character and purposes of God. 5 Its slippery floor and absence of supports,
6
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8
'
representing the fact that the peop1.e have no real hope, and are without God-Eph. 2 : 11, 12, The measurement of its length agreeing with the Scriptural chronology regarding the duration of the Second Dispensation. The position of the lower end of the Well tallying with the date of the beginning of the Reformation period. The junction with the Small Horizontal Passage to the Pit, representing the date of the end of the Reformation period.
11. The SMALL HORIZONTAL PASSAGE symbolizes the period between the close of the Reformation and the year 1915, the end of the Second Dispensation, by the following features :before respecting God and his glorious purposes in Christ Jesus. 5 Its low roof, lower even than that of the Descending Passage, indicating that the people, since the Reformation period, have again permitted themselves to be bound. 6 The Recess by its position, shape, and size sy~nbolizesthe greater freedom which was the outcome of the American Declaration of independence, and the French Revolution-Plate X.
1 Its position in relation to the Descending Passage at the one end, and the Pit at the other. 2 Its measurement. 3 Its horizontal direction, indicating that, owing to the Reformation, the downward course has been stayed ; but the progress is still toward the Pit, destruction. 4 Its darkness, greater than in the Descending Passage, symbolizing the fact that, since the period of the Reformation, the world has been in even grosser darkness than
111. The PIT symbolizes Gehenna, the condition of death from which there will be no awakening, by the following features :been fairly well finished, its floor is extremely broken and unfinished. 4 ' The combined length of the Pit and little south Blind Passage symbolizing the period during which the disobedient will enter into the Second Death (Gehenna), namely, from 1915 A.D., to the end of the Millennia1 reign of Christ.
1 Its position at the termination of the Descending and Small Horizontal Passages, and the fact that the little passage which extends horizontally southwards from it, terminates in a blind end. 2 Its location i n the rock a hundred feet vertically below the base-line of the Pyramid. 3 The fact that though its roof and walls have
These various time-features will be explained in Volume I1 of Great Pyramid Passages.
THE First Ascending Passage represents the Law Covenant, or, from another pdint of view, the Law Dispensation. On examining the floor of the Descending Passage, which represents the downward course of "this present evil world," it will be found that the portion which faces the entrance to the First Ascending Passage is composed of extremely hard limestone (Plate XI), whereas above and below this it is softer, and consequently much worn by the traffic of centuries. Doubtless the hardness of the floor at this part was intended for the purpose of exact measurements, but it also seems to indicate the fact that at the time when the Israelites were called out of Egypt to be the people of God, their standing with the Lord was firm and sure. 161 Owing to the extra headroom consequent upon the First Ascending Passage branching upwards from the Descending Passage in the same vertical plane, it is not necessary to stoop at this point ; the traveller is here able to stand upright, and so ease his aching back. He will thus be able to appreciate the joy which the Israelites must F
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have experienced when freed from their bondage in Egypt, and he will be enabled to that sympathize with them, when, on being given the Law, they cried joyfully: LLAll the Lord hath spoken we will do "-Exod. 19 : 1-8. 162 But should he now endeavour to climb the First Ascending Passage, he will find something completely blocking the way, the Granite Plug, which, as before explained, represents the Law of God. In this ingenious manner the Great Pyramid teaches that the way to life by the Law Covenant was impassable, and that what blocked it was the Divine Law, because " by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified," for " in man, that is in his flesh, dwelleth no good thing "-Rom. 3: 20 ; 7: 18. Thus the Law Covenant, the way which was ordained unto life, was found to be unto death -Rom. 7: 10. 163 Nevertheless, although the Israelites could not keep the perfect Law of God, the Bible informs us that God permitted them to continue their endeavours to do so. The Great Pyramid teaches the same lesson, for in spite of the fact that at its beginning the First Ascending Passage is blocked completely by the Granite Plug, beyond this it is open ; and by its symbolical features, including its length, it represents the condition of Israel under the Law. Through the atonement sacrifices the Lord year by year forgave the Israelites their sins, and as a nation they were typically justified, typically reckoned as having passed from the plane of condemnation represented in the Great Pyramid by the Descending Passage, to the plane of justification represented by the level of the Queen's Chamber. That this justification was only typical is clear from the statement of the Apostle that the Law made nothing perfect, but was only a shadow of good things to come, for "it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins7'-Heb. 10: 1, 4. Those individuals, however, who, like their father Abraham, rejoiced to see Christ's day with the eye of faith, and remained until death true to the Lord in the midst of severe trials, had their faith accounted unto them for righteousness. They had fellowship with God, and will be awakened to perfect human life through the instrumentality of the glorified Church, the faithful followers of Christ, for whom God has provided some better thing, immortality on the Divine planeHeb. 11: 39, 40. 164 The mode of access by which it is now possible to reach the part beyond the Granite Plug (which is still in position) is the hole forced through the soft limestone to the right (west) of the Plug by Caliph A1 Mamoun. Doubtless the Lord thus delayed the discovery of the upper passages and chambers in order that they might be kept intact until the due time for their thorough examination. Once the traveller enters the First Ascending Passage he finds himself on a higher level than the Descending Passage, though still below the level of the Queen's Chamber, which represents the plane of human perfection. Thus the Pyramid teaches the same lesson as the Chart of the Ages (Plate VI) ; for if reference be made to the latter, it will be seen that the imperfect pyramid, which represents the nation of Israel, is lifted measurably above the plane of human depravity (the world under Adamic condemnation), but below the plane of human perfection. 165 Just as it is in the Descending Passage, the roof of the First Ascending Passage is rather less than four feet transversely above the floor. Accordingly, the traveller is obliged once more to bow his head and shoulders ; not so low, however, as when going
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down the Descending Passage, because now he can take advantage of the greater vertical height (4 feet 5 inches). The Pyramid thus teaches that the Jew was less degraded than the Gentile. 166 The way also is so dark, steep and slippery, that he readily stumbles and falls, more especially as there is nothing to hold on to when he slips. So slippery is this passage, that we found that our measuring rods and other articles, when laid on the floor, glided rapidly to the bottom. Does not this wonderfully represent the condition of the Israelites during the Law Dispensation ? Though raised above the condition of the Gentile nations, they were still imperfect, still below the plane of human perfection. Those who were sincere delighted in the Law of God after the inward man, but they saw another law in their members warring against the law of their mind, and bringing them into captivity to the law of sin which was in their members-Rom. 7: 22, 23. Bowed under the yoke of the Law, they were weary and heavy-laden with the ordinances which were against them, and, as the true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world had not yet appeared, their lamp, the Word of God, shone as yet but dimly. As a result, they stumbled readily, and since they were under Law and not under Grace, they had nothing to hold on to when their feet slipped. No wonder the noble Apostle Paul, when he reflected on his former abject condition under the Law, cried despondently : " 0 wretched man that I am ! Who shall deliver me from this death-doomed body ? " But at the time when he uttered these words he had already found the answer, and so he exclaimed triumphantly : " I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord." 167 As the terminal 33% inches of this passage represents the years of the earthly life of the "man Christ Jesus," who nailed the Law to his cross, and thus by his death brought the Law Dispensation to a close (Par. 127), so the faithful Israelites, who were looking and longing for the coming of the Messiah, the great Deliverer, must have rejoiced when they reached the last few years of that Law Dispensation and the Messiah came. Burdened by the Law, they must have been comforted when they heard the gracious words of the Master: " Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me ; for I am meek and lowly in heart : and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light "-Matt. 11: 28-30. Those who accepted this loving invitation found to their joy that from that Pentecostal day, fifty days after the resurrection of Christ, when the Holy Spirit fell upon them, they were no longer under the Law symbolized by the First Ascending Passage, but were members of the high or heavenly calling, symbolized by the Grand Gallery. The Law Dispensation had come to an end, and the Gospel Dispensation had commenced. The Apostle declares : " That no man is justified by the law in the sight of God it is evident: for 'The just shall live by faith.' And the law is not of faith : but ' The man that doeth them shall live in them.' Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us : for it is written, ' Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree ' " ; and again, " Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, he took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross "-Gal. 3: 11-13 ; Col. 2: 14. 168 These "Israelites indeed" were now able to stand fast (upright) in the liberty wherewith Christ had made them free. This, the teaching of the Scriptures, is also
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the teaching of the Great Pyramid, for the vertical height of the Grand Gallery is seven times the transverse height of the First Ascending Passage, twenty-eight feet as against four feet. There is no longer any need to stoop. 169 Before passing up the Grand Gallery the traveller must recognize the Well at his feet. As has already been explained, the Well represents "Hades," the "deathstate," and the appearance of an explosion at its m o ~ ~ represents th the resurrection of Christ who thus opened up the new and living way to life and immortality. In this manner the Great Pyramid symbolizes that, before the Israelites could be accepted as partakers of the heavenly calling, it was necessary for them to recognize the love and righteousness of God in giving his only begotten Son as a sacrifice on their behalf, and to recognize also the loving obedience of the Son in drinking the cup which the Father had given him. It symbolizes further that it was necessary for them to believe that God had by his mighty power raised Jesus from the dead and set him at his own right hand on high. 170 Comparatively few, however, took advantage of the grand opportunity thus presented to them. As a Nation they rejected the offer and were, in consequence, cast off ; and as a Nation, they passed a few years later (70 A.D.) into Hades, the death-state. The few who repented, however, and were baptized for the remission of sins, were justified through faith and had peace with God, and becoming partakers of the high or heavenly calling, and being thus privileged to suffer and die with Christ, they were given the "exceeding great and precious promises" whereby they might become partakers of the Divine nature.
The FIRST ASCENDING PASSAGE symbolizes the Law Covenant and the Law Dispensation by the following features :I
The fact that it branches upwards from the Descending Passage which represents the plane of Adamic Condemnation, so symbolizing the separation of the Jewish nation from Egypt, the world. 2 The hardness of the Descending Passage floor at the entrance of the First Ascending Passage, symbolizing the fact that the standing of the Israelites with God at the exodus from Egypt, was firm and sure. 3 The greater head-room at the junction of the two passages enabling the traveller to stand upright, symbolizing the liberty of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage, which in turn symbolized the future liberty of the world from the Adamic curse. 4 The position of the First Ascending Passage between the Descending Passage represeu-
ting the plane of condemnation, and the level of the Queen's Chamber representing the plane of human perfection, symbolizing the typical justification of Israel, during the Law Dispensation. 5 Its termination at the level of the Queen's Chamber, the plane of human perfection, symbolizing the fact that the Law Covenant promised eternal life on the human plane. 6 The fact that the Grand Gallery is a continuation of it but is essentially different from it, just as the Gospel Dispensation is in point of time a continuation of the Law Dispensation but is essentially different from it. Those Jews who lived at the end of the Law Dispensation and accepted the Messiah, passed into all the privileges of the Gospel Dispensation. The nation in
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general, rejecting the Messiah, were rej ected by the Lord, and in the year 70 A.D. passed into Hades, from which they will be awakened in due time. 7 The Granite Plug blocking all passage at its entrance, symbolizing the Divine Law blocking the way of the Law Covenant of life. 8 Its low roof necessitating the bowing of head and shoulders, so symbolizing thc children of Israel bent and groaning under the yoke of the Law Covenant, during the period of the Law Dispensation. 9 The fact that one who is walking zzp this passage does not require to stoop so low as when walking down the Descending Passage because of the resulting difference in
posture, symbolizing the fact that the Israelites were less degraded than the Gentiles. 10 Its darkness representing the ignorance of the Israelites regarding the character and purposes of God, except as these were revealed by the Law and the prophecies, which then shone but dimly. 11 Its slippery floor and its absence of supports, representing the fact that the Israelites were under Law and not under Grace. Their atonement-sacrifices were only typical of the better sacrifices to follow. 12 The various measurements of its lengths are exactly equal to corresponding periods in the Jewish Dispensation-See Volume I1 of Greaf Pyramid Passages.
PASSAGE TO THE QUEEN'S CHAMBER. (B} THE HORIZONTAL
THE Horizontal Passage to the Queen's Chamber is divided into two parts, the first portion six-sevenths of the total length with a low roof scarcely four feet above the floor, and the terminal portion, one-seventh of the total length, roomier owing to the floor at this part being lower by twenty-one inches. C. T. Russell suggests that the full length of the Horizontal Passage from the north wall of the Grand Gallery to the north wall of the Queen's Chamber was intended to represent the total period of seven thousand years from the fall of man to the end of the " Times of Restitution." From its proximity to the Queen's Chamber and the fact that there is more head-room at this portion, and also that it is the terminal one-seventh of the entire length of the passage, the roomier portion at the end seems to have been intended to represent the " Millennium," the last of the seven thousand-year periods from the date of the fall. The first and longer portion, which is six-sevenths of the total length of the passage, would seem to represent the first six thousand years of the world's history-Plate XVIII. 172 This first portion, as already stated, is only about four feet from floor to ceiling. It well represents the world groaning under the yoke of sin and death, stumbling in the darkness, and going,--they know .not where. We have seen that the Descending Passage represents much the same thing, but there is a difference between the symbolism of the two passages. The Descending Passage, by its downward inclination and its termination at the Pit, is symbolical of the downward course of " this present evil world" (not the people, but the institutions) toward the destruction which is due to take place by the year 1915 A.D. The Horizontal Passage, on the contrary, by its horizontal course, its position at the level of the summit of the Well, and its termination at the seven-sided Queen's Chamber, symbolizes the course of the world toward Human Perfection. It shows that there is a hope beyond the great " Time of Trouble," not for the institutions but for the people ; for "the creature [the world in general] was made subject to vanity [frailty], not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope "Rom. 8 : 20.
173 It is because of the Ransom-Sacrifice of Christ, the Son of God, that the world's salvation will be attained ; and as the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world, that is, as God's purpose in Christ was planned from the beginning, it is appropriate that the Well, which symbolizes the death and resurrection of Christ, should be at the commencement of the Horizontal Passage, just as it is appropriate that the Queen's Chamber should be at its termination. God, seeing the end from the beginning, foretold that through Christ the whole creation, now groaning and travailing in pain, would be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God -Rev. 13 : 8 ; Rom. 8 : 21,22. 174 The " Great Time of Trouble" at the close of the six thousand years and the beginning of the seventh thousand-year period, is represented in the Horizontal Passage by the sudden drop of twenty-one inches in the floor at the point six-sevenths of the total length of the passage. A traveller, groping and stumbling along the dark Horizontal Passage with head and shoulders bent and aching, if he were ignorant of this drop ahead of him, would meet with a very disagreeable experience when he came to it. He would be bruised, and would feel crestfallen, humbled. But after a little, when he would rise to his feet, he would find to his joy that there is now no longer any necessity to stoop. The end-portion of the passage is approximately five feet eight inches in height, that is to say, it is the height of an average man-Plate XIV. 175 This pictures well the present condition of the world. Bowed down by the yoke of sin and death, the nations are groping in the dark, quite unaware of the fact that a time of humiliation awaits them a few years hence. They will be taken by surprise, and will fall, and all their earthly hopes and aspirations will be wrecked. Then the Psalmist's prophecy will be fulfilled : " Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth ; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder ; he burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen [nations], I will be exalted in the earth "-Psa. 46 : 8-10. When the people are raised again, they will find to their joy that they will no longer be compelled to walk with bowed heads. The burden of Adamic condemnation will have fallen from their shoulders, for "in those days it will no more be said, The fathers have eaten a sour grape [of sin] and the children's teeth are set on edge, but every bne [who dies] shall die for his own iniquity ; every one that eateth the sour grape his teeth shall be set on edgev--Jer.31 : 29, 30. From this point onward, all the humble, obedient ones will progress with comfort toward the Queen's Chamber, the post-millennia1 condition of eternal bliss. 176 Nevertheless, should any one during the Millennium think too highly of himself, he will strike his head against the hard roof ; for Christ's rule will be an iron one, and none will be allowed to think more highly of himself than he ought to think. On the other hand, if any one should think too lowly of himself, he will be encouraged to a more sober appreciation of his abilities, because that will be the time when "whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted," for "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble "--Luke 14 : 11 ; Jas. 4 : 6.
The HORIZONTAL PASSAGE represents the course of t h e world during its seven fhousand years of training, by the following features :1 Its termination at the Queen's Chamber, symbolizing the post-millennia1 condition of human perfection. 2 The position of the Well at its commencenient, symbolizing the fact that in God's purposes the Lamb was "slain from the foundation of the worldw-Rev. 13 : 8. 3 Its horizontal direction on or about the plane of the Queen's Chamber, symbolizing the fact that "the creature [the world in general] was made subject to vanity [frailty], not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same i n hopen--Rom. 8 : 20. 4 The fact that it is divided into two distinct portions, the first six-sevenths of the whole length symbolizing the first six thousand years, the terminal portion one-seventh of the whole length symbolizing the seventh thousand-year period, the Millennium. 5 The low roof of the first six-sevenths of the length, symbolizing the world during the first six thousand years groaning under
the yoke of sin and death, and stumbling in the darkness. 6 The sudden fall in the floor (21 inches) at the end of the first portion of the passage, symbolizing the " sudden destruction " which will come upon " this present evil world " " as travail upon a woman with child "-1 Thess. 5 : 3. 7 The ability of the traveller to rise and walk erecf in the terminal portion of the passage after the sudden drop, symbolizing that the yoke of the Adamic condemnation will fall from the world's shoulders after the great time of trouble. 8 The fact that the height of the terminal length just admits a man of average stature to walk erect, whereas a little man has plenty of headroom, and a tall man, unless he bows his head submissively, will strike it against the hard roof, symbolizing the iron rule of Christ : "Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased ; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted "- -Luke 14 : 11.
( E ) THE GRANDGALLERYAND THE ANTE-CHAMBER TO THE
KING'S CHAMBER.
FROMthe point of view now to be considered, the Grand Gallery, the Ante-Chamber, and the King's Chamber correspond respectively with the Court, the Holy, and the Most Holy of the Tabernacle in the .wilderness-See Tabernacle Shadows, by C. T. Russell. And when these three compartments in the Great Pyramid are compared with the Chart of the Ages (Plate VI), they are found to correspond respectively with the plane of justification, the plane of spirit-begetting, and the plane of spirit-birth, or Divine Glory. 178 As already mentioned (Pars. 139, 140), these three compartments and three planes symbolize the three successive steps or conditions of those drawn of the Lord :(1) The Grand Gallery represents the condition of the justified by faith, those who are reckoned by God as perfect human beings because of their faith, and are called with the high or heavenly calling to sacrifice (Rom. 12 : I ) , that they may become joint-heirs with Christ in his glory. (2) The Ante-Chamber represents the condition of those who, having accepted this gracious invitation to present their justified human nature in 83
PLATEXX.
sacrifice, are " begotten again" to a new nature, receiving the " holy spirit of promise " as an earnest of their future spiritual inheritance, the " spirit of adoption" whereby 1 : 13,14 ; Rom. 8 : 15 ; Gal. 4 : 6 ; Heb. 12 : 9. they now cry " Abba, Father "-Eph. These are the spirit-begotten, and are now in the "School of Christ " where they receive trials and testings necessary to develop them as " new creatures in Christ Jesus." In this School, grace and peace are multiplied unto them through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus their Lord-2 Pet. 1 : 2. (3) The King's Chamber represents the condition of the spirit-born, those who have completed their sacrifice in death, and have in the resurrection received spirit bodies of the Divine nature in keeping with their new minds -2 Cor. 5 : 1. Thus the King's Chamber symbolizes heaven itself, the throne of the Lord-Plate XX. 179 Those Jews and Gentiles who are justified by faith, are at peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, the purpose being that they may be called to jointheirship with Christ. In the Great Pyramid they are represented as standing in the Grand Gallery, which by its position above the summit of the Well, symbolizes the condition of faith-justification. At this stage, as they have not yet been begotten of the spirit, they are still natural men. This is indicated in the Great Pyramid by the fact that the Grand Gallery is composed entirely of limestone. 180 Just as the First Ascending Passage leads up to the Grand Gallery, so this smybolizes the fact that the privilege of faith-justification was first offered to those who were under the Law Covenant; for, as the Apostle Paul says, the Law was their "schoolmaster to bring them unto Christ, that they might be justified by faithwGal. 3 : 24. For this purpose, that the Jews might be justified by faith, Christ came " to his own " ; and to as many as received him as the Father's appointed way to life, " to them gave he the privilege to become the sons of God "-John 1 : 11, 12. "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one [under the law] that believeth "Rom. 10 : 4. Because of their faith they were no longer compelled to remain under the bondage of the Law schoolmaster (Gal. 3 : 25, 26), even as those who pass from the low confined First Ascending Passage into the greater liberty of the Grand Gallery, are no longer obliged to walk bowed down, but can straighten their backs and raise their heads in full assurance of faith in the great height of the roof. 181 But those who received Christ by faith were few in number ; the vast majority because of unbelief never realized that Christ had taken the Law out of the way, nailing it to his cross (Col. 2 : 14); and of them it was written : "Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway "-Rom. 11 : 10. As they rejected the glorious liberty of Grace so well symbolized by the Grand Gallery, they were allowed to remain in their bowed condition under the Law symbolized by the First Ascending Passage. But, praise the Lord, this does not mean their everlasting undoing, for " God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all" (Rom. 11 : 32) ; and the ransom-sacrifice of Christ symbolized by the Well, over which they stumbled, opened the way by which, when God shall "take away their sins," they may ultimately progress to the Queen's Chamber condition of human perfection. 182 As merely a "remnant" of the Jewish nation received Jesus as the Messiah, and the rest "judged themselves unworthy of everlasting life," God turned to the other nations, the Gentiles, to "take out of them a people for his name "-Acts 13 : 46 ; 85
15 : 14. But the Gentiles were not born under the Law symbolized by the First Ascending Passage, but were born away down on the plane of Adarnic condemnation to death symbolized by the Descending Passage, and, therefore, far away from the Grand Gallery privileges of the high calling to sonship. Nevertheless, although Jesus came to his own people, the Jewish nation, being born under the Law, that he might redeem them that were under the Law that fhey might receive the adoption of sons (Gal. 4 : 4, S), his ransom-sacrifice was all-sufficient to reach right down to those who were "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel," even as the Well, the Great Pyramid's symbol of the ransom-sacrifice, descends all the way down to the lower parts of the Descending Passage-Plate IX. Thus, those "who sometimes were far off" from Israel's covenants of promise, and enemies of God through wicked works, were " made nigh by the blood of Christ" (Eph. 2 : 12, 13) ; and during this Gospel Age they have passed, symbolically, from the Descending Passage up to the Grand Gallery by means of the Well, that is, they have passed through faith in the ransom-sacrifice of Christ from the plane of condemnation to the plane of justification, in order that they may have the glorious privilege, also by faith, of partaking in the high or heavenly calling of God in Christ Jesus, which the unbelieving Jews lost. It is not through any works of theirs that they have been justified and have peace with God, but the way having been opened by the death of Christ, they have accepted by faith this gracious provision which God has made for them, by which they may escape the condemnation which is upon the world-John 3 : 18. 183 But as with the Jewish nation, so also with the other nations, only the few, a " little flock " in all, have exercised saving faith. On their downward course the other nations have passed the Well, the ransom-sacrifice of Christ, without seeing i t ; or if they did, they have had no faith in it as a way to life. To the majority of the Jews it was a cause of stumbling, just as the upper mouth of the Well may be a cause of stumbling to one who emerges from the First Ascending Passage; and to the majority of the Gentiles, it appears to be foolishness, just as the lower end of the Well appears to be merely a side-track from the lower part of the Descending Passage1 Cor. 1 : 23.-Plate X. They little know the drawing power of God, which he exerts on behalf of those who have faith in this way to life and immortality-John 6 : 44. 184 It is appropriate that the upper end of the Well should be so centrally situated, namely, at the junction of the First Ascending Passage, the Horizontal Passage, and the Grand Gallery, because it symbolizes the ransom-sacrifice of Christ which is the centre or hub of the great plan of salvation-Plate XVIII. Just as the Well is situated at the end of the First Ascending Passage and at the commencement of the Grand Gallery, so it was the death of Christ which closed the Law Dispensation and commenced the Gospel Dispensztion; and just as the Well is also at the beginning of the Horizontal Passage leading to the Queen's Chamber, so the ransom-sacrifice of Christ was the beginning of the great scheme devised by God for the ultimate salvation of the world. 185 The great height of the roof, the steep slippery floor, and the help afforded during the ascent by the Ramps,-the stone benches which run the whole length of the Grand Gallery at the base of the side-walls,-symbolize well the upward progress of those who have faith sufficient to advance along the pathway of the just. Through their faith in the ransom-sacrifice of Christ, they are now at peace with God, and are
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able to walk erect. But their path is not an easy one. Owing to the weakness of the flesh, they find it difficult and fatiguing to advance. Their rate of progress depends on the degree of their faith and zeal, because it is not by their own strength but by the strength of the Lord that they are enabled to conquer the difficulties of the way, and this strength they can have only as a result of faith. Again and again they find themselves prone to slip, but the grace of God, symbolized by the Ramps, enables them to make upward progress in righteousness in spite of the many difficulties, and the more progress they make, the nearer they come to God, just as the Grand Gallery leads one upward and nearer to the King's Chamber, symbolical of the Holy of Holies, heaven itself. 186 Of those visitors to the Great Pyramid who reach the Grand Gallery, the few who make the laborious ascent as far as the great Step at the top, and so come to a position where they can see the low entrance to the Ante-Chamber, find that their labour is not at an end. If they desire to make further progress they will require to surmount the Step, and then after a short pause on its level upper surface, during which they can look back along the way they have trod and then down at the low entrance to the AnteChamber, they will require to decide whether they will return, or else bow down submissively and creep through the low passage, only three and a half feet high, into XX. The surmounting of the Step is specially difficult the Ante-Chamber-Plate owing to its height of 36 inches, and to the fact that the feet are resting on the inclined and slippery floor of the Gallery; but by placing one foot on the Ramp, and then putting forth a vigorous effort, the difficulty can be overcome. 187 In this we have a picture of the condition of those who have advanced through faith to the end of this portion of their journey. Perseverance in following the path of faith-justification by the help of the grace of God has led them to the point where they can see the further step of consecration or sanctification, just a s perseverance in climbing the Grand Gallery by the help of the Ramp leads the traveller to the point where he can see the low entrance into the Ante-Chamber. They have now to decide whether or not they will proceed further. The Step symbolizes the natural dislike of the human mind to entertain earnestly and sincerely the thought of self-denial and self-sacrifice, for "no man ever yet hated his own flesh "-Eph. 5 : 29. With the help of the grace of God, however, some are enabled by an effort to surmount this difficulty. When they do so, they find that more than half the battle of decision has been won. They are now, for a shorter or longer period, on the halting-place symbolized by the level upper surface of the Step, and can examine more closely the narrow way which lies open before them into the condition of sanctification, and thence to joint-heirship with Christ. 188 If they will look back and consider the wonderful love of God in sending his Son into the world to die for them while they were yet sinners, they will reason that if, when they were enemies, they were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, they will be saved by his life ; and not only so, but they will also rejoice in God through the Lord Jesus Christ-Rom. 5 : 8-11. Further, if they consider how much they have already been enabled to accomplish along the pathway of faith-justification, not in their own strength, but in the strength of the Lord, they will not hesitate long in coming to a decision. Doubts evidence lack of faith, and tend to obscure the judgment. The sooner we get rid of them, the more pleasing we shall be
to the Lord, for " without faith it is impossible to please him," and " he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed ; for let not that man think that he will receive anything of the Lord "-Heb. 11 : 6 ; Jas. 1 : 6, 7. Sooner or later, if they do not decide for the Lord, they will lose this grace of God which they have received (2 Cor. 6 : I), and find themselves again in the Descending Passage condition of the world sharing in its condemnation; for just as the sole purpose of the Grand Gallery is to lead to the Ante-Chamber and King's Chamber, so the sole purpose of faith-justification in the Gospel Age is to lead us to the sanctified condition and jointheirship with Christ symbolized by these two compartments of the Great Pyramid. As Jesus said : "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, but whosoever will lose his life for my sake the same shall save it "--Luke 9 : 23, 24. All those who fail to make use of their justification will share with the rest of the world in its opportunity for restitution, which,though glorious, will be much inferior to the reward of the Church, the Body of Christ. 189 How important it is to realize that it is only the meek whom the Lord will guide in judgment and will teach his way (Psa. 25 : 9), and who will, therefore, see that it is their reasonable service to bow down and enter the Ante-Chamber condition of sanctification. These will realize, furthermore, that it is not only their reasonable service to present their bodies a living sacrifice, but that a wonderful privilege is being offered to them to share first in the sufferings, and afterwards in the glory, of the Lord ; for without sacrifice unto death, none need hope to attain the heavenly inheritance with Christ-Rev. 2 : 10 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 11, 12. When they see this their faith in God and their appreciation of his love for them will lead them to reciprocate, and they will deny themselves, and bowing down to his will, will '' make a covenant with him by sacrifice "Psa. 50 : 5. " Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." " Because he [Jesus] laid down his life for us, we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren "-1 John 4 : 1 0 , l l ; 3 : 16, R.V. 190 After the visitor to the Great Pyramid enters the Ante-Chamber and stands erect, he finds himself at first in a little compartment measuring 21 inches from front to back, by 42 inches from side to side-Plate XX. His further progress is barred by the " Granite Leaf," fifteen inches thick, which has its under surface in line with the roof of the entrance passage. The traveller will, therefore, require again to bow very low in order to pass under this block of granite before he can get the full freedom of the Ante-Chamber. 191 The stooping necessary to pass through the entrance passage, which is constructed entirely of limestone, represents the voluntary death of the human or earthly will, self-renunciation. But this alone is not sufficient. Some on giving up their own will accept the will of the Pope, for instance. To these the Pope's will becomes infallible, and they consent to believe and do whatever he commands. This is not true consecration to God. Those who accept the high calling of God in Christ Jesus must not only deny themselves, but they must also bow to the will of the Lord. As granite in the Great Pyramid represents things Divine, so the Granite Leaf represents the Divine Will, to which those who would enter the School of Christ must bow submis-
sively. Before they do this, although they are standing under a granite roof (Plate XX) representing Divine protection, they are, nevertheless, still standing on limestone. This symbolizes the fact that they are still regarded by God as human beings, not yet begotten to the spirit nature. But as soon as they come to the decision to bow down to the will of God symbolized by the Granite Leaf, thus evidencing their willingness to "lose their lives " for Christ's sake, Christ imputes to them a sufficiency of his merit to render their sacrifice holy and acceptable to God. Their justification then becomes complete; and their sacrifice being now a living one, because entirely free from the Adamic condemnation, it is at once accepted by the Lord. As the Apostle stated, " there is, therefore, now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit "-Rom. 8 : 1. 192 It is important to notice that when Paul besought the Romans to present their bodies a living sacrifice, and pointed out to them that it was their reasonable service to do so (Rom. 12: I), he did not address those who were enemies of God through evil works, but those who had turned to have faith in God, and were, therefore, his "brethren" of the household of faith. Until a man is justified, he cannot present his body a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. Not having been freed from condemnation his death would not be sacrificial rior holy, but would be forfeited at the hands of justice ; nor would his body be his own to present. The death of such avails nothing, for " God hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked " ; but the sacrificial death of those declared " blessed and holy " because of their faith in Jesus avails much, for "precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints "-Ezek. 33 : 11 ; Psa. 116 : 15. 193 The visitor to the Ante-Chamber who bows down under the Granite Leaf, steps for the first time on to granite (Plate XX) ; symbolizing that those who submit themselves to the will of God, have now risen from the plane of human justification to the plane of spirit-begetting. Henceforth God reckons them dead as human beings (Col. 3 : 3),-not dead in Adam, but dead in Christ,-and alive as spirit beings. They are " accepted in the Beloved " as members of his body. They are immersed into Christ, because they are immersed into his death (Eph. 1 : 6 ; Rom. 6 : 3) ; and becoming partakers of his sufferings and death they will ultimately, if found faithful, become partakers of his glorious resurrection, the first or chief resurrection-Phil. 3 : 10, 11; Rev. 20 : 6. The first stone of this granite floor is a quarter of an inch higher than the limestone; and if a vertical line be drawn downward from its first or north edge, it will be found to pass beyond (south of) the Queen's Chamber which symbolizes the perfect human condition. 194 Once an entrance has been gained into the Ante-Chamber proper, it is found that the level of its floor falls immediately to the level of the limestone step outside, showing that although those who are spirit-begotten have now the spiritual mind, the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2 : 16), they have as yet undergone no change of nature as regards their bodies. They have received the holy spirit of promise as an earnest or pledge of their future spiritual inheritance (Eph. 1 : 13, 14), the Divine nature, but their bodies are still human. Nevertheless, as they are standing on granite, this shows that they are reckoned by God as partakers of the Divine nature, because they have presented their bodies a living sacrifice, and are striving to fulfil their vow of consecration. Above them is the granite roof, signifying that they are, even more than before, under
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Divine protection. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty "-Psa. 91 : 1. 195 Before they can enter the " Sanctuary " or King's Chamber, which is a figure or type of heaven itself (Heb. 9 : 24), they must bow down once more and pass through another low entrance-passage-Plate XX. The stooping necessary to do this symbolizes death, for those who will become joint-heirs with Jesus Christ must rise from the plane of spirit-begetting to the plane of spirit-birth, that is, they must be changed to the spiritual condition in the actual as distinguished from the reckoned sense before they can enter the heavenly glory, for "flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God" -1 Cor, 15 : 50. That the plane of spirit-birth is higher than the plane of spirit-begetting is indicated in the Great Pyramid by the fact that the granite floor of the King's Chamber is on a higher level than the upper surface of the first granite stone in the floor of the Ante-Chamber. 196 The'emergence from the low entrance-passage into the King's Chamber symbolizes the resurrection of those who have been faithful followers of Christ. This is the first or chief resurrection concerning which John the Revelator states: " Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years "--Rev. 20 : 6. Paul, speaking of the same class, said : " The dead in Christ shall rise first" (1 Thess. 4 : 16),and again, "It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him. If we suffer, we shall also reign with him "-2 Tim. 2 : 11, 12. 197 This gracious offer of joint-heirship with Jesus is free to those who have ears to hear the glad tidings before the time when the door of opportunity will close, and all who accept and are faithful unto death will receive the crown of life, and will find that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in them, for they will be raised in the likeness of Christ's glorious spiritual body and will reign with him-Rev. 2 : 10; Rom. 8 : 18 ; Phil. 3 : 21 ; I John 3 : 2. 198 It is thus evident that the Grand Gallery symbolizes the plane of faith-justification; the first granite stone in the Ante-Chamber the plane of spirit-begetting ; and the granite floor of the King's Chamber (or Sanctuary) the plane of spirit-birth, the Divine nature.
I. The WELL symbolizes the ransom-sacrifice of Christ by the following features :1 Its resemblance to an Eastern shaft-tomb, symbolizing the death of Christ. 2 The appearance as if an explosion had taken place at its mouth, symbolizing the resurrection of Christ. 3 The situation of its upper end at the level of of the Queen's Chamber floor, symbolizing
the fad that Jesus was a perfed man when he "poured out his soul unto death," and " gave himself a ransom for all "-Isa. 53 : 12 ; I Tim. 2 : 4 6 . 4 The situation of its upper end at the termination of the First Ascending Passage, symbolizing the fact that Christ by his death
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and resurrection brought the Law Dispensation to a close. The situation of its upper end at the commencement of the Horizontal Passage to the Queen's Chamber, symbolizing the fact that God had foreordained the ransomsacrifice of Christ " from the foundation of the world "-Rev. 13 : 8. The situation of its upper end at the commencement of the Grand Gallery, symbolizing (a) the f a d that Christ, by his death and resurrection, began the Gospel Dispensation ; and ( b ) the fact that both Jew and Gentile require to have faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and to accept him as the Christ (Messiah), before they can enter the High or Heavenly Calling symbolized by the Grand Gallery. Its position at the junction of the First Ascending Passage, the Horizontal Passage, and the Grand Gallery, symbolizing that the ransom-sacrifice of Christ is the centre or hub of the plan of salvation-Plate XVIII. The fact that the opening into it at the upper end may be a cause of stumbling to one who emerges from the First Ascending
Passage, symbolizing that faith in the ransom-sacrifice of Christ as a way to life, was a cause of stumbling to the Jew1 Cor. 1 : 23 ; Rom. 9 : 31-33. 9 The fact that it communicates below with the Descending Passage symbolical of the Adamic condemnation to death. symbolizing that any who are suffering under the Adamic condemnation may pass by faith in the ransom-sacrifice of Christ Jesus from the plane of condemnation to the plane of justification or reckoned human perfection. 10 The fact that it is the only open way to the Queen's and King's Chambers, signifying that the only way to life and immortality symbolized by these two compartments is by the ransom-sacrifice of Christ. 11 The f a d that the small passage from the Descending Passage to the lower extremity of the Well-shaft appears as a small sidetrack (Plate X), symbolizing that faith in the ransom-sacrifice of Christ as a way to life appears to be foolishness to the Gentiles-1 Cor. 1 : 23.
11. The GRAND GALLERY symbolizes the condition of the Justified of the Gospel Age by the following features :1 Its construction of limestone throughout, which i n the interior of the Great Pyramid symbolizes the human nature. 2 The f a d that those who enter it from the First Ascending Passage must pass the upper end of the Well, and all others who enter it from the Descending Passage can do so only through the Well, symbolizing that justification of both Jew and Gentile, with a view to the High Calling, can only be by faith in the death and resurrection of Christ. 3 Its situation above the summit of the Well, and below the plane of the King's Chamber, symbolizing that those who are justified in the Gospel Age are reckoned as perfect human beings, not immortal beings. 4 Its termination in the Ante-Chamber, symbolizing that the sole purpose of faithjustification i n the Gospel Age is to enable justified human beings to enter the School of Christ by consecration. 5 Its great height enabling the traveller to
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walk easily erect, symbolizing that the burden of sin has fallen from the shoulders of the Justified. The difficulties of its upward slope and its slippery floor, symbolizing the troubles of the Justified which are permitted by God to test and develop their faith. The Ramps as an aid to the ascent, symbolizing the grace of God which enables the Justified to make upward progress. The upward progress toward the King's Chamber, symbolizing that those who persevere approach nearer the presence of God. The great Step at the upper end of the Grand Gallery, symbolizing the great test to which the path of faith-justification must ultimately conduct all the Justified who make upward progress. As it is only when one reaches the Step that a proper view is obtained of the low entrance into the Ante-Chamber, so it is only after considerable progress has been made along
the pathway of faith-justification that one is able to clearly see consecration or sanctification. And as one can surmount the Step by taking advantage of the aid afforded by the Ramp, after which he has a short breathing-space during which he can more minutely examine the low doorway before
entering, so, by the assistance of the grace of God, the Justified can overcome the natural (human) dislike of entertaining the thought of self-denial and voluntary sacrifice ; after which follows a period of rest for the purpose of counting the cost.
111. The ANTE-CHAMBER symbolizes the "Holy" of the Tabernacle, the School of Christ, the condition of the Sanctified during their development as spiritbegotten sons of God, by the following features :I The very low entrance-passage (42 inches), symbolizing, like the first vail of the Tabernacle, the death of the human will. 2 The small twenty-one inch space in front of the Granite Leaf, symbolizing the condition of one who has denied himself, but has not yet submitted himself to the will of God. 3 The fact that at this stage he is still standing on limestone on the same level as the upper surface of the Step, with limestone walls behind and on either side of him, symbolizing the f a d that, though he has denied himself, he is not yet spirit-begotten, but is still a justified human being. 4 The fact that the roof over his head is composed of granite, signifying that at this stage, though he has not yet bowed down to the will of God, he has advanced to the point of doing so, and is, therefore, under special Divine protection. 5 The necessity of bowing very low under the Granite Leaf before entrance is gained into the Ante-Chamber proper, symbolizing full submission to the Divine Will, before entrance is gained into the consecrated or sanctified condition. 6 The necessity of placing the feet upon granite before one can pass from under'the Granite Leaf into the Ante-Chamber proper, symbolizing the fact that, when a justified human being fully submits to the Divine Will and passes into the sanctified condition, he is of necessity begotten of the spirit. 7 The fact that the first granite stone of the floor is beyond (south of) the Queen's Chamber, signifying that those who are sanctified in this Gospel Age, are no longer human, but spiritual-"Ye are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you "-Rom. 8 : 9.
8 The fact that the first granite stone of the floor is raised above the level of the limestone floor which lies to the north of it, symbolizing that the plane of spirit-begetting is higher than the plane of human perfection or justification. See the Chart of the Ages -Plate VI. 9 The f a d that the remainder of the floor of the Ante-Chamber, beyond the first granite stone, falls immediately to the level of the limestone Step outside, signifying that the Sanctified during the Gospel Age have undergone no change of nature as regards their bodies, but only as regards their minds or wills. 10 The f a d that the floor of this inner section of the Ante-Chamber is composed entirely of granite, signifying that the Sanctified are nevertheless reckoned by God as no longer fleshly, but spiritual, provided that henceforth they "walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." 11 The peculiar markings on the granite walls, signifying that the Sanctified are now in the " School of Christ." 12 The granite roof, signifying that they are still, and now much more than before, under Divine protection, dwelling in the secret place of the Most High, under the shadow of the Almighty-Psa. 91 : 1. 13 The low entrance into the King's Chamber, representing the Sandifiedlaying aside the human nature in death, i n order that they may enter the heavenly inheritance as a new creation of the Divine nature, for " flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God." " This mortal must put on immortality "-1 Cor. 15 : 50, 54. They must be faithful unto death, conformable unto Christ's death, before they can get the crown of life, immortality-Rev. 2 : 10; Phil. 3 : 10, 11.
IV. The KING'S CHAMBER symbolizes the "Most Holy" of the Tabernacle, the heavenly inheritance, the condition of the Sanctified after they are " born from the dead" as spirit beings of the Divine nature, by the following features :of spirit-begetting. See the Chart of the Ages-Plate VI. 4 The fact that it is the ultimate goal of the Grand Gallery and Ante-Chamber, signifying that it is the end of the way. 5 The other proofs given at the end of Section (A), showing that it symbolizes irnmortality.
Its construction, entirely of granite, symbolizing the Divine nature. 2 Its low entrance from the Ante-Chamber, signifying that it is gained only by consecration unto death. 3 The fact that its floor is still higher than the level of the first granite stone in the AnteChamber, symbolizing that the plane of the Divine Glory is high above the plane 1
(F) THE GRANDGALLERY.
IN the last section we saw that the Grand Gallery, in its relation to the Ante-Chamber as the School of Christ, symbolizes the condition of the justified who are called or invited to present their bodies a living sacrifice,holy, acceptable unto God-Rom. 12 : I . Those who do so are urged to forget those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things that are before, press toward the mark for the prize of the High Calling of God in Christ Jesus-Phil. 3 : 13, 14. In the present section, the Grand Gallery will be considered as symbolizing the High or Heavenly Calling in itselfHeb. 3 : 1. The two modes of access, the one for the Jew, the other for the Gentile, to the privilege of the High Calling, have already been considered-Pars. 179-182. 200 This High Calling began, so far as Jesus was concerned, at his birth, because he was born into this world for the purpose of accepting the call to sacrifice when the due time should come, which was at his baptism; but it was not until his death and resurrection that the " new and living way" was opened up to the world of mankind, first to the Jews and afterwards to the Gentiles. Good men, like John the Baptist (than whom there was no greater), who died prior to the time when Jesus Christ rose from the dead and appeared in the presence of God for us, his followers (Heb. 9 : 24), had no part in this High Calling to be joint-sacrificers and ultimately joint-heirs with the Master-Matt. 11 : 11. The first of the Jews to accept this call and to receive the Holy Spirit in token of their acceptance by God, were the 120 disciples when they were assembled in the upper room at Pentecost, the exact date foreshadowed by the LawLev. 23 : 4-17 ; Acts 1 : 13, 14 ; 2 : 1-18. The first Gentile to accept, and be accepted, was Cornelius-Acts 10. 201 The lofty height of the Grand Gallery very well represents the perfect liberty and high aspirations of the followers of Christ. Those who go up this way do not require to walk with their heads bowed as they did when coming up the First Ascending Passage, representative of the Jews bowed down and condemned by the exacting requirements of the Law, or when going down the Descending Passage, representative of the remainder of the1 human race bowed down under the Adamic condemnation to death. Those who are privileged to go up the Grand Gallery, can do so with their G
93
,
lieads erect: for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth," and " there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit "--Rom. 8 : 1. 202 The Jews who struggled up the First Ascending Passage, and the world who labour down the Descending Passage are weary and faint because of their galling yoke and heavy burden ; " But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength ; they shall mount up with wings as eagles ; they shall run, and not be weary ; and they shall walk, and not faint "-Isa. 40 : 31, The reason is that they have hearkened to the Lord's words : l r Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of m e ; for I am meek and lowly in heart : and ye shall find rest unto your souls ; for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light "-Matt. 11 : 28-30. 203 Nevertheless, although this way is lofty, it is a narrow way, for "narrow is the way which leadeth unto life "-Matt. 7 : 14. It is rather less than seven feet wide above the Ramps, and the walking part between the Ramps is even less than this. It is only three and a half feet wide-just room for two to walk abreast, "My Lord and I." However anxious the Lord's brethren may be for some dear one to share this pathway with them, while they may assist him to see his privilege, none of them can lead him UP. They must urge him to take Jesus' hand ; and all who respond will find Jesus able to save to the uttermost. They will hear Jehovah's tender words : " Fear thou not, for I am with thee : be not dismayed, for I am thy God : I will strengthen thee ; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness "Isa. 41 : 10. 204 The way is dark ; "but unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness." Those who walk this way have a "lamp," the Word of God, by the light of which they are enabled to see the pathway, and this lamp is shining more and more brightlyPsa. 112 : 4 ; 119 : 105 ; Prov. 4 : 18. The way is also slippery; but the wayfarers have the Lord as their yoke-fellow ; if they should slip, he will help them. Moreover, they have the Ramps beside them all the way, representing the grace of God, his "great and precious promises " to support them when they are weary, to cling to when they 93 : 18. slip. " When I said, ' My foot slippeth,' thy mercy, 0 Lord, held me up "--Psa. Should anyone wilfully begin to retrace his steps, he will find that the way of the backslider is hard, just as in the Great Pyramid the descent of the Grand Gallery is even harder than the ascent. Persistence in this downward course must eventuate in the Second Death-Heb. 6 : 4-6 ; 10 : 29 ; 2 Pet. 2 : 20-22. 205 The Step at the head of the Grand Gallery represents the last great trial to be overcome in each individual Christian's course ; but just as visitors to the Pyramid can surmount this Step and gain entrance to the King's Chamber by taking advantage of the help afforded them by their guide and by the Ramps, so all who are true Christians will prove overcomers if their strength is not in themselves, but in the Lord, and if they rely on the grace of God, "the exceeding great and precious promises : that by these they might be partakers of the Divine nature "-2 Pet. 1 : 4. 206 When we examine the two side-walls of the Grand Gallery, we see that they are each composed of eight courses of masonry above the Ramps, and that each course projects about three inches beyond the one below it-Plate XIII. There are thus seven 'I
overlappings, and the width of the passage becomes gradually less between each pair of opposite courses till the roof is reached ; here the width is identical with the floor-space between the Ramps. Is there any symbolic significance in these seven overlappings? Wordsworth E. Jones, of London, in a lecture which he delivered on the Great Pyramid, suggested that they might represent the various stages in the upward growth in Christian character as detailed in 2 Pet. 1 : 5-7: "And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge ; and to knowledge temperance ; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love." 207 From this point of view, the floor of the Grand Gallery may be taken as representing the foundation of our faith. The Apostle assures us that " other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ "-1 Cor. 3 : 11. Jesus himself said : " I am the way "-John 14 : 6. It is on him that the "exceeding great and precious promises " are based, just as it is on the floor of the Grand Gallery that the Ramps are based. The lowest course of each side wall, representing the faith of the Christian, rests on the floor through the medium of the Ramp, and similarly, the faith of the Christian rests on the foundation of Jesus Christ through the medium of the Lord's great and precious promises. 208 But'the Christian may have all faith so that he could move mountains, and yet, if he did not add to it the various graces of the spirit, the greatest and highest of which is love, his faith would profit him nothing. We must superadd to our faith the various overlappings of I , virtue,-fortitude, the courage of our convictions ; 2, knowledge ; 3, temperance,--self-control; 4, patience; 5, godliness,-reverence for God with desire to do his commands, duty love ; 6, brotherly kindness,-love for all who are brethren in Christ Jesus ; 7, love in its all-comprehensive sense,-love for God, for the brethren, for mankind in general, for enemies. These are all built upon, and are additions to each other in the order named, and all are necessary, if we would be joint-heirs with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. "If these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure ; for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall ; for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ "-2 Pet. I : 5-11. 209 The fact that the space between the side walls is narrower and narrower at each overlapping, till the roof is reached where the width is the same as that between the Ramps, would seem to indicate that the various additions to the upward growth in grace enumerated by the Apostle Peter, present more and more difficulty to the individual Christian who is faithful to his covenant of sacrifice. The way becomes narrower and narrower, till at length it becomes as narrow as the way the Master trod. This will be reached only when we develop love in its all-comprehensive sense, in addition to and inclusive of the other graces of the spirit. It is only those who cultivate this love, the sum of all the graces, who will be raised to joint-heirship with Christ, inasmuch as these alone will have proved their fitness to be associated with Christ in judging and blessing the world in righteousness-1 Cor. 13 : 1-13 ; 6 : 2 ; Rev. 3 : 21 ; Psa. 96 : 9-13.
I. The GRAND GALLERY symbolizes the Gospel Age a s regards both faithjustification and sanctification, by the following features :1 Just as the upper extremity of the First Ascending Passage is also the startingpoint of the Grand Gallery, so the death of Christ, which closed the Law Dispensation (Col. 2 : 14), formed the startingpoint of the Gospel Dispensation. Thus the Grand Gallery forms a continuation of the First Ascending Passage in the same way that the Gospel Dispensation is a continuation of the Law Dispensation, more especially as in both cases the one leads to an appreciation of the other, for the Law
was a schoolmaster to bring the Jews to Christ-Gal. 3 : 24. 2 Its length coincides with the duration of the Gospel Age from the death of Christ in April 33 A.D., till Autumn of the year 1914 A.D., when the lease of power to the Gentile nations, the "Times of the Gentiles," will terminate, and Christ will take to himself his mighty power and begin his reign of righteousness. (This time-feature will be shown in Volume I1 of Great Pyramid Passages.)
11. The GRAND GALLERY symbolizes the condition of the Sanctified of the Gospel Age, by the following features :1 The upper end of the Well, signifying the death and resurrection of Christ, is situated at its commencement, so teaching that it is only through Christ that we can become sanctified. Justification must precede sanctification. 2 Its vertical height is seven times the transverse height of both the First Ascending Passage and the Descending Passage, and suggests the perfect liberty and high aspirations of the true Christian. The Lord "brought me forth also into a large place ; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness "-Psa. 18 : 19, 20. 3 The space between the Ramps is only three and a half feet wide, just room fo; two to walk abreast,-My Lord and I. It reminds us also of Jesus' words : "Narrow is the way which leadeth unto life." 4 Its upward inclination and its termination at the granite chambers, suggest the thought that the way is difficult but leads upward to holiness and immortality, the Divine nature. Before inheriting the heavenly Kingdom, however, the Christian must, like his Master, humble himself unto death, just as in the Great Pyramid, the traveller
before entering the King's chamber must bow down very low and creep through the small entrance-passages. 5 Though its inclination is the same as that of the First Ascending Passage, the ascent is easier because of the support afforded by the Ramps on either side. This represents the fact that when the follower of Christ makes a slip, or when he should feel faint of heart, he can at once lay hold of the ' I exceeding great and precious promises " of God, by the aid of which he may become a partaker of the Divine nature. 6 Its seven overlappings suggest the upward growth of christian character as detailed in the second Epistle of Peter-1 : 5-7. 7 The Step at its upper end close to the low and narrow passage into the King's Chamber, represents (a) the last great trial to be encountered by the individual Christian prior to humbling himself unto death, the narrow gateway to the heavenly inheritance; and also, (b) as we shall see in Volume I1 of Great Pyramid Passages, the last great trial upon the true Church, which is the body of Christ (Eph. 1 : 22, 23), prior to the death and resurrection of the "feet " members.
LETTERS FROM
EGYPT A N D PALESTINE ( M A Y to JULY, 1909).
Revised, Enlarged, and Re-written.
INTRODUCTORY NOTE.
A
LTHOUGH primarily addressed to our three dear sisters, Annie, Minna and Eva (who are also, we rejoice to say, our sisters in the Lord), these letters in their present revised form are addressed to our brethren in the Lord generally. 211 As hinted at in Chapter I, it was in Spring of the year 1906 that we began a systematic study of the symbolical and time features of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh i n Egypt, using as our text-book the third volume of Scripfure Stzzdies by C. T. Russell. Although this volume had previously been read by us, a closer application during the preceding two years to the Scriptural philosophy of God's glorious plan of the Ages, and to the prophetic times and seasons as presented in the first two volumes of the series of Scripture Sfndies, had now prepared us to understand and appreciate to a greater degree C. I'.Russell's exposition of the corroborative testimony given by the Great Pyramid. 212 Being convinced that further careful and reverential investigation, based upon the knowledge thus gained, would reveal yet other important features still stored up in the dark recesses of this wonderful structure, we procured Professor C. Piazzi Smyth's three large volumes entitled Life and Work at the Great Pyramid, and his Our Inheritance i n flze Great Pyramid. With the additional data thus gathered we were enabled by the Lord's grace to discover many more beautiful faith-inspiring corroborations. In a series of lectures delivered in Great Britian and America during the summer of 1906, these further corroborations were made known generally ; and at that time a small edition of a brochure containing a brief synopsis of the various findings was published. 213 This edition was soon exhausted, and as interest in the subject was sustained we decided to write out our findings in.fuller detail, including a number of others since discovered. Subsequently, we were so fortunate as to procure, among other books on the Pyramid, the rare work of Col. Howard Vyse, Operations at the P j ~ r a m i d sof Gizeh, in three large volumes, and also, the equally rare volunie of Professor Flinders Petrie, Pyramids and Temples of Gizeh (the identical volume presented by Professor Petrie to Professor C. Piazzi Smyth, and containing Professor Smyth's marginal notes). These works enabled us to become well acquainted with the interior construction of the Pyramid, excepting the lower rock-cut parts (the Descending Passage, the Small Horizontal Passage leading to the Subterranean Chamber, the Subterranean Chamber, the Well-shaft, and the Grotto), of which parts none of these books pretends to be accurate, nor describes so fully as our present study requires. 214 It was therefore thought that a personal visit to the Great Pyramid was necessary, in order to arrive at proper conclusions in our time-calculations, and to ascertain the true teachings of certain parts of the Pyramid. Accordingly, after careful consideration of ways and means, and after communicating with various friends who were i n favourable positions to furnish useful information, among whom were Professor Alex. Ferguson of Cairo, and Charles W. Cotton of London, we made our arrangements, and booked our passage by the P. Henderson line of steamers. In order to make necessary preliminary arrangements, and complete certain parts of the work, preparatory to the more important work of measuring, one of the joint-authors (Morton Edgar) left for Egypt on the 13th of May, 1909, a fortnight before the other (Professor John Edgar, who was accompanied by his younger son, Stanley). A fortnight after the latter's departure, his wife and elder son Jack came out to join us. All five of us returned together, arriving home at the end of July. 215 The letters cover o l ~ l ythe period between our several arrivals in Egypt, and our departure for home. We were most hospitably entertained by the Burns family during our short stay in Liverpool while waiting for the departure of our several boats ; and on our return to Glasgow, five hundred of our brethren i n the Lord congregated in a large hall to extend to us a warm welcome home.
PLATE XXI.
LETTER I. Hofel Brisfol, Cairo, Thursday, 2 7 t h May, 1909.
DEAR BRETHREN,-Yesterday morning I arrived safely at Port Said after a calm and uneventful voyage. Some time was spent in getting moored, and during the manceuvres small craft of various descriptions drew around. Most of them belonged to vendors of wares, who crowded eagerly on board whenever the port doctor had passed the ship. I had heard great stories about these vendors, and wondered w ', ' i, \ i- ' what kind of reception we i :/, *-+\ "I should have, but they were / quiet, and not very persistent. /' One of the boats was Cook's ; i. . as soon as their man came aboard, I told him I wanted his services to take my baggage ashore and see it through the customs. As I have a large supply of special photographic films with me, besides other things on which duty might be charged, I was afraid the custom house officials would demand a large sum of money ; On board the S.S. "Marfaban," en ronie for Egypt. but I explained that I was merely a tourist, and would be using all the materials I had brought with me. They let me off easily, charging duty on only half the value of the films. 217 On leaving the customs, I went direct to the Sailors' Rest, recommended to me by Brother Cotton of London, and had a pleasant talk with the manager, Mr. Locke, about the Divine Plan of the Ages. I gave him a handful of tracts for distribution among the sailors, and a copy of the brochure Where are fhe Dead? After accepting a kind offer of a cup of tea, I went off to the station. The train left at I p.m., and arrived in Cairo about 5 o'clock. 218 The journey to Cairo was very interesting and instructive. For the first two hours the train travelled through the sandy desert alongside the Suez Canal, but at Ismailia the track left the canal and traversed cultivated land. Every now and again we passed villages built of dried mud. Such of the houses as were in ruins seemed to i .
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PLATEXXII. crumble away very easily. We passed a brickfield quite close to the railway, and I noticed that the bricks were sun-dried. Here and there were men and boys irrigating the fields by raising water from the canals through tubes apparently about six or seven feet long, by about eighteen inches in diameter. I understand that inside these tubes there is a worm arrangement, the rotation of which causes the water to rise in the tube and flow into ditches at the sides of the fields. I also saw water-wheels used for the same purpose, but worked by oxen or camels. 219 It was not long before the scenery around caused me to realize that I was indeed in a foreign land. A blazing sun shone down from an almost cloudless sky. Palm trees, tall and short, stood in little clusters. Heavily-laden camels attended by dusky natives walked along in single file with great swinging steps, and with their heads poised on their long arched necks. Donkeys, with and without riders, were everywhere. The harvest is in full swing at present. In those fields in which the wheat had been reaped, a portion of ground with a hard surface had been prepared as a threshing-floor, and yokes of oxen were being driven round and round dragging a threshing machine, a sledge-like contrivance on which the driver was seated. From time to time the straw was drawn to the outside of the circle, and the grain was heaped up in the centre. Here and there I saw the harvesters throwing the grain into the air so that the wind might blow the chaff away. The whole scene reminded me vividly of what I have so often read in the Bible and in travellers' books. A n Eastern threshing-floor. 220 In the evening I called on Professor Alex. Ferguson, John's friend. He and his wife are very kind. He told me that on receipt of John's letter he had arranged with M. Maspero, the Director-general of Antiquities in Egypt, to grant us a permit to work at the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, and that consequently I should have no difficulty in this respect. This morning Professor Ferguson accompanied me to the Museum, and introduced me to M. Maspero. I found him very pleasant, and he kindly answered some questions I put to him in connection with our work at the Pyramid, and gave me some useful advice as to how to proceed. He also gave orders that I should be given a letter in Arabic to hand to the " Reis " (chief or overseer) of the excavation works in Egypt, informing him that I want workers to clear out the Descending Passage of the Great Pyramid. Professor Ferguson thinks that I am sure to have difficulties sooner or later with the
Arabs, and he has kindly volunteered to accompany me to the Pyramid to-morrow morning to give me a start. I suppose I shall require to take things as they come. My trust is in the Lord, and I know that all things work together for good to those who love him. I shall probably employ three or four men, with three or four boys under each to carry out the rubbish. It sounds quite simple, and I hope it will work out all right. I have full permission to take photographs in the interior or on the outside of the Pyramid. The season is now about closed, and it is not likely that many visitors will come into the interior to interrupt the work. Friday morning, 28th May. I have not now much more to add to this letter. I shall soon be starting off on my first visit to the Pyramids, after which, no doubt, I shall have plenty to tell you. I might mention, however, that during my voyage on the "Martaban," I gave the officers and passengers a "Chart Talk." The chief steward hung up the Chart of the Ages for me in the dining saloon-Plate VI. I had a '' full house," and was a little nervous, but I managed to tell them something of God's great Plan of the Ages as we understand it ; and afterwards I gave all of them copies of the brochure Where are the Dead? which I know to have been in the Lord's hands a means of blessing to many, leading to a still further inquiry into the precious truths as set forth in the Scripture Studies.
With much love to all, Your loving brother, MORTON EDGAR.
PLATE XXIII.
LETTER 11. Arab Village, near the Pyramids of Gixeh. Friday, 4th June, 1909.
DEAR BRETHREN,-At present I am sitting in a house in the Arab village close to the Great Pyramid-Plate 11. 222 I have now been in Egypt for a week, and have been very busy. Soon after my arrival I learned that Professor C. Piazzi Smyth's Arab assistant, Ali Gabri, or, as Professor Smyth misspelt his name, Alee Dobree, died four years ago (December, 1904. Professor Smyth died on 21st February, 1900). I found, however, that his son, Hadji Ali Gabri, was following in his father's steps, so I engaged his services, and have found him very helpful to me in my photographic work. 223 Mr. L. Dow Covington, an American, has been working at the Great Pyramid for the past eight years, off and on. When I came here a week ago, he was just completing some excavating work at the foot of the north side of the Great Pyramid, and you can appreciate my pleasant surprise when I beheld not only the three historical casing-stones discovered many years ago by Col. Howard Vyse, and now again brought to the light of day, but sixteen others, all of them in one continuous row-Plate XXIII. These stones demonstrate the fact that the Great Pyramid was formerly covered or cased with beautiful smooth casing-stones,a fact which formerly some had been inclined to doubt. 224 It was in May of the year 1837 that Col. Howard Vyse sunk a shaft down through the fifty feet of rubbish inlmediately in front of the Entrance, and discovered the three casing-stones at the eastern extremity of the row-Plate VII. He was greatly impressed with their size, and considered that the workmanship displayed in them was unrivalled. When they were first uncovered, they were perfect ; but during the short time they remained exposed while he was at the Pyramids, they were, to his regret, much defaced by vandalism. He therefore felt it his duty to protect them by covering them again with a large quantity of rubbish ; but he wrote : " I am sorry to add, that my precautions were unsuccessful, and that the blocks have been again uncovered and much injured." (See Plate V.) 225 Happily, however, the Colonel's inforqant was wrong ; for Professor Flinders Petrie wrote that in the year 1881, just when he required them for the purpose of measuring, etc., the three stones were again uncovered by a contractor who was using the rubbish for mending the road to the Pyramids, and he found them in the condition in which they were when covered in 1837. From then till now, these three stones have remained exposed. Mr. Covington informs me that he uncovered the fourth one in the year 1902, and that the whole four stones were illustrated by Professor Breasted of
PLATEXXIV. <
PLATE XXV. Chicago university'& his New History of Egypt, 1904. But now, in the latter end of May of this year, exactly 72 years after Col. Howard Vyse's celebrated discovery, 15 more of these stones have been excavated, besides a fair area of the pavement and levelled rock in front. I think I am indeed fortunate to have come just in time to see these, and to be the first to have had the privilege of photographing them as they now appear ;--this was with Mr. Covington's permission, which was gladly granted. 226 The first three or four of these stones are immediately under the Entrance of the Pyramid, and are still in excellent preservation, though I notice that the small portion referred to by Colonel Howard Vyse as adhering with such tenacity (Par. 86), has disappeared-Compare Plate VIII, with one of my photographs which shows a very near view of the largest stone, Plate XXIV. The others to the west of these show more or less signs of surface wear, especially the last five to the extreme west which are much broken-Plate XXVI. When I stand at the east end of the line of the casingstones, and look squarely along the upper and front surfaces of the long row extending about 86 feet in front of me, I cannot help being impressed with the wonderful level and almost glossy appearance which both surfaces present, and cannot but marvel at the wonderful skill which the ancient builders of the Pyramid possessed. The upper surface is as level and even as a billiard table. Even the core masonry immediately behind the casing-stones preserves the same wonderful level. Professor Petrie, by means of his special apparatus, found that in a length of forty feet to the east of the three casing-stones then uncovered, the upper surface of the first course of core masonry differed from a dead level by only one-fiftieth part of an inch ! 227 The casingstones rest on a platform between sixteen and seventeen inches in thickness, which, in its turn, rests on the levelled natural rock. This platform projects sixteen inches beyond t h e comparatively sharp bottom edge of the bevelled casingstones. A peculiar feature of the platform is that its front edge is not quite at right - angles with its upper surface, but is bevelled a f t e r t h e manner of the casingstones, though only to A fractured butt-joint befween the pavement (on the left), and Or the extent the bevelled front edge of the platform (on the right) in front of the three degrees. This casing-stones of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh.
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is well seen in Plate XXVI. Continuous with the platform to the distance of over thirty feet northward (outward) from the line of the casing-stones, are the fragmentary remains of a pavement, the level upper surface of which is flush with that of the platform, and still preserves here and there a smooth appearance. The flat stones of which it is composed approximate to the same thickness as the stones of the platform; but as the natural rock on which they lie is not exactly level, they are not all of a uniform thickness. They vary also in length and breadth. The abutment joints between the bevelled front edge of the platform and the stones of the pavement, are very close, as will be seen in one of my photographs of a fractured pavement stone adjoining the platform-Plate XXV. 228 In one of the photographs, which shows a front and partly top view of the best preserved of the casing-stones, with Mr. Covington standing at the east end looking along the upper surface of the row, a large open fissure in the rock can be seen in the foreground-Plate XXVII. According to the account of Col. Howard Vyse, this fissure had originally been filled in with rubble stone-work, and covered over with large inset stones, one of which may be seen in the photograph, partly fallen in. Over these inset stones which were flush with the levelled rock, the beautifully fitted pavement had been laid. It had been Col. Howard Vyse's intention to have blasted the rock to a considerable depth at this part in hope that he might discover a subterranean communication with a secret tomb-chamber under the Pyramid, supposed to have been alluded to by the Greek historian, Herodotus. He chose this part because it is in line with the Entrance Passage of the Pyramid, but the discovery of the fissure saved him considerable trouble and expense. He caused it to be cleared to a depth of 47 feet, and to a length of 74 feet from east to west, but without discovering a passage. He was therefore satisfied that there was no subterranean passage in connection with the Great Pyramid, save that of the Well-known Descending Passage leading down to the Pit, a hundred feet below the base of the Pyramid-Plate IX. In the Second Pyramid, however, he did discover a second and lower communication, the entrance of which was hidden under that Pyramid's pavement about 40 feet out from the base-Plate XXVIII. This lower subterranean passage, which is in direct line with the upper Entrance Passage, besides being hidden at its entrance by the pavement, was also completely blocked up in its length by large well-fitted and cemented stones. Col. Howard Vyse had most of these removed. 229 In a second view of the casing-stones of the Great Pyramid, taken with my camera erected a little more to the east, Hadji Ali Gabri is seen sitting some distance up the side of the Pyramid, pointing to the entrance of A1 Mamoun's forced passage, which is situated in the seventh course of the Pyramid's horizontal core masonry-Plate XXIX. In the upper part of the section shown in this photograph, part of the great angular limestone blocks above the mouth of the Entrance Passage, may be seen. The relative positions of the casing-stones, A1 Mamoun's forced passage, and the Entrance to the Pyramid can better be judged, however, by a third view which I took with the camera erected at a greater distance from the base of the Pyramid-Plate XXX. But the square mouth of the Entrance, which lies some distance in from the face of the Pyramid, cannot be seen from the ground below ; also the angular blocks above the Entrance appear much lower down than they are in reality-Compare Plate XXXI. 107
PLATEXXVII.
VERTICALSECTION OF THE SECOND PYRAMID OF GlZEH THFUPffR D / S C O V f R f D BY 5ELZOAfl 1813 AD.;
(FROM NORTH TO Sourn. LOOM A N D THE LOWER BY COL
WEST),SHOWING THETWO ENTRANCE PASSAGES. HOWARD VYSE, /837 A . D
2
PLATEXXIX.
The entrance of AL MAMOUN'S P A S S A G E , forced into the Great Pyramid of Gizeh in the year 820 A.D.
PLATEXXX.
The MIDDLE of the N O R T H BASE of the G R E A T P Y R A M I D of Gizeh; showing the angle-stones above the Entrance, flze casing-stones, and the entrance of A1 Marnoun's forced passage.
PLATEXXXI.
The ENTRANCE of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh.
PLATE XXXII. 230 This third photograph (Plate XXX) shows the ruinous and dilapidated condition to which this great monument has been reduced by the ruthless hands of the spoiler. According to historical evidence, beautiful smooth limestone blocks, similar to those at the north base, encased the entire Pyramid up till 820 A.D., when Caliph A1 Mamoun, in his greed to gain possession of supposed hidden treasure, forced his way into the Pyramid's interior. This was the beginning of the destructive work ; and in the years that followed, the Pyramid's casing was tom off piecemeal for building purposes-See Pars. 95-99. 231 The existence of the forced passage, which extends inward in a horizontal direction till it meets the junction of the Descending and Ascending Passages, proves that the position of the mouth of the regular Entrance Passage, though evidently well-known in earlier times, was unknown to A1 Mamoun. Professor Petrie claims that, originally, the Entrance mouth must have been closed by a stone door, swinging horizontally on side pivots, and having its outer surface flush with the general angle of the casing. He instances the Entrance Passage of the South Pyramid of Dashur, which bears evidence of having been closed in this manner. A door such as this would possess no external marks by which its situation could be identified ; and knowledge of its existence having been lost, A1 Mamoun was compelled to force an entrance for himself. That the Great Pyramid was closed by a pivoted stone door, is borne out by the writings of the ancient geographer Strabo (1st century B.c.). Referring to the Pyramids of Gizeh, he wrote : " The Greater [Pyramid], a little way up one side, has a stone that may be taken out, which being raised up, there is a sloping passage to the foundations "-Plate IX. 232 About eight o'clock to-night I went round in company with Hadji Ali Gabri, and had a look at the Sphinx by moonlight. You have so often seen photographs of this half-man half-animal, that I do not need to describe it to you. In many of these photographs, the Great Pyramid is shown in the background in such a manner that one who has not visited the locality might get the impression that the Sphinx is almost as large as the Great Pyramid -Plate XXXII. This is far from being the case. Nevertheless, though very small when compared with the Pyramid, it is in itself so huge, weird, and uncanny, that one cannot be surprised that so many have wondered why it (2 was made, and have spoken of the riddle of the Sphinx. No wonder so many have exclaimed " Ah ! If only these lips could speak, what could The Sphinx, and the Great Pyramid of Gizeh. they not tell us of an age long gone-by!" But these lips have no riddle to divulge, for the simple reason that the p f '
1 $ .
113
Sphinx is but a dumb idol. On the contrary, the Great Pyramid which to many minds it seems to eclipse, can speak, and in no uncertain voice ! It has no lips, indeed, but to those who have the L L hearing ears " is speaks with a marvellous certainty by means of its symbolical passages and chambers, not only of the distant past, but of the present and even also of the far reaching future! The Great Pyramid has, in these latter days, revealed many things, and possibly it has yet more secrets stored up in its dark passages and chambers. They are like the " dark sayings " of our Lord ; which only those who have the " Key" can understand and appreciate. I thank my heavenly Father daily that he has opened the eyes of my understanding to see this Key, the Divine plan of the Ages. 233 The majority of visitors here walk right past the Great Pyramid, and go round to admire the Sphinx. As usual, the " Idol " receives the most attention and worship. They are no doubt impressed by the immense size of the Great Pyramid ; but everything there bespeaks toil and labour, and comparatively few ascend to its summit; fewer still venture within. With love in the Lord, Your loving brother,
MORTONEDGAR.
LETTER 111. Arab Village, near fhe Pyramids of Gireh. Safurday, 5th June, 1909.
DEAR BRETHREN,-Iwent into Cairo to-day to obtain permission to erect tents in front of the north face of the Great Pyramid. The f a d of my not having a place near the Pyramid where I can keep my measuring-rods, cameras, etc., has proved a great drawback. This is the chief reason why I have decided to have tents erected as close to it as possible ; for although the house in the Arab village in which I lodge at night is not situated at a great distance from the Pyramid, it is nevertheless not so convenient as might be-Plate 11. For the past week and a half, Mr. Covington has very kindly let me have the use of his tent to store some of my apparatus, and to change my clothes, make tea for myself, etc. ; but I feel I can hardly continue to use his tent all the time, nor keep all my implements there. This kindness of Mr. Covington has been of great help to me. I was accompanied by the Reis, Abraheem Faid, who has charge of all the excavating works from Cairo, up the Nile to Fayoum which lies about 70 or 80 miles distant. Through his kind assistance I received the permission without much difficulty. To-morrow my tent will be erected, and afterwards John's, and the others as they are required. The Reis and his son Judah, who assists his father in his work of overseer, are very attentive and obliging; and indeed, all the Arabs here are very nice to me, and I am thankful to say that I have not so far had any of the trouble which Professor Ferguson and Mr. Covington thought I might have. 235 To-day I had nineteen men down with me in the Subterranean Chamber or Pit -Plate IX. I had them working at the west end of that chamber, clearing out some of the stones and sand which at that end reached nearly to the ceiling. We shall be down there again to-morrow to complete this part of the work. For the past week I have had men clearing out the stones and sand from the Descending Passage. About six or seven years ago, Mr. Covington cleared about thirty feet of the lower end of this passage, and also the lower end of the Well-shaft. But when he and I crept down the Descending Passage on my first visit to the interior of the Great Pyramid, we found that not only was nearly half the height of the passage blocked with sand and stones throughout the greater part of its length, but the lower third of the part which Mr. Covington had previously cleared was again filled with rubbish. Mr. Covington thinks that this was probably due to a great rain-storm which occurred about two months ago. 236 Mr. Covington and the Reis almost frightened me into doing nothing in the way of excavating. I should require, if I wished to do it properly, they said, to lay rails along the floor of the Descending Passage, and run the rubbish up to the Entrance in small waggons, and then it would be necessary for a large number of men, arranged in
a line from the Entrance down to the edge of the plateau on which the Pyramid is built, to pass the rubbish along and deposit it clear of the Pyramid itself. The cost might be from thirty to fifty pounds ($150 to $250), and might even be more. I felt downcast, as I knew we could not afford to pay so much. However, as it was important that accurate measurements should be made, not only of the Descending Passage, but also of the Small Horizontal Passage leading to the Subterranean Chamber, I decided to get at least this latter passage cleared out. Accordingly, I instructed Judah, who has been my right-hand man for the past week, to engage and superintend three men to do this limited portion. 237 They finished the work in a day, with three hours still to spare ; and so by way of a trial, just to see what could be done in a humble way with the three men, I directed Judah to ascertain how much of the rubbish in the Descending Passage could be carried out in baskets in these three hours. They commenced at the top a few feet below the point where the First Ascending Passage leaves the Descending Passage-Plate IX. At this place there is a large granite block which was discovered by Professor Flinders Petrie in 1881, and is mentioned in his book. A few years ago Mr. Covington closed the eighteen-inch space between this granite block and the roof with an iron grill-door. From here downward, according to Professor Petrie, the Descending Passage measures, approximately, 235 feet. 238 One of the men filled basket after basket with the rubbish, and the other two carried these up the passage to the Entrance, and then down to the great rubbish mound in front of the Pyramid where they emptied them, taking care to keep clear of Mr. Covington's newly excavated casing-stones. It was wonderful how much they did in those three hours. I felt encouraged, and asked Judah's advice about carrying on the work next day. He recommended me to engage nine men, and to leave it to him, and he would see that the work was done. Judah was as good as his word. The men did so well that I was determined to continue the same method till the passage was cleared throughout its entire length. The number of men was increased each day, as more ground had to be traversed in carrying out the rubbish, till during the last two days I have had eighteen men in addition to Judah working there. 239 This particular part of the work is now complete, and it has not cost more than five pounds ! Mr. Covington is astonished, and expresses it as his opinion that the men have worked well for me in order to spite him, for they do not seem to like him overmuch, although he is very good .to them in many ways. Judah impressed upon me several times during the work, that I was to trust him and he would see that the work was well done. He said: "Me and my father are going to deal straight with you. Trust Judah. We have received two letters from M. Maspero, saying that we are to take care of you, and we would be afraid not to please you. We want you to be pleased." He is constantly asking me if I am pleased, and I always answer that I am satisfied, as indeed I am, for everything has gone on much better than I had been led to expect. 240 I have not employed boys, having been advised by Mr. Covington to employ men only, for although their wages are higher, they can do the work much more quickly and satisfactorily. They begin work at half-past six in the morning, and continue till noon, and then, after an interval of two hours, they resume work till six in
116
the evening. Thus they work for nine and a half hours per day, for which they are paid the sum of six piastres, or one shilling and three pence (30 cents). This is a good wage according to the scale in Egypt. I understand that a common wage for unskilled labour such as this is four to five piastres per day. To Judah I give ten piastres, or two shillings and a penny (fifty cents), though he only asked for seven. Seventy-two years ago Col. Howard Vyse paid his men only one piastre per day, and the overseers only two ! 241 In very early times, the Descending Passage appears to have been sufficiently clear to allow of venturesome travellers making occasional visits to the Subterranean Chamber ; but in 1763 A.D., ' Davison, when describing the Descending Passage, wrote: At the end of one hundred and thirty-one feet [from the junction of the First Ascending Passage] I found it so filled up with earth, that there was no possibility of proceeding." It remained in this condition until the year 1817, when, by the efforts of M. Caviglia, access to the Subterranean Chamber was restored ; and at the same time the whole length of the Well-shaft was cleared. M. Caviglia was afterward for a short time in the employment of Col. Howard Vyse. 242 Evidently, however, M. Caviglia did not completely clear out the Descending Passage, for, twenty years afterward (in 1837), Col. Howard Vyse, in his description of the state in which he found the Great Pyramid previous to commencing his extensive operations on it and the other Pyramids of Gizeh, wrote that, though open, it was "much encumbered with stones and rubbish." This no doubt explains why he measured this passage along the roof line, and not along the floor. When Professor C. Piazzi Smyth visited the Pyramid in 1865, the passage below its juncture with the First Ascending Passage, appears to have again become so blocked with sand and large stones, that he did not visit the lower parts of the Pyramid at all. The description and measuren~entsof these parts given in his published works were derived from Col. Howard Vyse's book. 243 In 1881, Professor Flinders Petrie caused the obstructing rubbish to be removed sufficiently for him to descend. It was during these operations that he discovered the large granite stone which lies on the floor opposite the entrance to the First Ascending Passage. He did not disturb it. The parts which he found most blocked were the upper portion at and below the granite block, and the lowermost thirty feet of the slope to which part the rains had washed down large quantities of rubbish. He did not have this material carried out, but instructed his men to distribute it throughout the passage. Thus we see that the floor of this Descending Passage has never been so thoroughly cleared, at least in modern times, as it now is. That the debris which my men carried out is part of the very ancient rubbish, is proved by the fact that they found embedded in it several small fragments of green idols. 244 When my brother, the doctor, joins me, we shall measure the Descending Passage very carefully. This will be the first accurate measurement of this long passage, and to obtain this constitutes one of the chief purposes of our visit to the Great Pyramid. As the Great Pyramid is God's Stone Witness in Egypt, in which he has outlined by its passages and chambers his glorious plan of salvation, and as the 'It was Davison who discovered the lowest of the five hollows or "Chambers of Construction " above the King's Chamber. Col. Howard Vyse discovered the other four-Pars. 110-112.
PLATE XXXIII. Descending Passage represents the course of " this present evil world" (Gal. 1 : 4), it is of importance that it should be carefully examined and measured. Although I have not attempted to do much measuring, believing it will be better to wait till John arrives, I have taken a large number of flashlight photographs inside the Pyramid, getting Hadji Ali Gabri to assist me, and to pose in some of them. Sunday, 6th June, 11 p.m. I am now sitting in my newly erected tent, about a hundred feet from the north side of the Great Pyramid. It is situated right on the edge of the Pyramid plateau, overlooking the large Mena House Hotel, and the tramway car terminus. From the two doors of my tent, I can see right across the flat Delta of lower Egypt, and eight miles to the east the domes and minarets of Cairo. Behind the city, and therefore on the other side of the broad, sluggish Nile, the long range of the white Mokattam Hills stretches away southward. It is commonly understood that the limestone blocks, from which the beautiful casing-stones of the Great Pyramid are formed, were quarried from these hills. 246 My large trunk (kindly lent to me by Brother Stewart * of Glasgow) was brought from Cairo on the back of a camel. My tent promises to be fairly comfortable, and the air on the -- - . _. .@. . . -:- -?- -* -'----?" -G&, .:=a e; Gizeh cliff is a great deal -* - _ .-_LZ_: -* sweeter and cooler than that in Cairo, where I lodged during Erecting fenf in front of the north side of the the first week in the Brist01 Greaf Pyramid of Gizeh. Hotel. In addition, living here should be cheaper that in Cairo, and I shall now be nearer the scene of my labours, so that both time and expense will be saved. I have not been much troubled by mosquitoes, as the breeze which is constantly blowing here seems to drive them away. Every day there are plenty of clouds in the sky, sometimes obscuring the sun, but there has been no rain since my arrival. I hear that there is no wet season in Egypt, and that rain falls seldom, though a couple of months ago, I understand, it came down in torrents. 247 At present it is a beautiful moonlight night, and I have only lately returned from a stroll to the Great Pyramid. I went down the Descending Passage as far as its junction with the First Ascending Passage, and then, turning and looking up toward the Entrance, saw the North Star with no other star near it. I sat on a limestone block which lies on the floor of the Descending Passage under the Granite Plug, a few feet above Petrie's granite block. I had no light with me, and was alone in the darkness. I had not been seated long, when I was rather startled to hear a deep organ-like sound, growing louder and louder, and afterward a small bell-like sound. I wondered what it was and listened intently. The explanation soon came. It was nothing more than a number of bats flying past me ; I could feel the wind from their wings. The beating of e
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PLATE XXXIV. their wings in the narrow passages of the Pyramid: caused the air to vibrate, producing the organ-like sound ; and the bell-like sound was only their little alarmed chirps as they flew swiftly along. I am looking forward to the arrival of John and Stanley next Wednesday-9th June. My love to all, Your loving brother in the Lord. MORTONEDGAR.
The north side of the SECOND PYRAMID of Gizeh; showing the remnant of the ancient smooth casing at the summit.
LETTER IV. Tent at the Greaf Pyramid OJ Gizeh. Tuesdaj: 8th June, 1909.
DEAR BRETHREN,-At six o'clock this morning I started off with Judah to ascend the Second Pyramid, for the purpose of taking some photographs from the summit. As will be seen from a photograph which I took of the north face, this pyramid is covered with a smooth casing of limestone, and is very steep-Plate XXXIV. According to Col. Howard Vyse, the two lowest courses of casing immediately above the base are of granite, though Professor Flinders Petrie reports having only observed one during his investigations in 1881. After climbing to the lower edge of the upper casing-stones, I thought it too dangerous to proceed higher, and from this point I took a photograph giving a bird's-eye view of the recently excavated foundations of the temple, which is situated close to the base of this pyramid on its east side-Plate XXXV. 249 Yesterday morning I had a quiet walk alone among the ruins of this temple, and also among the ruins of the temple of the Third Pyramid, and I wondered at the immense size of many of the limestone blocks with which, for the most part, they have been built. Some of them are beautifully white, and cleanly cut to very sharp arris edges. While strolling through the temple of the Second Pyramid, I was somewhat startled to see about fifty human skulls arranged in two or three rows on a ledge. I have learned since that these skulls were discovered during the excavations \of the temple. 250 The Second Pyramid has two Entrance Passages, both on the north side of the building and meeting each other below the base XXVIII. of the pyramid-Plate One of them is somewhat similar in position and inclination to the Entrance Passage of the Great Pyramid, but its walls are composed of granite instead of limestone, and the wide joints and other details of construction are not to be compared with the fine workmanship which the Great Pyramid displays. As already Hzzman skuZls unearthed durrng the excavations of the mentioned, the mouth of the Temple of the Second Pyramid of Gizeh. 121
PLATEXXXVII. lower Entrance Passage was discovered in 1837 by Col. Howard Vyse, concealed under the level pavement some distance out from the north base of the pyramid ; but it is now hidden once more under a large mound of rubbish. I photographed the irregular outer end of the upper Entrance. It is evidently in the same condition as it was in 1818, when Belzoni found it by digging down through the great heap of sand and stones, which had accumulated upon it at the time when the greater part of the ---. pyramid's casing was removed, thus concealing it for centuries. Belzoni's name and the date of his discovery may still be seen, carved on the face of the outer granite roof-stone, and are visible in the photograph - Plate XXXVII. 251 When the casing of the Second Pyramid was intact, the mouth of its upper entrance must have been concealed in some way, probably by a pivoted stone door like that which is supposed to have closed the Entrance to the Great Pyramid, for it also has a = . F long excavated entrance similar to , . A1 Mamoun's forced passage. It would appear that all the Gizeh n ?:;: .4 : ., ,.*" . Pyramids were forcibly entered L*. -.. . .. - at about the same period. The Entrance of the Second Pyramid of Gizeh. 252 A photograph which I secured of the north-west comer of the Second Pyramid shows the great amount of rock-cutting which was necessary before the builders could gain a level-surface for its erection-Plate XXXVIII. On the right or west side of this photograph the north side of the Third Pyramid can be seen ; it shows the large chasm made by the Mamelukes in an unsuccessful attempt to discover the Entrance. Col. Howard Vyse was greatly interested in the Third Pyramid, and spent a great deal of time and money forcing passages into its solid masonry, before he finally discovered the Entrance hidden under the rubbish in the middle of the north side, a short distance above the base-Plate XXXIX. The previous operations of the Mamelukes had misled him ; for he concluded that before cutting so large a chasm in their search for the Entrance, they would first have thoroughly examined every part of the pyramid's northern face, which in their time must have been comparatively clear of AS there were no accounts, ancient or modern, rubbish. Col. Howard Vyse wrote : respecting the entrance of this pyramid, or of its having ever been opened, notwithstand122 L
.
PLATEXXXVIII. ing the attempts that from time to time had been made, it was an object of the greatest curiosity, and I fully expected to discover the interior chambers and passages, by carrying on the gallery [or forced horizontal passage] to the centre, and by afterwards sinking a large shaft to the foundation "-See Plate XXXIX. This operation proves at least that there are no built chambers in the solid masonry of this pyramid.
The north side of the THIRD PYRAMID of Gizeh; showing the large chasm excavated by the Mamelukes in their search for the Entrance of the Pyramid; also the north-west comer of the Second Pyramid; with part of the artificial cliff to the west, formed by the ancient bnilders in their rock-levelling operations.
253 Col. Howard Vyse stated it as his opinion that the upper passage which ascends northward from the top of the large rock-cut chamber under the base of the Third Pyramid (See Plate XXXIX), is an abandoned Entrance Passage. From certain indications on its walls, it appears to have been cut inwards through the rock from the north ; whereas the present Entrance Passage shows evidence of having been cut outwards from the large chamber. The upper passage must therefore have been made first. Professor Flinders Petrie's examination of these passages caused him to share Col. Howard Vyse's opinion ; and he believes that certain granite stones which at present block half the height of the upper passage, were placed there by the ancient builders for the purpose of blocking it up when they decided to cut the new Entrance Passage. The upper end of the old passage terminates abruptly against the masonry, ,which was added for the purpose of increasing the originally contemplated dimensions of the pyramid. The large carved sarcophagus which Col. Howard Vyse found in the lower
VERT~CALSECTION OF THIRD PYRAMID OF ClZEH (FROM NORTH TO Soff,r~. LOOK/NC WEST) OF ROCK-HEWN PASSAGES AND CffAMBfRS AS DISCOVERED BY COLHOWARD VYSE. /837A.D s u o w / ~ cTHE S Y S ~ E M
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granite-lined chamber, was conveyed by him to Alexandria, where it was shipped for England to be deposited in the British BIuseum ; but the boat evidently foundered, for it was never heard of again. There is a still lower chamber than the granite-lined one, entrance to which is gained by a flight of six steps. These are by far the earliest known steps in any building. This lowest chamber contains six niches, which were quite evidently cut in the rock for the purpose of containing coffins. 254 The Third Pyramid is considerably smaller than its two giant neighbours. According to the ancient historian Piodorus, it was originally cased with "black stone" from the base up to the 15th course; but Professor Flinders Petrie found traces of granite as high as the 16th course, which means that the granite covered just one-quarter of the pyramid's height. Above this level the casing was of limestone. Thus, in respect to its casing, the Third Pyramid was in some respects similar to the Second. The Pyramid of Abu Roash, which lies away to the north-west, five miles distant from the Pyramids of Gizeh (Plate 111),is supposed to have been entirely cased with granite ; but it is now almost completely destroyed. The Arabs in its neighbourhood have for many years treated it as a quarry; Professor Flinders Petrie was informed that its stones were being carried off at the rate of three hundred camel-loads per day! Professor C. Piazzi Smyth was of the opinion that this Pyramid of Abu Roash never was completely finished. 255 I photographed the square Entrance of the Third Pyramid, together with two or three courses of the granite casing-stones which are still in situ alongside. Except at their joint edges, where narrow strips of the surface have been chiselled even and smooth, the outer faces of these stones have not been dressed down, but have been left very rough and projecting-Plate XL. Another photograph of this pyramid at the part immediately connected with its temple on the east side, shows a large area of the granite casing-stones dressed down to one flat surface, but, adjoining these dressed stones, a few are to be seen still rough, and others only partially dressed-Plate XLI. In this photograph a portion of the granite pavement of the temple may also be seen. Although many of these stones are large, none approaches in size to the casing-stones of the Great Pyramid ; nor do they present so beautiful an appearance. All round the Second and Third Pyramids great numbers of granite casing-stones lie partly buried in the large mounds of debris. Wednesday, 9th June. Last night; on Judah's recommendation, I transferred my hire to another tent contractor, Abdul Salam Faid. He is an experienced man, providing tents for the government workers, doctors of Cairo, and the principal excavators in Egypt. At present he has a tent erected close to the north-west corner of the Great Pyramid, where a lady doctor from Cairo lodges at night. He is a personal friend of Professor Alex. Ferguson. My present tent is a vast improvement on the other, and the price is only slightly greater. It measures about 13 feet in diameter, is 6 feet high round the sides, and 12 feet high in the centre. Its double roof completely shuts out the sun's rays, a very desirable thing in Egypt ; the bed is provided with a mosquito,net, and the ground is covered with a carpet. John and Stanley's tent is now also erected ; it is of the same size as mine, and will have two beds. There is a chest of drawers in each of the tents, so that my drawing, measuring, and photographic apparatus is
PLATEXLII. now always at hand. This saves time, for formerly when I wished for anything I had frequently to make a prolonged search through the contents of my boxes. A third tent of the same size is to be used as a dining-room, and a smaller tent alongside as a kitchen or cooking-tent. When Grace and Jack arrive, still another bed-room tent will be erected. We have a cook to ourselves, and also a waiter; and Abdul Salam and his brother Hassan will frequently also be in attendance. At sunrise a donkey - boy fetches water from the well at Mena House Hotel. I am certainly glad I listened to Judah's advice. For the first time since my arrival in Egypt, I feel thoroughly settled. Seeking for proper accommodation has taken up a great deal of my time, although, . -'of course, I have not nei " ._-*:, : ,-- _ - _ -- -- - glected my work at the Pyramid. Had I gone to Donkey-boy arrzvzng wzth water at sunrzse. Mr. Faid at the beginning, I should have been saved considerable trouble; but I am thankful that things have now turned out so well, and that John and Stanley will have comfortable quarters to lodge in when they arrive. 257 At present I have two men working inside the Great Pyramid. They are cutting additional footholds in the floor of the First Ascending Passage, which is very slippery. Were it not for the footholds, it would be impossible to ascend this passage, except, perhaps, with unshod feet. Mr. Covington says that I am the only one who, with the exception of himself, has done any work at the Great Pyramid during the last nine years. 258 The weather during the first week was much hotter than it is at present. The natural water here, though fairly pure, is not safe to drink for those unaccustomed to it, unless it has been boiled. Standing on an iron tripod in my tent, I have a large earthenware jar which, being porous, allows the water to soak through to the surface where it evaporates. This causes the boiled water which has been poured into the jar to cool quickly and to remain cool. It is large enough to contain two syphons of sodawater, which it keeps almost as cool as if they had been laid on ice. I am informed that the weather in Egypt during the month of June and even also the greater part of July, is cooler and more pleasant than during the month of May, although June is supposed to begin the " off-season.'' Most things are also considerably cheaper. I could not have secured so good an outfit of tents for the price I a m paying, if our visit had been during the season.
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Thursday, I 0 June, I I a.m. At present the temperature in the shade is 103" F. It feels fairly warm, but as the atmosphere is dry, it is not so unbearable as such a temperature would be in Scotland. I am waiting for a tramway car to take me into Cairo, as John and Stanley will likely arrive there about one o'clock. Their boat is late, and this will be the third day in succession that I shall have journeyed to Cairo to enquire about their arrival. 260 This morning at seven o'clock, Mr. Covington and I measured the casing-stones at the north front of the Great Pyramid. Captain Norton, a friend of Mr. Covington, is making a sketch of these stones, and our measurements may be of service to him. We found that while they are of a uniform height, they vary greatly in both width from east to west, and in depth inward toward the core masonry at the back. The first stone to the east of the long row of casing-stones is by far the largest. It measures about 4 feet 11 inches high, and is 6 feet 9 inches wide from east to west. In depth it measures 8 feet 3 inches along the base line to the core masonry. This is only the apparent depth, however, for it extends inward for still another two feet beyond the core block to the east of it, and thus the actual base measurement from front to back is 10 feet 3 inches. The cubical contents of the block is about 200 cubic feet ; and its weight is approximately 19 tons. This weight is three tons more than Professor Flinders Petrie estimated (see Par. 86) ; he evidently was not aware that the stone extends beyond the core block to the east of it, the debris, now cleared away by Mr. Covington, having no doubt concealed the upper joint-lines. This extra depth can be seen very well in a photograph which I took with my camera erected on top of the first course of the core masonry, some distance to the east of the casing-stones-Plate XLIII. It will be noticed in this photograph that the fourth casing-stone also extends back a good distance (See also Plate XXVII); its base depth is even more than that of the first stone, being 11 feet 4 inches ; but its width is only 5 feet as against 6 feet 9 inches for the first stone. The other stones vary in width from 3 feet 4% inches to 5 feet 3 inches, a fair average width being 4 feet 6 inches.
6 p.m. I have been to Cairo and met John and Stanley. They look well. On reaching Cairo they felt it very warm, but now that they are here beside the Pyramids they feel cooler. We are about to enter the Great Pyramid for a couple of hours' inspection. By to-morrow we hope to get steadily to work and secure all the particulars we can. We trust that it will be to God's glory, and to our mutual edification and the strengthening of our faith. We shall not, of course, make any measurements to-night, as it will take us all the two hours to go through the passages and chambers. Friday, 1 1 th Jzrne. This letter will soon be finished, as a man is waiting to take this and others to Cairo. John was much impressed with the magnitude of the Great Pyramid. Last night we spent two and half hours inside. John thinks that Grace will not be able to ascend and descend the passages ; they are so steep and slippery. However, many ladies make the attempt, and with proper assistance I think Grace should manage all right. 263 To-day we intend to go down to the Pit (we did not have time last night), and begin our measurements there. Afterwards the work will progress systematically.
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Judah will be our assistant during our work here. He will manage all our business, looking after our workers at the Pyramid, etc. His proper name is Abdul Maujud Faid, but he is generally known as Judah. He has worked for many years in the Cairo Museum. 264 We send our love to you all, and desire to thank you for so lovingly remembering us at the Throne of Grace. We specially thank the dear brethren of the Glasgow Church for their message of love signed by so many. I felt very strongly on the first night when I removed into my new tent, that the Lord was certainly with us and answering your prayers on our behalf. We would it were possible to write and thank you all individually. It is wonderful how everything is working in our favour. Professor Ferguson of Cairo has been of great service to us, procuring us the good graces of M. Maspero, with the result that we are being specially well cared for. We are feeling well to-day. We had breakfast early and are impatient to begin our work, so as not to lose any precious time. Just now, at 9-30 a.m., the temperature is 82" F. in the shade, and there is a nice cool breeze. Much love to all, Your loving brother in the Lord, MORTONEDGAR.
Train en route for Cairo. Thursday, 10th June, 1909.
DEAR BRETHREN,-The train in which Stanley and I are travelling is just leaving the station of Zag-a-Zig-See Plate 111. It is now about 11 a.m. We left Port Said at 8-5, and expect to be in Cairo about quarter past one in the afternoon, when I hope Morton and his man will be at the station to meet us. It is very hot and dusty. A hot wind is blowing in at the windows as from an oven ; but everything is very interesting. All along the route we see camels and donkeys, and flocks of lean sheep and still leaner goats. In many of the fields oxen and camels and donkeys are walking round and round great heaps of grain, treading the corn. In others the reaping and threshing have been completed, and men are busy ploughing with the aid of yokes of oxen. The yoke is a thick heavy log about ten feet long, and the plough is a very primitive affair, merely a piece of sharp iron attached to the branch of a tree. (This is a case of the ploughman overtaking the reaper.) The men are dressed in all sorts of ways, some of them in full oriental costume, turbans on their heads, and long flowing white gowns reaching to their slippered feet ; others in European dress ; and still others with Turkish fez, European jacket and boots, and oriental gown. The women are for the most part dressed in black, with a mantle on their head and a long veil covering the lower part of their face. Some of them have pointed slippers, others high-heeled Parisian boots. 266 We had a calm voyage. The ship rolled a good deal till it reached the south of Portugal, but after that there was neither rolling nor pitching, so that it was difficult to believe one was in a ship. The Mediterranean was like a mill-pond all the way. There were only three other passengers, two ladies and a young gentleman, all bound for Rangoon. The doctor of the ship was one of my students a year ago, and was very agreeable. We had a pleasant time on board. I had about a dozen of the brochures Where are the Dead? and gave them all away except one. I had also three copies of the first volume of Scripture Sfudies, and gave one to one of the officers, and the others to the two ladies. 267 The ship's officers asked me to give them a lecture, so I gave a chart talk on the "Divine Plan of the Ages" (Plate VI), which was followed the same evening and next day with a number of questions and a talk on the Great Pyramid. The captain, surgeon, and other officers and the engineers were present in addition to the passengers. They were all much interested. Brother Cotton of London was with us during the voyage, and I enjoyed his company greatly. We read the Bible together every day, mostly Genesis, Isaiah and Ezekiel, and talked about the time-prophecies. Stanley made friends with everyone, and both he and I were greatly interested in the porpoises and flying-fish.
132
268 When we were sailing past Malta, the scene of Paul's shipwreck, we read the account in the 27th and 28th chapters of the Acts of the Apostles, and were greatly struck with the power of the Apostle's personality. In a small ship crowded with "two hundred threescore and sixteen souls," this man of God, though a prisoner, impressed everyone, even the centurion himself, with his force of character and his clear-sightedness. In the midst of the terrible storm he alone was calm, and his confidence and cheerfulness inspired the others. One thing that struck us particularly was the little incident of helping to gather the firewood. That the noble Paul should stoop to such a lowly service was a striking proof of his humility, and though he must have been cold and wet owing to his swim ashore and the rain which was pouring down at the time, and though he must have been almost prostrate from weakness and fatigue owing to the exposure and the long want of food and sleep, yet all this did not overcome his desire to labour with his hands for the sake of others. What a noble and loving character he was. The whole story, as we now read it together, appealed to us as it had never done before. 269 Our boat reached Port Said at the inconvenient hour of 2 a.m.-But here we are at another station,--Benha. (Plate 111.) It is a large station. Such shouting and yelling ! A gentleman in blue and a lady in black are squatting on the platform opposite my window. There passes another lady in black with a veil covering half of her face, and a gold or brass cylinder down the middle of her forehead. On her feet she wears a pair of high-heeled boots which look rather incongruous. Now we are leaving Benha. Most of the houses, so far as I can see, are square and built of dried mud, with what looks like a manure heap on the flat roof. 270 To resume : Mr. Hall, Brother Cotton's friend, came on board at Port Said, saw us through the customs, and took us to a hotel where we tried to sleep from 3-30 to 6-30 a.m. At 7 a.m. we had breakfast and then drove in a carriage and pair to the station. Mr. Hall saw to everything. Two letters from Morton were handed to me. I learn from them that he is staying in a tent at the Pyramid. Stanley and I feel quite a thrill of pleasure at the thought of camping out. Brother Cotton and Mr. Hall sail for Jaffa to-day. Mr. Hall believes he can arrange for me to lecture at Jerusalem when we go there later on, and thinks that I should have a good audience. 271 We are now drawing near Cairo, There go some people with their sunshades up, riding on donkeys ; and there we see two camels lying down. They do look strange with their long necks and the haughty way they hold up their heads. Such beautiful trees over there, with a wealth of bright red blossom more profuse than the foliage! We are now in Cairo. Morton and his man Judah have met us, and we are about to set off on our journey to our tents at the Pyramids. Love to all of like precious faith, Your loving brother, JOHNEDGAR.
LETTER VI. Tents at the Great Pyramid of Gizeh. Friday, 1 1 th June, 1909.
DEAR BRETHREN,-Stanley and I arrived safely yesterday, and, after tea, paid our first visit to the Great Pyramid, which is five minutes' walk from the tents. We have four tents, one as a kitchen, one as a dining-room, and two as bed-rooms. We have also a cook, waiter, and Pyramid assistant. The cook and another man sleep outside of our tent doors at night as guards. 273 Nineteen of the casing-stones are exposed side by side on a large stretch of pavement at the north side of the Great Pyramid, and the north-west corner socket, which used to contain one of the four founda1, tion socket- stones, :. is also laid bareB See Plate V. The .R; casing - stones are , simply wonderful. Morton says that when he arrived here, Mr. Covington was just completing his work of excavating them; and he managed to secure a photograph M r . L. DOW Covtngton's black worknten rentoving ihe last few showing Mr. COVohstrzrcting debris sfones fronz fhe front of the newly excavated ington's blackworkcnsing-stones at the north base of the Great Pyramrd of Gzzeh. men removing the last few large encumbering stones-Plate XLV. In two other photographs which ., ones, Morton took with the camera erected very close to the largest of the casing--t these debris stones may be seen lying in front-Plates XLIV and XLVI. 274 Although of tremendous size, these casing-stones are yet fitted so closely together, that the fine blade of a pocket-knife cannot be inserted between them. Here
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and there the original sharp arris edges of these beautiful white stones are somewhat chipped and rounded off along the joint-lines, thus giving a superficial appearance of wideness to some of the joints; but the joint-lines in general are too close to be distinguishable in a photograph. In order, therefore, that the shape and comparative dimensions of the stones forming the casing, as well as of those of the platform on which they rest, might appear in the photographs, Mr. Covington outlined the various joints and also the outside arris lines, with charcoal. 275 It is difficult to comprehend how the ancient builders were able to make such fine cement as that which holds these casing-stones together, and yet though so fine, it is of such tenacity that all the stones are united as one. A beautiful picture this of our union by the strong cement of love one to another and to the Lord, the " Chief Cornerstone" ; for, as you are aware, the whole Pyramid was formerly covered with these originally beautifully polished casing-stones, though now they have all been removed with the exception of the nineteen below the Entrance, and a few others still in situ here and there at the base of the other three sides of the Pyramid. These other casingstones, which Professor Flinders Petrie discovered by sinking small well-like shafts down through the large mounds of debris, have again been covered over with rubbish, and are said not to be in such a good state of preservation as those immediately below the Entrance. 276 Among other photographs, Morton secured a very good one showing Mr. Covington standing at the east end of the long row of casing-stones, and high up in front of the Entrance another man standing on the fourteenth course of masonryPlate XLVII. This photograph, owing to Mr. Covington and the other man standing so far apart one above the other, is good for conveying some idea of the true perspective, for it is very difficult to realize the relative distances of the various parts, and the dimensions of the masonry courses, without some such aid. But however good photographs may be, they can never fully convey to the mind the proper sense of proportion, and the true beauty, which an actual visit to the place must do. You would require to be here to see how beautifully-finished and close-fitting the casing-stones are, fully to realize how well they picture the individuality and yet oneness of the members of Christ's body. They remind me of Jesus' prayer to the Father: "that they may be one, even as we are one." 277 No description, however careful, can do justice to the Great Pyramid. Although well prepared, and perhaps because so, I felt struck with awe, particularly when I saw the wonderful expanse of the Grand Gallery lit up with magnesium wire. My heart is brimming over with gratitude to our dear heavenly Father for the love and wisdom which prompted him in providing this marvellous Stone Witness in Egypt. Morton has had the Descending Passage and much of the Pit cleared out, and to-day we intend to investigate them. Asking your prayers for the Lord's blessing on onrselves and our work here, and fully realizing that it is the meek whom our heavenly Father guides in judgment, I am, Your loving brother, JOHN EDGAR. P.S.-We are remembering you all in prayer.
LETTER VII. Tents at fhe Great Pyramid of Gireh. Wednesday, 16th June, 1909.
DEAR BRETHREN,-We have been very busy for the past few days, measuring the Descending Passage and taking flashlight photographs inside the Great Pyramid. We have secured several good pictures of interesting parts. We take these with great care, paying particular attention to the exact position of the camera, and the exact extent of view included in the picture. Owing to the low roof and narrow breadth of the passages (4 feet by 355 feet), and above all, owing to the uneasy slope and smoothness of the floors, it is exceedingly difficult to take these photographs, and we require a long time for each. The steepness of the floors is much greater than it appears to be in drawings. Nothing laid on them will remain stationary for a moment. Rods, bags, candles, pencils, etc., if we happen to release our hold on them, begin a rapid descent, and at times we ourselves slip down, if we omit to make use of the footholds. 279 John, Stanley, and our Arab attendant Judah, generally pose in one or other of the photographs, for the purpose chiefly of showing correct proportions. Sometimes we erect measuring-rods near the parts taken, and occasionally also stretch lines along the angles of the floor and walls, etc. After dinner, which is generally about 7-45 to 8 p.m., I go into my tent, and with an extra supply of water for washing purposes, develop the films exposed during the day. We had some failures at first, but are now becoming more successful. 280 When asking M. Maspero for permission to take photographs in the interior of the Great Pyramid, he had expressed doubts as to my being able to develop the negatives. He said that his excavators found that the high temperature of the water softened the gelatine emulsion on the photographic plates to such a degree, that it was extremely difficult to get good results. I am glad to say, however, that I have had no trouble whatever in this respect. This is partly due to the fact that the emulsion on my films was specially prepared to withstand high temperature, and partly because I do all my developing some time after sun-down, when the temperature of the atmosphere has generally fallen to 70" F. An additional advantage is that I can dispense with the usual dark-room, as the yellow light from the moon and stars has little deleterious effect, and can easily be shut out from the tent. 281 The stars here are very brilliant and beautiful. While busy with my nightly photographic work, I sometimes steal out of my tent and look up to admire their wonderful grandeur. The Milky-way is very clearly defined, and from the view-point of our tents, seems to dip down behind the huge black outline of the Great Pyramid, causing, with the added brilliancy of certain large stars, a perfect halo of light round its
PLATEXLVIII,
The DESCENDING P A S S A G E of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, 'as viewed from the lower end of the Well-shaft; showing the cramped posfure necessary fo be assumed by one walking down this passage.
lofty summit. So wonderfully does this halo shine out, that a few nights ago I walked round to John's tent, and called on him to come out and admire it with me. 282 Now that we have cleared the Descending Passage below the granite stone on which the iron grill-door has been fixed (Plate IX), we find that the floor at this part is not slippery like the floor of the upper portion of the Descending Passage, or of the Ascending Passages. Immediately below the granite stone there is a short length smoother than the rest. At this part we notice rough-hewn oblong footholds cut out in the floor similar to those in the other passages. The whole length of the Descending Passage from the granite stone downward, i.e., about three-fourths of the total length, is cut through the solid rock on which the Pyramid is built-Plate 11. 283 I have already mentioned that, some years ago, Mr. Covington, with the sanction of M. Maspero, placed a padlocked iron gate or grill-door on top of this granite stone. His object was not to keep visitors from exploring the lower parts of the Great Pyramid, but rather to prevent the Arab " guides " from blocking up the passage with sand and stones. These guides do not like much work, and if this passage were not closed as it is, thus keeping visitors from requesting to be taken down all the way to the Subterranean Chamber (a fatiguing journey), they would see to it that such requests were prevented in this other way. Permission to have the grill-door unlocked can be obtained by applying either to M. Maspero at the Cairo Museum, or to Mr. Covington, who is always willing to show the interested through the great stone edifice. 284 After Mr. Covington cleared the lower end of the passage, it was possible for visitors who were interested enough to take the trouble, to creep down to the Pit. As I mentioned in a previous letter, the first time that I descended, the space between the roof and the surface of the rubbish along most parts of the Descending Passage permitted one to creep through with difficulty; but now that we have both it and the Small Horizontal Passage leading to the Pit thoroughly cleared throughout their entire length, it is much easier to go up and down. Not, however, that the journey can be done with comfort; for the four-feet height of the roof, together with the downward slope of the passage, obliges one to stoop very low ; while in the Small Horizontal Passage leading to the Pit, it is still necessary to creep, because here the height of the roof is only about two feet nine inches. The awkward stooping posture which it is necessary for one to assume when proceeding down the uneasy slope of the Descending Passage, is well illustrated in a photograph which was taken with the camera erected at the bottom of the Well-shaft, and pointing out eastward through the little passage, in the direction of the Descending Passage-See Plate X. It shows John walking down the steep floor, with his head just touching the low roof-Plate XLVIII. John says he was glad when the exposure was completed, as he felt very much like the "poor groaning creation " while posing for the picture. 285 Yesterday (Tuesday, 15th June), we instructed Judah to employ his brother and two other men to dig out and wipe away the dust from the west corner of the floor of the Descending Passage along its entire length, in order that our steel tape might rest evenly on the floor close up to the west wall, and so enable us to take exact measurements. I have already mentioned the fact that Professor C. Piazzi Smyth did not descend lower than to the junction of the First Ascending Passage, and did not, therefore, measure the portion of the Descending Passage below this. In 1837, twenty-
eight years before Professor Smyth's investigations, Colonel Howard Vyse measured it roughly in feet, apparently along the roof line ; but his account is somewhat difficult to follow. In 1881, Professor Flinders Petrie also measured it, as carefully as he could, as the floor was then much encumbered with sand and stones. 286 So far as we are aware, these are the only two investigators who have attempted to measure the lower reach of the Descending Passage. The latter confesses in his work, Pyramids and Tenzples of Gizeh, that he could not be sure of his measurements of this part of the passage, nor did he think it necessary to be more particular. He writes : The measures from the steel tape onwards, by rods, down to the end of the built passage, where it rests on the rock, are not of the same accuracy as the others ; the broken parts of the passage sides [at A 1 Marnoun's forced hole], and the awkwardness of measuring over the large block of granite [on which the iron grill-door has since been fixed], without any flat surface even to hold the rods against, prevented my taking more care over a point where accuracy is probably not of importance. For the total length of the entrance passage, down to the subterranean rock-cut part, only a rough measurement by the 140-inch poles was made, owing to the encumbered condition of it. The poles were laid on the rubbish over the floor, and where any great difference of position was required, the ends were plumbed one over the other, and the result is probably only true within two or three inches." 287 Although the large granite block on which the grill-door is fixed, takes up nearly the full width of the passage, it did not interfere with our work. We did not require to measure over it as Professor Flinders Petrie did, for we found that its lower surface does not rest immediately on the floor of the passage, but is raised up by several inches of debris. By means of a crowbar our workmen tunnelled out the debris under the block along the west corner, so that we had a few inches clear space through which we pushed our steel measuring-tape. We also instructed our men to shift the position of the large limestone block which then lay diagonally across the passage floor a little distance above the granite block. This stone lay wedged in from wall to wall, and was, we understand, placed in position by Professor Smyth for the purpose of holding his angular-measuring apparatus. We had it levered from its place, and turned round end-on with the passage-See Plate IX. In this way we obtained a clear surface along the floor at the base of the west wall of the Descending Passage throughout its entire extent, and so have been able, for the first time known in history, to take an accurate continuous floor-measurement of the passage from end to end. In order to ensure accuracy, we have verified our results by measuring twice in a downward, and once in an upward, direction. We have also measured the length of this passage twice along the roof-line on the west side. 288 After getting Judah's brother to clear the other side of the Descending Passage floor, along the base of the east wall, including the portion under the east side of the granite block, we carefully measured the floor-length of the passage twice from top to bottom down this side also. We have therefore measured the length of this Descending Passage seven times in all. 289 During our measuring operations at the lower end of the Descending Passage, we made an interesting discovery at its junction with the Small Horizontal Passage which leads to the Subterranean Chamber. The Descending Passage terminates in a
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PLATE XLIX.
The LOWER S Q U A R E END of the Descending Passage of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh; showing the entrance of the Small Horizontal Passage leading to the Subterranean Chamber,
The Entrance of the SMALL HORIZONTAL PASSAGE leading to the Srzbferranean Chamber of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, showing its junction with the lower square end of the Descending Passage on the west side.
flat end, cut square at the corners, and at right-angles to the incline of the passage. The small passage to the Pit commences horizontally from the centre of this flat end, but as it is much smaller in bore than the Descending Passage, some of the flat end of the latter remains, forming a margin several inches wide round the entrance of the Small Horizontal Passage-See Plate X. 290 We took a photograph showing the square flat end of the Descending Passage ; and, in order to make apparent the very small bore of the Small Horizontal Passage leading southward from it to the Subterranean Chamber, John sat in its entrance, his back resting against the west wall-Plate XLIX. The horizontal pencil-line which appears on the east wall of the Descending Passage, was drawn to show the continuation of the roof-level of the Small Horizontal Passage. 291 Professor Flinders Petrie describes this flat terminus of the Descending Passage in his work, Pyramids and Temples of Gizeh, but mentions that the flat margin occurs only along the top and on each side. The reason why he failed to notice that it also runs along the floor, is doubtless because he did not clear the passage thoroughly. The higher level of the floor of the Small Horizontal Passage above the terminus of the floor of the Descending Passage, is distinctly apparent in another photograph which we secured of the junction of these two passages on the west side-Plate L. It will be noticed that the levelled cord stretched along the angle of the floor and the west wall of the Small Horizontal Passage, crosses at a point several inches above the lower end of the vertical rod, which is erected in the bottom corner of the Descending Passage floor. The horizontal pencil-line which is drawn in continuation of the roof-level of the Small Horizontal Passage, is 1% inches above the upper end of the vertical three-foot rod. It will be noticed in the two photographs described, that the flat margins are chipped and rounded off at the middle of their course. The corner angles are sufficiently well preserved, however, to permit accurate measurements of both the Descending Passage and the Small Horizontal Passage to be taken. 292 The floor corner of the east wall seemed to be an exception; not that the margin was broken, but it appeared as if the rock at this part had not been cut away, but had been left in a rough condition. It seemed to us strange that the ancient workmen should have left this one comer unfinished, especially as the other three are well cut and squared. We therefore examined it more closely. On being struck, it gave a sound similar to that of the surrounding rock; but from certain indications we came to the conclusion that the corner had been finished like the others, but that a stone had been cemented in, possibly, we thought, with the idea of preserving the flat end from injury. We photographed this " inset stone " (Plate LI), and then proceeded to remove part of it with a chisel, so as to enable us to take an accurate measurement of the full length of the Descending Passage along the base of the east wall. 293 We had not cut much away before we perceived that what had at first appeared to be stone, was in reality hard natural concrete. Evidently the small stones and limestone dust, which had been lying in this corner for so long a time, had become moistened and caked by the rain, and had afterwards dried into a natural concrete, almost as hard as the rock itself. We removed the whole of it, and then photographed the comer thus cleared out-Plate LII. While removing it, we were astonished to find a living worm completely embedded in it. It was nearly three inches long, flat in section, hard, and of 145
PLATESLI & LII. an ivory colour. We are puzzled to know how it could remain alive in such a place. We told Judah to pull it out of its hole, and very gingerly he caught it between his finger and thumb and suddenly jerked it out in John's direction. " Ugh ! " exclaimed John in horror, " Don't throw it at me ! " The next time I write, I shall give you an account of our work in the Pit. We all send our love, Your loving brother, MORTON
The bottom east corner at the lower end of the Descending Passage of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, showing fhe hard natural concrete filling the corner.
EDGAR.
Same as Plate LI, but with the hard natural concrete removed from the corner.
LETTER VIII. Tents at the Great Pyramid of Gizeh. Saturday, 19th June, 1909.
DEARBRETHREN,-For the past few days we have been measuring and photographing in the Subterranean Chamber, and also in the two small horizontal passages which open into it from the north and south-Plate X. This Subterranean Chamber is by far the largest in the Pyramid, being, approximately, 27 feet from north to south, by 46 feet from east to west. Its area, therefore, is a little more than double that of the King's Chamber, which measures 17 feet by 34 feet. Although the roof and walls of this large Subterranean Chamber are by no means smooth, and in some places are quite uneven, they are for the most part square and level ; but the floor is extremely rugged and unfinished, and is much encumbered with loose stones and sand. 295 We should prefer to get our men to remove every vestige of this rubbish, in order that we might examine and photograph the original contour of the rough floor, but the expense stands in the way. We have had a little clearing done, however, for a few feet in front of the doorway of the little south passage ; and also at the west wall, which was almost entirely hidden by a bank of the rubbish seven or eight feet deep. This obscuring bank (which is referred to by Professor Flinders Petrie) having been cleared away, the west wall is now entirely exposed to view (Plate X) ; and we find that for a width of 13 feet in the middle of this end of the chamber, the floor is fairly well levelled, and is about five and a half feet below the roof, leaving almost sufficient height for an average person to stand upright. 296 The larger stones removed by our workmen are stacked elsewhere in the chamber, but the sand and smaller stones have been thrown into the deep shaft in the middle of the floor at the east end. We have had no hesitation in doing this, as the bottom 36 feet or so of this shaft is no part of the original design of the Pyramid, but is a comparatively modern excavation by Mr. Perring, as is shown by a reference to Col. Howard Vyse's work, Pyramids of Gizeh. The upper end of this shaft, however, is evidently part of the Pyramid's original design, and we therefore refrained from filling up this part. The ancient builders cut a large square shaft for a depth of seven feet below the level of the highest projection of the uneven floor of this eastern part of the chamber, and from the bottom of this another but smaller square shaft, for a further depth of three and a half feet. The larger shaft is approximately six feet six inches square, and its sides lie nearly diagonally to the sides of the chamber. The smaller shaft, which is about four feet six inches square, proceeds downward from the north corner of the larger one, the north-east and north-west sides of both being continuous. From the bottom of this smaller ancient shaft, Mr. Perring sunk his irregularly rounded excavation-Plate X.
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.
297 Col. Howard Vyse had instructed Mr. Pemng to sink this excavation to a depth of 50 feet, in order to test the truth of a theory which claimed, on the supposed authority of Herodotus, that a still lower and secret Subterranean Chamber existed, in which Cheops, the accredited builder of the Great Pyramid, was said to have been interred. But after Mr. Perring's workmen had reached a depth of 36 feet without discovering anything, work on the shaft was abandoned owing to the want of a free circulation of air. 298 About a thousand feet to the south-east of the Great Pyramid, there is a large and very deep sepulchral pit, generally named " Campbell's Tomb," which was excavated by Col. Howard Vyse-Plate 11. Professor C. Piazzi Smyth proves that this tomb more nearly answers Herodotus' description of Cheops' burial place, and Professor Flinders Petrie concurs with him in this opinion. 299 The Subterranean Chamber of the Great Pyramid is roughly halved into two parts-an eastern and western. In the eastern half, the floor is excavated much lower than in the western. It is approximately in the centre of this eastern portion that the large deep shaft is situated. At the north-east comer of the chamber the floor is 12 feet, and at the south-east corner 14 feet, below the roof; but at the middle of the east wall, opposite the shaft, it is 17 feet below the roof. In the western half, which begins about 21 feet from the east wall, the rocky floor rises in high receding mounds, which reach to within about 10 inches of the roof. In our photograph which was taken with the camera erected near the east wall and pointing directly west (Plate LIII), it will be noticed that these mounds lie north and south, and are divided by a narrow trench, two and half feet wide, which inclines up the middle of the chamber, rather to the north of the centre, and terminates with a width of two feet at the west wall. John is sitting at the entrance to this trench on the north side, while Judah reclines on top of the north mound. 300 At the north end of the west wall at the roof, we disclosed in our clearing operations a small and roughly squared recess-Plate X. In appearance it is as if a small westward passage had been contemplated, but had been abandoned shortly after work on it had commenced, as it is only from six to eighteen inches deep, the inner end being very irregular. Adjoining the wall to the north of this recess, there is a peculiar upright ridge of rock reaching from the floor to within 13 inches of the roof. It runs parallel with and about three feet from the north wall of the chamber ; the long narrow space between the two in not unlike a horse-stall. After getting Stanley to creep into this space and look out over the ridge in the direction of the recess, we photographed the comer-Plate LIV. 301 Before John's arrival, I had taken two photographs in the Pit. One of these shows the doorway of the north entrance passage, with Hadji Ali Gabri sitting at the base of the north wall-Plate LV. The north edge of the large shaft in the floor can be seen in the immediate foreground ; and high up to the right at the top of the east wall, the rough projecting knob of rock referred to by Professor Flinders Petrie may be seen. The other photograph was taken with the camera erected a few feet from the north wall, and pointing toward the south-Plate LVI. The entire opening of the large shaft is visible ; and standing at its east edge is Hadji Ali Gabri, pointing to the doorway of the little south passage. 302 We have now carefully measured the Small Horizontal Passage leading to the
PLATE LIV. Subterranean Chamber. The walls and roof of this passage are fairly even and straight (their surfaces being roughly dressed), but the floor is rather worn toward its junction with the Descending Passage. The south end of the floor juts irregularly two to five inches into the Subterranean Chamber. In measuring the length of this passage, we
The north-west corner of the rock-cut Subterranean Chamber in the Great Pyramid of Gizeh; showing the small recess in the west wall; also Stanley looking over the thin ridge of rock which bounds the south side of the narrow sfall-like cuffing in the north corner of the chamber.
had a little difficulty in determining its south terminal, as the north wall of the Subterranean Chamber through which the passage opens is somewhat uneven. The photograph which we secured of the doorway into the chamber (Plate LVII) shows John standing, indicating with his finger the point on the east wall at the roof termination of the passage, which we finally fixed upon as being the correct terminal for the whole passage, and to and from which we have made our various measurements. The short rod erected against the east wall is plumbed vertically in line with this point ; and the other rod lying horizontally on the floor, has its front edge square and at right-angles with that of the vertical rod. The vertical rod is 12, and the horizontal rod is 24, inches in length. The irregular south end of the floor already referred to as projecting into the Pit, is shown to advantage in this photograph. Previous to taking the picture, we had all the loose stones and sand cleared away from the floor of the Pit in the immediately vicinity of the doorway, so that the original rough character of the floor might be seen. 303 We measured the small Recess which is hewn out in the roof and west wall of the Small Horizontal Passage leading to the Subterranean Chamber. Its roof, as shown
PLATE LV.
The rock-cut SUBTERRANEAN CHAMBER, of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, looking north; showing part of the east wall to the right with its undressed knob of rock high u p near the ceiling; also fhe square doorway of the Small Horizontal Passage by which entrance i s gained to the Chamber; and, in the foreground, fhe north edge of the deep vertical shaft.
PLATELVI.
The rock-czzf SUBTERRANEAN CHAMBER of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, looking south; showing the square doorway of the little south blind passage; also the large opening of the deep vertical shaft, which descends from near the centre of the floor of the eastern portion of the chamber.
PLATELVII.
The north-east corner of tlze rock-cut SUBTERRANEAN CHAMBER of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, showing the square doorway of the Small Horizontal Passage by which entrance i s gamed to the chamber.
PLATE LVIII. by our two photographs of this Recess, is very uneven, the variations being as much as 9 or 10 inches. A fissure in the rock, about two inches wide, runs diagonally through the Recess from north-west to south-east. The photograph of the south end of the Recess shows Judah standing in the dark Pit beyond-Plate LVIII. The horizontal
The Recess czzf in the rock io the west of the Small Horizontal Passage of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, looking south; showing Judah standing in t7ze Szzbterranean Chamber beyond.
six-foot rod is tightly fixed square across between the east and west walls. The other rod erected vertically close to the west side of the south doorway of the Recess, is three feet in length. The second photograph shows the north side of the Recess (Plate LIX) ; and through at the north end of the passage, Judah's legs may be seen as he ascends the steep sloping floor of the Descending Passage. These photographs show a large granite 154
PLATE LIX.
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The RECESS czzt in the rock to the west of the Small Horizontal Passage of the Greaf Pyramid of Gizeh, looking north; showing Judah walking up the Descending Passage beyond.
PLATELX.
The south-east corner of the rock-czzt S U B T E R R A N E A N C H A M B E R of the Great Pyramid of Gzzeh; showingparf of the unfinised symbolical floor; and the low doorway of the liitle passage which leads horizontally soufhward for over f i f t y feet to a blind end.
block, lying near the north-west corner of the Recess. Later on I may refer to this stone. 304 This little subterranean ante-chamber is a very peculiar feature in the Great Pyramid's internal system. One would think that the ancient builders had at first intended to hollow out the large Subterranean Chamber at this point, but afterwards had changed their original purpose, and pushed on the Small Horizontal Passage a few feet further south, before finally excavating that large apartment. I remarked to John that the Recess looked like a miniature Pit, except that in its case the roof and not the floor had been left in an unfinished condition. John replied that that was right, for we believe that the Pit symbolizes the " Great Time of Trouble " foretold by the prophet Daniel, and also by our Lord, and that the Recess represents the French Revolution ; and was not the French Revolution a foreshadowing or miniature of the Great Time of Trouble in which this " present evil world " will end ? (Dan. 12 : 1; Matt. 24 : 21.) 305 The little horizontal passage, which leads southward from the Subterranean Chamber, measures only 29 inches in height and width. We had therefore to creep on hands and knees when going to the further end. It is a blind passage, over 53 feet in length-Plate IX. At one time, while engaged in measuring this passage, four of us were lying near each other at the inner end for about half-an-hour, each with a candle burning. We were astonished to notice that our breathing was quite easy, and that the candles burned brightly, in spite of the fact that the Descending Passage away to the north forms the sole inlet and outlet for air. The floor of this little passage is covered throughout with a dark earthy material like mould, two to three inches deep. At a distance of 36 feet from the doorway the passage curves slightly to the west, but 6 feet further on it curves back to its original southerly direction. The bend is so slight, however, that John says that when he and Stanley were kneeling in the Pit, holding one end of the steel measuring-tape at the outside of the doorway, he had a full view of Judah and me with our lighted candles at the blind terminus. When, however, he looked along the west wall of the passage, he could see us only partially. There is a small fissure in the rock where this bend occurs. The blind end is fairly well squared, but uneven, the variations between the prominences and depressions being about four inches. 306 After directing our workmen to clear away the mound of debris which covered the floor in front, and to the west of the doorway of the little southward passage (See the previously mentioned photograph of this part-Plate LVI), so that the original rough, uneven floor might appear, we photographed this south-east corner of the Pit, showing the full height of the wall and part of the ceiling-Plate LX. For the purpose of giving a correct idea of the extreme smallness of the bore of this south passage, John stood leaning against the south wall to the west of its doorway. 307 The doorways of the two passages which open into the subterranean Chamber are in direct line with each other, the east walls of both being continuous with the east wall of the chamber; but the roof of the south passage is fully three and a half feet lower than the roof of the north passage-Plate X. The roof of the north passage is a little over seven feet below the ceiling of the Subterranean Chamber. It is interesting to notice that the length of the north passage from its roof junction with the Descending Passage, measures approximately the same as the length of the east wall of the Pit;
PLATELXI
while the two combined approximate to the total length of the south blind passage, 308 Another photograph which we secured in the Subterranean Chamber, shows the entire extent of the east wall, and also a large section of the ceiling-Plate LXI. The unevenness of the ceiling is apparent, but the roughness is somewhat exaggerated in the photograph owing to the strong shadows cast by the brilliant flashlight. Low down to the left, Stanley can be seen in the act of emerging from the north entrance passage into the Pit, while to the right side and on a Iower level, John is shown sianding in front of the doorway of the south passage. Only a small section of the south wall is visible. Near the centre, and close up to the east wall, Judah is standing with his feet resting on the lowest part of the floor of the chamber, near the edge of the large deep shaft. He holds upright in his hand a six-foot rod, the lower end of which rests on the floor at his feet. 309 Every time we enter confined places like the little south passage, there is a great rushing sound made by the numerous bats, as they fly about excitedly, and then, one by one, dash past us. At night-time when we are going out of the Pyramid after our day's work, they pass us in great numbers. We can see them also hanging from the walls and roofs of the passages. Generally they fly past without touching us, although they sometimes rush up to within a yard of our faces, and then suddenly make a dash to one side. A day or two ago one of them struck Judah on the cheek. It evidently failed to notice his dark face. It fluttered down beside me, but before I could get a good look at it it was off again. I hope to give you a further account of our work in another letter. We all send you our love in the Lord, Your loving brother, MORTON
EDGAR.
LETTER IX. Tents at the Great Pyramid of Gizeh Monday, 2 1 s t June, 1 9 0 9 .
DEAR BRETHREN,-Most of our operations in the Great Pyramid so far have been in the Descending Passage and Pit. We commence work as a rule at 8-30 to 9-30 a.m., using the earlier and cooler hours of the morning for sitting in our tents to read, write, converse, etc. About 12-30 or 1 p.m. we return to our tents for lunch, and after fully an hour's rest, we enter the Pyramid once more and continue work till dinner-time, usually about 7-45 to 8 p.m. At 4-30, our Arab waiter, Sayd, comes to us in the Pyramid, bringing with him a basket containing a kettle of boiled water, a tea-pot, cups, etc., and a few biscuits. He soon makes for us a welcome pot of tea. It saves time to have this refreshment brought to us, and we partake of it wherever we may then happen to be working, even down in the Pit itself. Two days ago we had our afternoon tea in the small Recess in the west side of the Small Horizontal Passage leading to the Pit. As many as five of us were sitting there at the time, and two or even three more could have accompanied us with some crowding. We had three candles burning while the feast was in progress, and yet it was not very warm. 311 On another occasion we sipped our tea while sitting in the irregular opening of a large natural rock-fissure in the Descending Passage-See Plate IX. This fissure is a "half-way" resting place, a "Rest-and-be-thankful," as it were. It involves walls, ceiling and floor. Originally, stones were cemented into it flush with the general incline of the passage ; but, though the inset stones in the floor are still in position, most of those in the walls and ceiling have dropped out sufficiently to permit us to stand upright in this part of the passage, and so ease our aching backs and heads. It is a real relief sometimes to stand here for a little before proceeding further upward or downward. There are similar inset stones let into -what appears to be another larger fissure in the passage higher up-See Plate IX. The stones at that part are well dressed and still in position. 312 We have taken a number of photographs and careful measurements of the lower end of the Well, where it enters at the west wall of the Descending Passage-See Plate X. The opening in the wall is rather broken and rough round the edges, although the sides are, in a general way, vertical and square with the top. Professor Flinders Petrie believes that the opening was at one time concealed by a stone, which would explain why this small, mysterious communication with the Pyramid's upper system was quite unknown, previous to Caliph A1 Mamoun's accidental discovery of the lower end of the First Ascending Passage in 820 A.D. 313 You will remember that the lower end of the First Ascending Passage was, for
PLATE LXIII.
The lower end of the WELL-SHAFT of the Great Pyramid of Cizeh; showing the opening of the little passage which leads westward f r o m the Descending Passage to the Shaft.
nearly 3000 years, concealed by a limestone block fitted in flush with the roof of the Descending Passage-Plate XI. Owing to the vibrations and shocks caused by A1 Mamoun's workmen, as they forced they way through the core masonry a short distance to the west of the Descending Passage, this limestone block was dislodged from the position which it had so long held, and fell to the floor of the Descending Passage. It was the noise of the falling stone which revealed the presence of the Descending Passage to the workmen; and when they had bored their way into this passage, the gap in its roof revealed the Granite Plug blocking the lower end of the hitherto unknown First Ascending Passage. Professor Flinders Petrie's opinion is, that the upper passages having thus for the first time been discovered, A1 Mamoun's workmen made their way down the Well-shaft from its upper end in the Grand Gallery, and forced the concealing block of stone from its position at the lower end. If this were so, both these communications with the upper passages would be discovered about the same time. 314 The little westward passage which leads to the (almost) vertical shaft of the Well, does not lie at right-angles with the Descending Passage, but inclines slightly to the north-Plate X. It is about six feet in length to the east side of the shaft, and its floor gradually dips down toward its western extremity by about two feet in the whole length of the passage-Plate XVII. The roof and south wall of this little passage are very uneven, but the north wall is fairly straight, and roughly level. 315 How much the roughness and brokenness of the mouth of the lower end of the Well may be due to dilapidation and rough handling since the time it was cut by the ancient builders, it is difficult to say. If the opening was originally covered by a stone as Professor Petrie believes, and as is quite probable, those who removed it may have knocked away the edges of the mouth in their endeavours to dislodge it from its setting. 316 In one of the photographs of the lower end of the Well, Judah is seen commencing the ascent of the narrow shaft-Plate LXII. The six-foot rod which he grasps in his right hand, is held parallel with the general incline of this lower reach of the shaft. The camera was erected against the east wall of the Descending Passage, directly opposite the opening of the little westward passage. Another photograph shows Stanley ascending the shaft (Plate LXIII), but this time the camera was erected at a point against the east wall lower down the Descending Passage. A line was held stretched across to show the angle of the inclined floor and west wall of the Descending Passage; and another was stretched horizontally across the mouth of the opening. This horizontal line was first tested by a spirit level. 317 When we remember that the Descending Passage was hewn in the rock more than four thousand years ago, it is wonderful how the angles on each side of the roof and floor have preserved their beautiful squareness. This squareness is most noticeable in the upper and lower reaches, because for some distance along the middle portion the surface of the walls has become broken to some extent by exfoliation. The whole length of the passage from the outside of the building to its junction with the Small Horizontal Passage leading to the Pit, is as straight as an arrow, and preserves a uniform height and width throughout. Professor Petrie, in his work Pyramids and Temples of Gizeh, remarks on the straightness of the upper built part of the Descending Passage. He says that this part deviates from absolute straightness by only one-fiftieth of an 163
inch, The walls, roof and floor where the passage descends through the rock, give evidence of having been much smoother than they are at present. 318 It is wonderful how much light enters this passage right to the lower end. Notwithstanding the fact that quite two-thirds of its height is cut off by the granite block on which the iron grill-door is fixed, one evening at twenty minutes to six, when we were sitting at the junction of the Descending Passage with the Small Horizontal Passage, we found it possible to read the time. As Petrie's granite block intercept the rays of light along the floor and axis of the passage, we founc?it necessary to hold the watch close to the roof, against the flat square end of the passage. When we did so, we discerned the time without much difficulty. If the granite block were removed, it is probable that the light, which is very strong in Egypt, would penetrate to the lower end of the passage sufficiently to enable one to read a clearly-printed newspaper. 319 Now that the Descending Passage and the Well-shaft are quite clear of debris, there is a strong air-current through the various passages, doubtless partly due to the fact that during the summer there is an almost constant north wind blowing down the Entrance Passage, but also largely due to the great difference between the temperature of the interior of the Pyramid and that of the outer air. The conditions are now therefore quite different from what obtained in 1881 when Professor Flinders Petrie was working in the Descending Passage. He states that he could not remain in it many hours at a time, because of the lack of fresh air. 320 The wind blows down the Entrance Passage till it reaches the hole which was made by Caliph A1 Mamoun a thousand years ago, and by which access is gained from the Descending Passage to the First Ascending Passage. The air-current passes through this hole round to the upper end of the Granite Plug and up along the First Ascending Passage to the Grand Gallery, at the lower end of which it divides. One portion travels up the Grand Gallery, through the Ante-Chamber into the King's Chamber, and thence to the atmosphere by means of the south air-channel of that chamber-Plate XV. The other portion of the current blows down the Well-shaft and emerges into the lower end of the Descending Passage, up which it passes till it again reaches the forced hole in the west wall of the Entrance Passage. It enters this once more, crossing the fresh in-going current, and passes out along A1 Mamoun's forced passage, so reaching the open air again. There is generally quite a strong breeze blowing outward through this forced passage. The above order must be reversed in some respects when the wind outside blows from the south. 321 As a result of this constant current of air throughout the Pyramid, the passages are always fresh and cool, and working in them is, for that reason at least, preferable to working under the blazing sun outside. In the heat of the day, after lunch, we are always glad to return to the cool recesses of the Pyramid. 322 On my first Sunday at the pyramids, I experienced one of the terrible Khamseens which blow during the month of May. These are storms of hot wind laden with sand from the Sahara. The temperature in the shade (in Mr. Covington's tent) was then I l l 0 F. It was hotter still in the plain between Cairo and the pyramids, so that I nearly'fainted when travelling in the tramway car. I revived when I reached the Great Pyramid. I could have slept in the Grand Gallery (which I had then visited for the first time) where the temperature was only 76" F.,-35" less than in the tent, and 164
I don't know how much less than in the plain below ! That day, in the King's Chamber, with the hot wind blowing from the south down the south air-channel in a steady strong current, the temperature was 82" F. The long narrow channel of cool masonry through which the heated air must pass (about 200 feet), lowers the temperature by fully forty degrees. 323 We find that the temperature inside the Pyramid varies with that outside according to the time of day. For instance, at the lower end of the Well-shaft where it enters the Descending Passage, our thermometer registered 76" F. between the hours of 11 a.m. and 1p.m.,-the hottest part of the day. Between the hours of 3-30 to 5 p.m. the temperature inside was lowered to 72", the temperature outside in the shade being 91" But at 7-30 p.m., the temperature at the lower end of the Well-shaft was as low as 69" F. In the Subterranean Chamber, however, the temperature remains fairly constantly at 76" F. 324 We have now finished work in the lower parts of the Great Pyramid, and in future will direct our attention to the upper parts. Judah says he is glad, as he does not like the Pit. The poor chap generally goes off to sleep while John and I are busy with intricate measurements, but he is very obliging and helpful when wanted, and we believe he has made our position here as investigators much easier than might have been the case. As he and his father, as I said before, are in governmental employment as overseers of a large section of the excavating works of Egypt, his presence with us has had the effect of keeping off the other Arabs. We have not been troubled by them in the slightest, we are glad to say. 325 I have only once heard the word "Bakshish" since I came here about a month ago, and that by one of the men who erected my tent under the first contractor. Another time, when I was engaged photographing the casing-stones of the Great Pyramid, two of the Arab " guides " came edging nearer and nearer, and presently one of them asked if I wanted help-if he should not, for instance, pose near the casingstones. As that day was only my second at the Pyramid (Saturday, 29th May), I felt rather timorous ; and as Judah and others had warned me that if I commenced to engage these men, they would come round me " like flies," I raised my hand and waved them off. They evidently knew I am here on special work, for they immediately turned and went away; and never since then have we been waylaid by any of the Arabs wanting to '' guide " us. With love in the Lord, Your loving brother, MORTONEDGAR. P.S.-John has not been well to-day.
PLATELXIV.
AL MAMOUN'S C A V I T Y ; showing the upper portion of the exposed wesf side of the GRANITE PLUG which blocks fhe entrance of the First Ascending Passage in the Great Pyramid of Gizeh.
LETTER X. Tents at the Great Pyramid of Gireh. Tuesday, 22nd June, 1909.
DEAR BRETHREN,-Yesterday John remained in bed all day. He had an attack of sickness, which, while it lasted, caused us a good deal of anxiety. We do not know how the sickness was brought on. However, I am thankful to say that he is now a great deal better, and has been able to rise this morning, although he is not sure that he will venture inside the Great Pyramid to-day. I did not do anything in the Pyramid yesterday in the way of measuring or photographing, but remained near John's tent most of the time. In the morning I sent off Sayd and Stanley to Cairo with a message for Professor Ferguson, to ask if he could come out here. He came in the afternoon, and said that John had by that time passed the worst of anything that was likely to happen. We are thankful that it was only a slight attack. Professor Ferguson was very kind in coming out to us, as he is just on the point of departing for Scotland on leave. He will probably be off to-day. He says that he scarcely requires any incubators in his bacteriological work, because the temperature of the air in Egypt is favourable to the growth and rapid multiplication of micro-organisms. Such organic liquids as milk, even after sterilisation, are not safe if exposed for a few hours. 327 I saw one good job done in the Great Pyramid yesterday, namely, the securing, by cement, of a long iron pin at the head of the Well-shaft-See Plates IX and XVII. This pin is for the purpose of suspending a 33-foot rope-ladder, the property of Mr. Covington, down the first vertical part of the Well-shaft. Of course, as the shaft is very long, other ropes will be required at other vertical parts lower down. We shall be unable to say more about this, however, until we have made our first descent. We understand that the lower parts can be descended with comparative safety by means of the foot-holds cut in the sides of the shaft. We hope to have the privilege of photographing the " Grotto," to give you some idea of its appearance. 328 Another good job completed yesterday, was the cutting of notches for the feet and hands in the part by which one climbs alongside the Granite Plug up to the First Ascending Passage. When we desire to ascend this passage, we leave the Descending Passage by the hole forced on its right or west side by Caliph A1 Mamoun, about ninety feet down from the Entrance. This hole is in line with the front of the granite stone which lies on the floor of the Descending Passage. The limestone block, which now rests against the upper end of the granite stone (Plate IX), forms a convenient step by which to gain entrance, for the lower edge of the hole is about two feet up from the floor of the Descending Passage. From here the forced hole tends upward and westward into a large cavernous space about twelve feet in height. Communicating with
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this space at the upper portion of its north-westward side is the inner or southern extremity of the long passage which A1 Mamoun caused to be excavated from the north face of the Pyramid-Plate V. In order to reach the upper end of the Granite Plug, and so ascend the First Ascending Passage, we require to scale the south-east wall of this cavernous space. During my first week here, I secured two photographs showing Hadji Ali Gabri climbing this wall-Plates LXIV and LXV. In both of these he is seen standing with one foot on a ledge which is situated about three feet above the loose, sandy floor of the space, and the other in a notch. By taking advantage of this ledge and of the notches, we made the ascent at that time without undue difficulty. But now that we have had fresh notches cut, and the old ones deepened, the ascent and descent are much easier. One of the photographs (Plate LXV) presents a near view of the ledge, and also shows the lower end of the First Ascending Passage to better advantage than the other. 329 This is the second time we have had men cutting footholds in the Great Pyramid. When they had finished work in the cavernous space, we directed them to climb up to the First Ascending Passage and enlarge and roughen more of the notches on the floor, and to cut some fresh ones ; for we found this passage still too slippery in certain places to be traversed with safety. They also deepened the footholds on the upper surface of the lower end of the East Ramp in the Grand Gallery. When one wants to ascend the Grand Gallery, it is necessary to walk along the top of this Ramp for the first twenty feet to the place where the floor of the Gallery begins. The East Ramp extends the whole length of the Gallery from the north wall to the Step at the upper or southern extremity, whereas the first four feet of the West Ramp is partly broken and partly missing, the open mouth of the Well being situated at this pointPlate XII. I hope later to describe the appearances at the mouth of the Well. (From John.) I am feeling a good deal better to-day, and intend to work in the Pyramid after all. On Thursday first, 24th June, we intend, all three of us, to meet Grace and Jack at Port Said, and on the same evening take the boat for Jaffa. We shall probably remain in Palestine till the following Saturday week, when we expect to return to the Pyramid, and stay till our boat is due to leave Port Said for home (probably 17th July). Our tent-contractor will not remove our tents from the ground while we are away, but will allow the kitchen-tent to remain standing, and take down the others and stow them, along with our larger boxes, inside.-John.
11-30p.m. I have just completed developing some more photographs taken inside the Great Pyramid. Three of these are of the Descending Passage where it joins the First Ascending Passage, showing the lower end of the Granite Plug as it appears in the roof, and below this the continuation of the Descending Passage, with Petrie's granite stone and its grill-door blocking the way. To the right of the grill-door, and above it, can be seen the forced hole which opens into A1 Mamoun's cavernous hollow. One of these photographs (Plate LXVI) was taken before our men cleared the debris from the front of the granite stone, to enable us to take our continuous floor-measurement of the passage. Judah is sitting on this debris, which was level with the top of the granite stone, and concealed the limestone block which lay across the passage a few feet in front
PLATELXVI.
The IRON GRILL DOOR which closes the lower reach of fhe DESCENDING P A S S A G E of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh; showing Judah sitting on the debris which concealed Petrie's granite block; also the lower butt-end of the Granite Plug which blocks the entrance of fhe First Ascending Passage.
PLATE LXVII. of it. The second photograph (Plate LXVII) shows this part as it appears now clear of debris. Only the upper end of the limestone block is visible, as it has been shifted from its former position, and now rests end-on against Petrie's granite block-Plate IX. 332 In the third photograph (Plate LXVIII), John is shown standing beneath the Granite Plug, holding the upper end of - : - . -- a cord, which is stretched from the bot* - -tom edge of the Plug across the west wall _-_-_ -.--*-:--- - :-. -- . - -.of the Descending Passage, to show the . -,.-* ---a,-- - , . ---Lh, line of the floor of the First Ascending --. , ;Passage. The point where this line - *= touches the floor of the Descending Passage is called the " point of intersection " -See Plate XI. The rod which lies across the passage holding the lower end of this cord, is three feet in length. John is also holding a " T " square against the bottom angle of the Granite Plug, from which a plumb-bob is hanging to the floor of the Descending Passage, thus marking the point on the floor which is vertically underneath the lower edge of the Granite Plug. We found this mark useful for certain measurements at this part. The roof of the Descending Passage above and below the lower end of the Granite Plug, is much broken away. The line of the roof of the Descending Passage can be seen progressing from above downward at the line where John's right hand touches the west wall of the passage. It was in the triangular-shaped .-.+ .space which lies in front of the lower end .* -. . .<+,-- of the Granite Plug, that the limestone 2; * ' ?=, : 7*w+z2-.' C l" ..''"P*'," !, roof-block was fitted which for .thirty centuries hid the entrance of the First Ascending Passage, and thus kept secret the existence of the upper passages and Same a s Plate LXVI,but with the debrzs removed, thus revealing Petrie's granife block chambers. (In examining these photoon which fhe iron grill-door is fixed, graphs of the interior of the Pyramid, also Smyth's limestone block which lies which, owing to the confined spaces, are end-on against the granite block. necessarily taken at very close quarters, allowance must be made for a certain amount of distortion and exaggerated perspective.) 333 Besides these photographs of the lower end of the Granite Plug, I developed a number which had been taken at the upper end. One shows John stooping in the First Ascending Passage, and leaning with his right-hand on the fractured upper end of
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The lower butt-end of' the GRANITE PLUG which blocks the entrance OJ the F I R S T ASCENDING P A S S A G E of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh; showing the space in the roof of the Descending Passage which was formerly occupied bq an inset limestone block, which covered the Granite Plzzg and hid the entrance of the First Ascending Passage, and thus for three thousand years kept secret the existence of the upper passages and chambers of the Pyramid.
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PLATES LXXI-LXXIV.
Judah. Our Pyramid attendant.
the Plug-Plate LXIX. He holds a candle in his left hand, and is looking downward along the west side of the Granite Plug where it has been exposed by A1 Mamoun's excavation. His head is nearly in contact with the roof of the First Ascending Passage. Two of the three great granite blocks which together form the Plug, can be distinctly seen in this photograph, the third being, with the exception of a little part of its upper end, hidden in the surrounding masonry. Some previous investigator has chipped away sufficient of the uppermost granite stone, to expose a portion of the smooth flat upper end of the second. 334 A n o t h e r p h o t o g r a p h (Plate LXX) was taken with the camera erected in the First Ascending Passage, looking down on the upper end of the Granite Plug, and showing Judah standing in A1 Mamoun's forced passage to the west. Immediately behind Judah, the long low forced passage progresses northward to the outside of the PyramidSee Plate V.
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Wednesday, 23rd June. After breakfast *his morning we photographed Judah, Sayd, Feralli the cook, and the Reis (Judah's father). We also secured several pictures round our tents, showing them from various viewpoints. One of these (Plate LXXV) shows a panoramic view of the flat Delta, with the Mokattam Hills in the dim distance, and our four tents in the foreground. Another shows the Great Pyramid in the
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PLATELXXVI. background, and John, Stanley and myself at the doors of our tents-Plate LXXVI. Judah "pressed the button." In this latter photograwh the tents look as if they were almost touching the Pyramid; but this is owing to the clearness of the air. There is actually a distance of several hundred yards between our tents and the Pyramid, as another view taken from the west makes more evident-Plate LXXVII.
"Tents at the Grcai P-yrnmid of Gizeh."
336 The diminishing effect which the clearness of the air has on distance, is very noticeable when one is approaching the pyramids by the electric tramway from Cairo. After crossing the Nile by the fine bridge recently erected opposite Old Cairo, and reaching the village of Gizeh on the west bank, the tramcar runs for about four miles in a straight line over the flat plain to Mena House Hotel, quite close to the pyramids. The pyramids are plainly visible throughout the whole of this four-mile stretch ; but after about a third of the distance has been traversed, they appear so near, that the newcomer feels convinced that each stopping place he sees ahead must surely be the
PLATE LXXVII.
PLATE LXXVIII. terminus. After two or three disillusionments, however, he sinks back on his seat, and waits patiently till the terminus is reached. The tramcars travel very fast along this line, the rails of which are laid on an embankment of their own adjoining the public roadway (Plate LXXVIII) which runs for the entire distance between two rows of beautiful acacia trees. Each tramcar is provided with a continuoussounding horn, worked by the driver's foot. While travelling at night, especially when one is a little overcome by the heat, the sound from these horns is very dreary. 337 As most of our time to-day was spent in taking the photographs described, and in packing for our visit to Palestine, we had little left for work in the Great Pyramid. It was not until about 6 p.m. that John and I entered it. We measured the upper part of the Descending or Entrance Passage, from the "scored lines " on the walls of the passage, up to the end of the "basementsheet" of the floor outside. The basement-sheet is very wide, measuring 33 feet from east to west, and is about two and a half The avenue and tramway-car line between Carro and the feet in thickness. Professor C. Pyramzds of Gizeh. Piazzi Smyth was of the opinion that the present outside end of this basement-sheet is also its original north beginning, although the line of the surface of the Pyramid's casing lay several feet to the north of it-Plate LXXX. Down the centre of this long broad sheet of stone, and at a distance of three and half feet apart, the walls of the passage are laid with great care; and placed on top of these are immense roofstones, eight and half feet thick, an3 over twelve feet wide from east to west. 338 Without doubt, the Entrance Passage was constructed to endure ; and the workmanship displayed in it has always been the subject of great admiration by all investigators, both ancient and modern. Professor Greaves, on beholding the beautiful masonry of this passage in 1638, thirty-eight centuries after the completion of the building, exclaimed with almost Tennysonian feeling : " The structure of it hath been the labour of an exquisite hand, as appears by the smoothness and evenness of the work, and by the close knitting of the joints " ; and Professor C. Piazzi Smyth writes : '' No one with an ability to appreciate good work, can look, unmoved with admiration, at the extraordinarily truthful straight lines, and close fitting of the wall joints near and about the present Entrance" ; while Professor Flinders Petrie also adds his testimony in the following eulogism : The pavement, lower casing, and Entrance Passage are exquisitely 'I
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PLATE LXXX. wrought; in fact, the means employed for placing and cementing the blocks of soft limestone, weighing a dozen or twenty tons each, with such hair-like joints, are almost inconceivable at present ; and the accuracy of the levelling is marvellous." 339 Before we could complete our work, it became so dark that we could not see to
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read our measurements properly, and our candles would not remain lit because of the wind which is always blowing at the pyramids. Darkness comes on very suddenly in Egypt; there is little or no twilight: In Scotland at this time of the year, it remains light even up to 11 o'clock, but here it is dark at eight, and when the moon is not shining, very dark at nine o'clock. Sometimes, when coming out of the Pyramid after our day's work, it is so dark that it is with considerable difficulty that we tread our way along the narrow footpath, which leads down from the Entrance along the top of what now remains of the once large rubbish mound. 340 I may here mention that the ancient rubbish mounds which lie at the bases of all four sides of the Great Pyramid, have been much reduced in size of late years. The builders of Mena House Hotel, and others, removed great quantities of the rubbish to make concrete, etc. A narrow strip of the original top of each mound still remains, however, running along against the side of the Pyramid, and forming, therefore, an indication of their original shape and height (between 40 and 50 feet). The one on the
181
PLATELXXXI. north side forms a ready means of ascending to the Entrance-See Plate LXXIX. On a former occasion I photographed the base of the west side (Plate LXXXI) where the original contour of the great mound is clearly defined, while the large square blocks of the Pyramid's masonry underneath are exposed to view. Professors Smyth, Petrie, and others give reasons for believing that these mounds are principally composed of the fragmentary remains of the original casing of the Pyramid. We have not yet had an opportunity to examine them closely. 341 We sent off Judah for ,- * our electric-light apparatus which Brother Matheson of Glasgow fitted up for us. By its aid we ~. -= could see very clearly. This is " .-,-, ,-=* - > _. the first time that we have used the electric light at the Pyramid. I have employed it for several The recently reduced rubbish mound at the west base nights, however, inside a darkof fhe Great Pyramid of Gizeh. room lamp in my tent, when developing our photographs. One important reason why we have not used it in the Pyramid is, that it would be difficult to get the accumulators recharged, as this would necessitate constant journeyings to Cairo. We find that, after all, candles are more to be preferred while working inside the Pyramid than any other light, because they are easier for us to hold when we are lying on the passage floors measuring, etc. We have only once employed the two acetylene lamps which we brought with us; they become too hot-to be easily handled.
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In the afternoon we received a telegram from Grace, saying that she and Jack had arrived in Port Said. We were somewhat surprised, as we had not expected them till to-morrow. We got their telegram too late, however, to permit us to meet them to-day. Stanley, nevertheless, was so eager to see his mother and Jack, that he went off by himself on quarter of an hour's notice ! We are looking forward to our journey to Palestine, and trust that it may be interesting and instructive. Your loving brother as ever, MORTON EDGAR.
LETTER XI. Train en route for Port Said. Thursday, 24th June, 1909.
DEAR BRETHREN,--T~~s morning, at 6 a.m., John and I climbed to the outer end of the
air-channel which leads from high up the north face of the Great Pyramid, down into the King's Chamber away in the heart of the building. Before Col. Howard Vyse discovered the use of the two air-channels connected with the King's Chamber, and cleared them both of debris, their inner ends on the north and south walls of the chamber (Plate XV) had given rise to many curious conjectures. Many of the older investigators believed that they led to other hitherto undiscovered apartments in the Pyramid. It was a common practice formerly to fire a revolver into them in order to hear the reverberating thunder-like echo. The Queen's Chamber also was discovered in 1872 A.D. to possess a pair of ventilating channels-Plate XIX. In this respect, the Great Pyramid stands unique, as not one of the many other pyramids in Egypt have airchannels to their chambers. 343 Owing to the amount of crumbling debris lying on the masonry courses on the exterior of the Pyramid, wind and rain tend very readily to carry sand into these airchannels, and stop them up ; it is believed also that the Arabs throw stones into them. Although both the north and south channels of the King's Chamber were thoroughly cleared out by Col. Howard Vyse at great trouble and expense (it took several men six weeks' constant labour to clear the north one), they were again blocked when Professor Smyth visited the Pyramid, and still remained in that condition at the time of Professor Petrie's investigations. Neither of these workers attempted to clear them again ; but a few years ago Mr Covington was successful in clearing the south channel ; though he has not yet succeeded in completely clearing the other. There is always a more or less strong current of air blowing through the south channel, up or down according as the wind blows from the north or south. It is sometimes strong enough to blow out the light of a candle when it is held inside the channel's inner mouth. 344 The outer end of the north channel has been widened inward for about 37 feet of its course-Plate IX. The channel itself measures only about 9 inches square, but this excavated portion is large enough (about 3 feet by 2 feet 9 inches) to allow a man to walk down in a stooping posture. The floor and west wall of the channel are still preserved, the excavators, whoever they were, having cut away the roof and east wall. 345 At the inner end of the north air-channel, similar excavating or "tunnelling" is to be seen. The excavator at this place was M. Caviglia, who, in 1817 and 1837, caused this work to be done in the hope of finding the apartment to which he supposed this channel to lead. He did not begin his work from the King's Chamber itself, doubtless
PLATE LXXXII.
The north-west angle of the GREAT PYRAMID of Gizeh; as viewed from our fenfs.
because the hard granite of that chamber deterred him, but he broke in at the west side of the Ante-Chamber, to the north of the " Granite Leaf," where there was soft limestone, and continued westward and then southward until he intercepted the channel. He then followed the course of the channel upward for about 30 feet, cutting away the stones which formed the floor, but preserving the walls and roof. It is therefore now possible to observe the peculiar way in which the ancient builders constructed this airchannel. Its course does not, as one might have at first supposed, rise directly upward in a straight inclined line from the north wall of the King's Chamber. On the contrary, after running horizontally northward for a short length, it takes a number of short sharp bends, each succeeding bend tending upward and toward the north-west, before it finally bends northward to proceed directly to the outside of the Pyramid at a steep angle. 346 It is difficult to understand what purpose the builders had in view in causing this channel to take so many short turns, but it seems evident that the initial westward tendency is for the purpose of avoiding the masonry of the Grand Gallery-Plate V. Why, however, did the builders not place the inner mouth of the channel further to the west of the north wall of the King's Chamber, and thus avoid the necessity of the bends, and the extra work and expense which the making of them must have incurred ? That it was for some wise purpose we do not doubt, for, as Mr Covington says (and we believe we have good cause to agree with him), there is a reason, either scientific or symbolic, for everything in this great and noble structure. It remains for someone to search out the reason. It is interesting to notice that, although the King's and Queen's Chambers differ greatly in shape and size, the mouths of the air-channels in the upper chamber are situated in the same vertical plane as those of the lower chamber-See Plate XVII. 347 When we reached the outer end of the air-channel, Sayd, who accompanied us, stooped down and crept into the channel until he reached the end of the excavated portion. He soon returned with two large owls in his hands, and told us that there were "little sons" inside, meaning that there was a nest of young ones there. We told him to let the owls return to their nest. 348 Twelve days ago (on the 12th June), while sitting in the early morning at the door of our dining-tent facing the north-west corner of the Great Pyramid (Plate LXXXII), we had counted by the aid of our Zeiss prism-glasses (of eight magnifications) the number of courses of masonry. from the basement of the Pyramid up to the outer extremity of this north air-channel of the King's Chamber. We had observed that it was situated in the 10lst course, and its floor, therefore, begins on the 100th courseSee Plate IX. This enabled us, when climbing up the north-west corner of the Pyramid, to strike off at the proper level in a horizontal direction toward the centre of the north front, and thus gain the channel opening. It is quite impracticable to climb the Pyramid directly up any of its four sides, as they are too steep, and the loose crumbling debris which lies very thickly at the angles of all the courses makes climbing there doubly dangerous. 349 Looking down from where we were standing at the mouth of the channel, the north face of the Pyramid seemed almost precipitous ; and the uncovered casing-stones about 330 feet below us, looked very small. Our horizontal journey inward from the
north-west angle was difficult in places. John manged to travel cautiously along it without help, but I was glad of Sayd's assisting hand here and there ; for although Mr Covington, on the occasion of his attempt to clear this north channel, had removed a large quantity of the loose debris along this horizontal course, still sufficient lay there, especially near the channel opening, to make walking somewhat dangerous. Were one to lose his footing, nothing would check a downward rush right to the bottom. So dangerous did it look, that not even our Arab assistant, strong and nimble as he had shown himself to be, would venture to descend eleven courses lower, to investigate for us an opening which our previous inspection through our glasses had shown to be situated there. This opening lies some little distance to the east of the mouth of the King's Chamber's air-channel, and is situated in the 90th course. We thought it might prove to be the opening of the north air-channel of the Queen's Chamber, for the outer ends of that chamber's two air-channels have not yet been located. Professor Minders Petrie in his work Pyramids and Temples of Gizeh, mentions having observed with his telescope a similar opening on the south side of the Pyramid, but situated in the 85th course. His idea was that this might be the outer end of the Queen's Chamber's south air-channel ; but he says that he was prevented from examining it closely.
350 Travelling into Cairo this morning we were accompanied by Mr Covington, who is in the midst of preparations for a journey westward across the great Sahara Desert, to a place called " Copper City." He has been so busy that he has been unable to spare time to aid us in our work. He says he will have ten camels in his caravan. He was pleased to know that we were off on a visit to Jerusalem. Our train started from Cairo at 11 a.m., and we are now nearing Port Said. It is warm, but not unbearably so. We are looking forward to meeting Grace, Jack and Stanley. We sail to-night for Jaffa. I shall post this letter before leaving Port Said. With much love, Your loving brother, MORTON EDGAR.
(From John). We have arrived at Port Said, and are now on board the Jaffa steamer. We should reach Jaffa to-morrow morning. Grace and Jack had a magnificent voyage, 2nd are feeling and looking well. I shall pass this letter to Grace.-John. We are in a Russian boat, about.to sail for Palestine. The weather is glorious. We have had no rain since leaving Liverpool. When we landed yesterday at Port Said, everything looked so white, and the glare of the sun was so strong that I had to wear coloured glasses. It is peculiar to see the ladies here with their faces covered with long black veils which reach to the ground, and with a little brass tube in the middle of their foreheads. They do look odd.-Grace.
LETTER XI1. Hotel Fast, Jerzzsalem. Saturday, 26th June, 1909.
DEAR BRETHREN,-You will see by the above address that we are in the Holy City at last. Before writing about Jerusalem, however, I shall give you a brief account of our experiences after our arrival in Port Said on our way here. When John and I arrived there last Thursday, we were met at the railway terminus by Grace and the two boys. Grace and Jack had had a _/ good and pleasant -voyage, and were looking well. 352 We were under the impres1 sion at first that we had abundance of time at our disposal, but on enquiry at a shipping - office, John found that we would require to hasten. We at once -.a. hurried to the hotel where Grace and On the balcony of the Du Parc Hotel, Jaffa. the boys had lodged the preceding night, secured their luggage, and rowed out to the Jaffa steamer, which weighed anchor at 5-30 p.m. Next morning at six o'clock we found ourselves at Jaffa, and lying off our vessel was a fleet of large rowing-boats, whose crews were waiting permission to come on board. As soon as this was granted, they made a simultaneous rush for the steamer. Those who were farthest away came stepping from boat to boat until the one nearest our vessel was packed, and the entire crowd (about 60 or so) pushed and struggled on to the stairway. Almost before one could say "Jack Robinson," all these boats were emptied ! We were astonished that no one had been pushed into the sea. 353 When we landed at Jaffa, we had to pass through the customs. My box was the only one opened, and the examination of it was merely formal. Our passports also were not examined. The new Turkish Constitution, which has now been in force for a year, has made a difference in many respects. 4
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354 From the customs, our road led through several very narrow and dirty streets. We made some acquaintance with Eastern life immediately, and were not enamoured of it, although we were greatly interested. After walking for several hundred yards we entered two carriages which were waiting for us, and were taken to the Du Parc Hotel. This hotel is to be taken over by the Orient Commerce Co., of which Brother Cotton is the London manager and a director. It is very comfortable, and has attached to it a beautiful and extensive garden and a museum of valuable antiquities. We were informed that Brother Cotton had had to depart the previous evening for Gaza, where he has some pressing business, but that he might meet us later in Jerusalem. He left a letter putting us in charge of a courteous young Syrian, Mr Anis Jamal, who, he said, would show us round during our stay in Palestine. 355 After breakfast, Mr Jamal took us to see the town, and, as you can well understand, we were greatly interested by what we saw. With a few exceptions the streets of Jaffa are very narrow and dirty, and the central ones are thronged with all sorts of people; but this being the "off-season," we seemed to be the only European strangers. About the oddest of the odd people we saw during our walk, were some women dressed in black, with their faces entirely covered with tightly-drawn muslin print veils. The print, mostly faded and of a large ugly pattern, gives the unfortunate women a ghastly appearance. I tried to take a snapshot of them, but they turned and hastened off. Camels and donkeys are as numerous here as horses are at home, and they do make a noise. This morning (our first in Jerusalem), we were all awakened about three o'clock by a camel groaning and grunting below our bed-room windows. I think it was being loaded, and they have generally good cause to groan when this is done, for their burden is often unmercifully heavy. 356 While speaking of burdens, I may mention that we were much astonished at the immense loads which the Jaffa porters carry. During our walk, one of them passed us with a huge box on his back, held in place by means of a rope passed round his forehead. I wanted to turn back and take a photograph of him, but was told that we should have plenty of opportunities to take such records; and, sure enough, I did manage to secure a photograph of one of these porters, on the veranda of the hotelPlate LXXXIV. The manager of the hotel told us that some of them can carry a piano, a load heavy enough for a camel ! 357 In the afternoon, we drove to some places of interest, among others to a small flat-roofed building which is claimed to be "the house of one, Simon a tanner," where the Apostle Peter saw the vision of the sheet let down from heaven. This house is in the hands of the Mohammedans, and is in consequence very dirty. We ascended by an outside stair to the battlemented flat roof, and noticed that it is not far from the sea. There did not appear to be any official care-taker, but a number of little girls with redstained finger-nails showed us round. 358 We have never anywhere seen so many blind people as here. This may be due in part to the bright sunlight reflected from the white dust which covers everything ; one can hardly look at it. Doubtless, however, the chief cause of the blindness is the infection carried by flies. Our hearts were heavy at the sight of a poor blind beggar who came up to our carriage yesterday, when we were leaving the Jaffa hotel for the railway depbt, en route for Jerusalem. He came up with outstretched hand, his
PLATE LXXXIV. sightless eyes staring right ahead. We had several times observed him sitting, with some others, on the roadside outside the town. One of the hotel men cried out "Imshi, Imshi" ("Go away, Go away "), smiting his outstretched hand several times ; and when he would not go, he caught his stick from him and struck him with it. The poor wretch shrank back, and began to cry. What pent-up feelings were -, %,is.G-* % in his breast ! We gave the man something ; but how powerless we felt to give him real aid ! We could not but wish that the Great Physician had been there, and we rejoiced that the Times of Restitution are at hand. 359 We left Jaffa on Saturday at 2 p.m., and although the distance by rail is only 53 miles, our train took four hours to climb the 2,600 feet to Jerusalem. From the train we observed oxen, camels and donkeys treading the corn. Truly, the East changes not ; but A Jaffa Porter. we are in the Dawn of the Millennium, and should expect progress now. already modern sewing and knitting machines are in use in Jaffa and Jerusalem. The object of our dear Brother Cotton's visit is to float the Orient Commerce Co., with the view, among other things, of introducing modem machinery for farm work. 360 On nearing Jerusalem, the first object that attracted our attention was the new church erected by the German Emperor on Mount Zion. We could not, however, get a good view of the city from the train ; the railway terminus lies about a mile outside, to the south-west-Plate LXXXV. It was not, therefore, until we had driven in a carriage for some distance over a very uneven road, that we got our first unobstructed view. This road skirts the western portion of the Valley of Hinnom. While our carriage was rushing, bumping down the hill, I tried my best to take a photograph of the city-wall, in order to record our first impression, but- ! We did not take long to reach our hotel, which is situated immediately outside the wall in the modern European part, to the north-west of the city proper. After dinner we took a short walk up the Jaffa road in the moonlight, and then retired to rest inside our mosquito nets. During the night, Stanley was seized with dysentery, due to drinking the water or eating over-ripe fruit. His father and mother were up most of the night attending to him. 361 After breakfast, Mr. Jamal accompanied John, Jack and I to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, while Grace remained behind with Stanley. We entered the ancient city by way of the Jaffa gate, alongside of which is the wide breach in the city wall, made in honour of the German Emperor's visit to Jerusalem in October of 1898. This opening leads into David Street, the west end of which is wide and modern ; it permits
PLATE LXXXV.
the entrance and exit of heavy traffic more readily than the old narrow " L " shaped gateway. Mr. Fast, the hotel proprietor, says that the gate itself has not been closed day or night for the last 30 years. 362 After passing the gate, we made our way to the Church along several narrow streets-Plate LXXXVI. Mr Jamal escorted us round, explaining each item. The Greek and Koman Catholics possess the largest portions of the ground and buildings, while others of the great sects of Christendom possess smaller portions. There is constant strife between the various sects, and at times the quarrels go beyond words, and result is bloodshed. Thus the Christian religion is made a stench in the nostrils of the heathen. Though at enemity with each other, the Christian (?) sects all unite in hatred of the Jews, who are not allowed to enter even the court ; and yet the side furthest away from the Church is a public thoroughfare, entered by one doorway and quitted by another directly opposite. We had an ocular demonstration of this restriction soon after we arrived. Three Jewesses entered the court by one of the doorways and began to walk across to the other, they had not advanced many steps when they were observed, and immediately there was an outcry. One man rushed excitedly from the Church, and vehemently ordered them out. After hesitating a moment in surprise, they complied, and turning, went out by the same door again. Several men ran out after them-to beat them, Mr Jamal said ! How completely the tables are turned, and inside their own holy city, too ! 363 On entering the Church, Mr. Jamal kindly pointed out the traditional sites of the scourging, crucifixion, embalming and burial of Jesus. It is impossible to say with certainty whether this or a site near the Damascus Gate is the real Calvary, but the position of the latter at the side of a public highway outside the first city wall, and the likeness of the rounded knoll to a skull, would seem to favour if rather than the traditional site-Plate LXXXV. 364 Many of the narrow streets of ancient Jerusalem are like arcades, being covered over with buildings, leaving an opening here and there for the entrance of air and light. They are lined with shops, and thronged with people. We understand that there is now a population of about 100,000 in Jerusalem, of whom about three-fourths are Jews. Everybody here speaks Arabic, evidently. We hear it on all sides, and its guttural sounds are now becoming familiar to us. Monday, 28th June, 5 p.m. All yesterday, Stanley was unwell ; and I am sorry to add that John has also become sick. Yesterday, we got Dr. Wheeler of the London Jewish Mission Hospital to come and see Stanley, and by that time John had gone to bed, and all to-day he has been very ill. The doctor called in to see them this morning, and we are waiting for him to come again shortly. 366 To-day is the anniversary of my birthday. We remember that up till before his death, our dear father often expressed a great longing to visit Jerusalem and Egypt ; but he was never able to do so. Neither John nor I ever thought, when we heard him speak of it, that this would be our privilege, nor did I dream that I should celebrate a birthday in Jerusalem! Without doubt, those who come into the knowledge of the Truth fulfil their share of Daniel's prophecy: L'Manyshall run to and fro." Unfortunately, however, the anniversary has proved rather a sad one, owing to the sickness
191
PLATE
LXXXVI,
CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE.
PLATE LXXXVII. of my dear brother and nephew, and the anxiety it is causing us.
6-30 p.m. The English doctor has only lately been here. He says that John and Stanley are progressing favourably, and he believes that they will soon both be on their feet again. I have been waiting until I heard the doctor's report before posting this, so that I might let you know what he thinks of their condition ; but I must now bring my letter to a close, as the post goes off in a few minutes, and there is not another until Friday. Much love in the Lord to all, in which the others join, Your loving brother, MORTON EDGAR.
St. Stephen's Gate, Jerrzsa2ern.
LETTER XIII. Hotel Fasf, Jerusalem. Wednesday, 3 0 f h June, 1909.
DEAR BRETHREN,-T~~ past few days have been rather dull, owing to the illness of John and Stanley. John is now well enough to sit up in his room, and we hope he may manage to go for a drive to-morrow to the Mount of Olives or elsewhere. Stanley is still in bed, and is very weak. The poor little chap has had a bad attack. You may be sure that we are all very careful as regards our diet. We boil the milk and water, and we are avoiding the fruit. 369 The mosquitoes in Jerusalem are very troublesome. The authorities have taken no measures against them. In Port Said and Cairo, on the other hand, the numbers are kept down by a periodical addition of petroleum to the swamps, drains, and other moist breeding places of these pests. At the pyramids, although we had a few bites, there are scarcely any mosquitoes, doubtless because there is no water sufficiently near (except at the time of the Nile inundation), but principally we believe because of the prevailing wind. 370 This morning, John was well enough to attend to Stanley, and enable Grace to accompany Jack and me to Bethlehem. We hope, however, to go there again, as John has a great desire to see the birth-place of the meek and lowly Jesus. In the early evening Mr. Jamal called and took Jack and me for a walk through the centre of Jerusalem. Among other places we visited the law courts. Off the court-yard in a large cell with an open-work wooden gate, about thirty prisoners were seated, men who had been taken in charge because they refused to pay more than their due share of taxes. The New Constitution had arranged that the taxes should be one-tenth the income, and this the men were willing to pay, and even a quarter more if need be. But the tax-gatherers demanded four-tenths, and as the men, or rather the 15 or 20 villages which they represented, refused, they were taken in charge to be tried. 371 Mr. Jamal spoke to them, and exhorted them with a parable. He said there was once a man who asked each of his sons, seven in number, to give him a stick. Binding the seven sticks together, he handed the bundle to each of the lads in turn, with the request that he should break it. They all failed. He then took off the binding string, and handing a single stick to his youngest son, asked him to break it. He did so with ease. All the other sticks were handed to this youngest son in turn, and were broken by him. Mr. Jamal explained his parable. If the men were united and of one mind in their resistance, the tax-gatherers would be unable to break them ; but if they separated, they would easily be broken. They said he was right. This is the way they do in the East! The Jamals are a well known family in Jerusalem, Anis' father and grandfather both belonging to this city.
372 Proceeding on our way through the city eastward, we were soon outside St. Stephen's Gate (Plate LXXXVII), and saw in front of us on the other side of the Valley of Jehoshaphat, the lofty Mount of Olives, with the Garden of Gethsemane at its base. To the right of us was Mount Moriah, the scene of the sacrifice of Isaac, and later the site of Solomon's Temple, the glory of Jerusalem. All this place must now present a very different aspect from that which it had in our Lord's day. At that time Herod's Temple must have presented a magnificent sight, when viewed from the Mount of Olives. The Mosque of Omar now occupies the same locality. 373 We walked from St. Stephen's Gate down to the road which runs along the driedup bed of the brook Kedron in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. After standing at the junction of the roads for awhile, admiring the beautiful scene, we returned to our hotel by way of the road which runs round the city walls to the north-Plate LXXXV. On our road we passed two parties of Americans, who live in a group of buildings to the north of the city, called the American Colony. They are the followers of a man who, I understand, claims to be Elijah. Thursday, 1st July. Ever since Stanley took ill, we have had a nurse from the London Jewish Mission Hospital in attendance during the night, and for the first two days another during the day also. Canon Carnegie Brown is very kindly supplying us with fresh milk for Stanley's use. 375 This morning at ten o'clock, John, Grace, Jack and I drove for an hour and a half, partly round the road which Jack and I traversed yesterday. This is John's first outing since our walk to the Holy Sepulchre on Sunday morning. Friday, 2nd July, 4 p.m. This morning, John, Jack and I drove to Bethlehem. We started at 8 a.m., when it was cool. John enjoyed the drive very much, after his short but severe illness. Mr. Anis Jamal accompanied us, and explained everything far better than any official " dragoman " could have done. We required to use smoked glasses, as the glare of the sun on the white road and on our own white clothes, is very trying to the eyes. We do not like using dark glasses, for they spoil the view. Latterly we tried placing them further down to cut off the white light from below, and looked over the top, and we found that this answered splendidly. 377 Mr. Jamal says that the women of Bethlehem have the reputation of being the most beautiful in Palestine. -The inhabitants of this town are said to be descendants of the Crusaders. On our road we passed an ancient well, where we saw three women washing clothes. Their washing was spread on a flat stone, and the women were busy beating it with a club, now and again stopping to turn the garment and sprinkle it with water. On another occasion we saw stones used instead of clubs. 378 We passed Rachel's tomb, a small ruined mosque situated on the roadside. We are told that, at a certain time every year, letters from all parts of the world are written to Rachel, telling her about the ailments of the writers, and begging her to make them whole. These letters are thrown into the tomb through the window-openings, and during the night they disappear. Rachel is supposed to have read them. In reality, the care-taker sees to it that they are destroyed. If one should remain, it is believed, nevertheless, that Rachel has read it, but has left it for some purpose. Tourists some-
PLATE LXXXVIII.
PLATELXXXIX. times manage to secure some of these letters, but this is prevented as much as possible. 379 As Bethlehem is only three-quarters of an hour's drive from Jerusalem, we were soon passing through the narrow, picturesque main street on our way to the Church of the Nativity, so called because it is built over the traditional scene of the birth of
Thc cnve rtnder the Church of the Natrvity; showing the "Matzger" to fhe leff.
Jesus-Plate LXXXVIII. Some soldiers, with their new rifles, of which, Mr. Jamal said, they are very proud, were guarding the church. Passing through a low entrance, the ancient iron door of which was made very thick by the early Christians for the purpose of excluding their enemies, we found ourselves inside the church. We walked through the building and viewed the old pictures, some of which, with the undoubted object of intimidating the ignorant with the "doctrines of devils," show victims writhing in the lurid flames of "Eternal Torment." 380 In two of the small caves underneath the Church, all of which are dimly lit with hanging lamps of silver, we were informed that Eusebius and Jerome lay buried. In a third cave (Plate LXXXIX), connected with the first two by low passages, Jesus is supposed to have been born ; whether this be so or not, it is difficult to say. However, as John says, Bethlehem is the place where Jesus was born, and also David, who typified
197
PLATEXC.
Jesus, and now every time we read of these events we shall have fresher interest in them. 381 This visit to the birth-place of the world's Saviour was one of peculiar interest to us, for it had been revealed to us by studies prosecuted about a year ago, that Bethlehem has a direct connection with the Great Pyramid of Gizeh in Egypt.' The importance and force of this connection may be more apparent if, first, I should present some Scriptural evidence having a bearing on the subject. In the second chapter of Matthew, we are told how at the time of the birth of the child Jesus, there came " wise men from the east " enquiring where he was that was born King of the Jews ; and how King Herod, fearing a possible rival, was troubled and asked the chief priests and scribes L L where Christ should be born." He was answered : " In Bethlehem of Judea : for thus it is written by the prophet, 'And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not least among the princes of Juda : for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.' " 382 The narrative, continuing, tells how the wise men went to Bethlehem, and being led by a star, found the child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshipped him. After their departure, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, " Arise, and take the young child and his mother and flee into Egypt." Joseph, therefore, "took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.' " 383 We recognize, and it is generally acknowledged, that in Scriptural usage Canaan symbolizes heaven, and Egypt the present evil world-Par. 160. Accordingly, when Jesus was sent from Bethlehem into Egypt, this typified the heavenly Father sending his beloved Son from the glory of heaven into this world of sin and sorrow to be "perfected through sufferings," and so become qualified to be installed as the " Head-stone" of the Great Antitypical Pyramid, of which the stone Pyramid in Egypt is a type-Acts 4 : 10-12. Again, when God, in fulfilment of the prophecy of Hosea 11 : 1,called his Son out of Egypt, an illustration was given of the risen and perfected Christ being lifted up from this sinful world to heavenly glory, and there highly exalted-Phil. 2 : 9-11. 384 With the Scriptural connection between Bethlehem and Egypt established, it is interesting to find that the Great Pyramid in Egypt indicates its direct connection with Bethlehem by means of one of its dominant angles, 26" 18' 1 O", which both the Descending and Ascending Passages form with the horizon-Plate IX. For if we use the parallel of latitude on which the .Great Pyramid stands as a base line, and draw a straight line between Bethlehem and the Great Pyramid (Plate XC), the angle which is formed at the Pyramid by these two lines will be found to be 26" 18' 10.2 .
' Dr. Seiss suggested Jemsalem, but, as will be seen, our calculations properly indicate
--
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Bethlehem. ' According to the careful observations made by Professor C. Piazzi Smyth during his investigations at the Great Pyramid in 1865, the geographical position of the Great Pyramid is expressed as in latitude 29" 58' 51" north of the Equator, and longitude 31" 09' 00" east of Greenwich-Plate 11. A straight line drawn north-eastward from the Pyramid at an angle of 26" 18' 10" to the above latitude, will, therefore, according to Mercator's projection, pass through Bethlehem, 233 miles distant, at latitude 31" 42' 04" north, and longitude 35" 12' 12" east, or through the south-east boundary of that town, in which part the Church of the Nativity is situated. We are indebted to Captain John Mackeague, Ex.M., for kindly acceding to our request to verify the above result ; and also to Captain William Orr Warden, Ex.M., for further proving the calculations.
385 Thus, in the Great Pyramid, Jesus' sojourn from Bethlehem down into Egypt, is represented by the downward course of the Descending Passage which symbolizes " this present evil world " ; while his subsequent journey from Egypt back into Canaan is represented by the upward course of the Ascending Passages to the King's Chamber which symbolizes heaven. " He that descended, is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fulfil [complete] all things "-Eph. 4 : 9, 10. 386 The Antitypical " casing-stones," the members of Christ's " Body," chosen out of the world, and, therefore, not of it, have also, like their " Head," been sent into this sinful world to be perfected-John 15 : 19 ; 17: 15-18. While in the "lowest parts," they have been protected from evil, for " the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous" (Psa. 34: 15); and, quite unknown to the world, the Lord has secretly been shaping, polishing, and making them ready for their positions in the Great Antitypical Pyramid, taking care to form on each the proper "angle" in continuation with that of their " Head-stone," Jesus Christ-Eph. 2 : 20-22. The prophet Isaiah (51 : I), in prophetic vision, contemplating the former lowly condition of the members of Christ's body, and their now highly exalted positions as " casing-stones" in God's Great Spiritual Pyramid, exclaims : "Hearken to me, ye that pursue righteousness, that seek the Lord : Look unto the rock whence ye were hewn, and to the hole of the Pit whence ye were dug up !"
387 When these jewel-like stones received their final polish, they were stored one by one out of sight in the memory of the Great Master Architect (their names are written in heaven) until the time of the setting up of the "Temple." When brought forth in due time, they noiselessly fell into and perfectly fitted their allotted places, for they are God's workmanship, and his work is perfect. Before the foundation of the world, the Great "Architect" had predestined in his "Plan" that these "stones" should be conformed to the image of his dear Son, and had chosen them in him-Mal. 3 : 16, 17 ; 1 Kings 6 : 7 ; 1 Pet. 2 : 5 ; Eph. 2 : 10 ; Deut. 32 : 4 ; Eph. 1 : 4 ; Rom. 8 : 29. 388 David, prophetically, in the name of Jesus, exclaims : "I will praise thee ; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works ; and that my soul knoweth right well. My body was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect ; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuation were fashioned, when as yet there was none of themw-Psa. 139 : 14-16, margin. 389 If the Tabernacle in the wilderness, and the Temple of Solomon were set up under the direction of, and according to the patterns provided by the Almighty (See Concerning this matter, Captain Mackeague wrote : "When I saw the figures shaping themselves so as to bring out the result sought, I was more than astonished, and could hardly finish the problem for joy that the Lord had at last revealed the true significance of this angle, as an addition to all he has so kindly shown us since we have come into the truth." These results were communicated to C . T. Russell, author of Scripture Studies. The following appreciation was received in reply : "You application of the angle of the passages in the Great Pyramid, is a new thought, and as it points out so exactly the city of Bethlehem, we regard it with favour, and are inclined to accept it as a proper application and further verification of the testimony of the Pyramid. -Yours in the love and service of our Redeemer and King,-- C. T. RusselL"
Exod. 26 : 30 ; Heb. 8 : 5 ; and I Chron. 28 : 11, 19), what shall now be said as to the authorship of the Great Pyramid in Egypt ? Surely, if the name of its wonderful architect be asked, it may truly be answered : " The Great, the Mighty God, Jehovah of hosts is his name, Great in counsel, and mighty in work . . which hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt even unto this day"-Jer. 32 : 18-20. This letter must be posted to-night, and John would like to add a little to it. I will therefore pass it over to him. With much love to all, Your loving brother, MORTON EDGAR.
.
(From John). I am feeling much better this morning, though not quite myself yet. Jerusalem would be a grand city to live in, if it were properly governed. The tender associations of the past, and the glorious hopes of the future, make it the most interesting city in the world. Its present inhabitants are hoping for great things from the New Constitution of Turkey, and indeed have now more liberty than formerly, though some of them are inclined to use their greater liberty as a license to do what they like ; but the everlasting Kingdom soon to be established with Jerusalem as its capital, will far exceed their most sanguine desires. We are all hoping that dear little Stanley will soon be well. With love to all of you from us all, Your loving brother,-John.
LETTER XIV. Hotel Du Parc, Jaffa. Monday, 1 2 noon, 5th July, 1909.
and I are now in Jaffa, waiting till it is time to go on board Dur ship (of the Khedival line), bound for Port Said. We are travelling direct to the pyramids. One night will be spent on board ship ; and on our arrival at Port Said we shall wire to Abdul Salam Faid to have our tents ready for us. We left John and Grace with Stanley in Jerusalem; but if Stanley is sufficiently well by Saturday they will follow us to the pyramids then. In the meantime they think it safer not to hurry him too much, as he is still very weak. 392 On Saturday night last (3rd July), Brother Cotton arrived in Jerusalem. He and Mr. David Hall have had a fairly successful business tour in Gaza ; they secured sufficient interest to enable them to supply a motor traction-engine with all the necessary accessories for ploughing, threshing, etc. 393 We left John arranging with Brother Cotton and Mr. Anis Jamal for a public meeting to be held in Jerusalem. We have been somewhat disappointed at not being able to do much witnessing for the Truth there, John's and Stanley's illness preventing us from carrying out our plans. Now, however, that John requires to remain there for nearly a week longer, Jerusalem will get the lecture on "Where are the Dead ? " after all! John will no doubt give you a full account of their experiences. DEAR BRETHREN,--Jack
394 On Friday evening we visited the Jews' wailing-place (Plate XCI), and this time Grace was able to accompany us, as the hospital nurse had kindly agreed to take charge of Stanley for a few hours. The wailing-place is situated outside to the south of the ancient wall which bounds the Temple Area on the west-Plate LXXXV. The attendant provided us with seats, and we laoked on for half an hour. We were greatly interested in observing those Jews from all countries in the world, many of them dressed in brightly coloured gowns and coats, praying, rocking to and fro continually, and reading the Psalms and Lamentations aloud in a wailing tone. At times a leader would recite a petition to the Lord, and others around would join in the responses. Many of them had tears in their eyes, and all of them kissed the Temple stones. We could not but be impressed with the feeling that something lay behind all this continual praying, tears and supplication. Even if we were not blessed with a knowledge of the Plan of the Ages," and were not fully persuaded that God will again turn his favour to them, we should have been forced to reflect on the problem of the Jew, and to wonder if God has still some purpose in view with regard to this wonderful people. 395 Before returning to our hotel, we walked down part of the ancient Tyropeon
PLATE XCI.
valley, which runs between Mount Zion and Mount Moriah-Plate LXXXV. Though now nearly filled with rubbish, and largely built upon, it can still be recognized as a valley. Formerly it was spanned by a couple of bridges. We saw the remains of the spring of an arch of the south bridge, jutting out slightly from the wall of the Temple Area. It is called Robinson's Arch after the well-known archzeologist who, as a result of his excavations, discovered it under many feet of rubbish. Mount Zion is much higher than Mount Moriah on which the ancient Temple stood. We walked on down the valley toward the gate which opens into the Valley at Hinnom. This gate is called the " Dung Gate," and was, and still is, used by the inhabitants of Jerusalem as an exit for the refuse of the city. It is the smallest gate of any, and we saw plenty evidences of its use.
396 On Saturday forenoon, John, Jack, Mr. Jamal and I rode round Jerusalem on donkeys. It is the custom here for all, high and low, to ride on donkeys. We started from the hotel and rode past Jaffa gate down the desolate valley of Hinnom, first southward skirting the west side of Mount Zion, and then eastward till we reached the southern end of the Valley of Jehoshaphat -Plate LXXXV. The road TIze Jews' W a i l i n g Place. descends steeply all the way, and is so rough that vehicular traffic is impossible. At the bend of the valley, and in it, there is a new Jewish colony of about two dozen houses, poor, and closely built together. We could not help remarking how peculiar it is that Jews should erect their homes in the Valley of Himom,-Gehenna ! They can have but little faith in its symbolical significance, " utter destruction," or they would surely not build there !
PLATE XCII. 397 At the south extremity of the Tyropoeon Valley, where it joins the Valley of Hinnom, we passed the pool of Siloam, now a desolate scene with its broken pillars. Further on we descended on the junction of the Valleys of Hinnom and Jehoshaphat, and looking round we admired the walled city towering above us on the summits of its
T7ze lower end of fhe Valley of Jehoshaphat, looking north.
lofty hills-Plate XCII. To the left was the deep and desolate valley which we had descended, bounded on its north side by Mount Zion and Mount Moriah, and on the south side by the Hill of Evil Counsel and Aceldama-Plate LXXXV. 398 We were told that the Hill of Evil Counsel received its name from the tradition that Caiaphas had a villa on its summit, and that it was there he plotted against the Son of Man. Aceldama, or the field of blood, is said to be the potter's field in which Judas hanged himself. The hillside below is the place where King Manasseh and others 204
PLATE XCIII. observed the dreadful rites of the worship of Moloch, causing their children to pass through the fire, and drowning the screams of the little ones with cymbal and chant. To the right we saw the deep Valley of Jehoshaphat extending along the east side of the city, and becoming gradually shallower as it proceeds northward. Quite near us, on the eastern side of this valley, we observed the quaint little village of Siloam, built on the steep side of the hill and looking almost as if about to fall into the valley below-Plate XCIII. This hill is known as the Mount of Offence, because it is the traditional site of the palaces built by Solomon for his many idolatrous wives. 399 After a short rest we rode up along the bottom of the Valley of Jehoshaphat, passing the Virgin's fountain on the way. When we came to that part which lies between the Temple Area on the west and the Mount of Olives on the east, we found the valley covered with grave[ stones, belonging to both Jews and Mohammedans. Both these people have a superstition tthat the resurrection and judgment will take place in this valley, and that if they are not buried here, their bodies will require to travel to it underground. Of these tombs there are three which, from their great size and from the fact that they are hewn out of the natural rock (with The vrllage of Siloam. the exception of the top of the one to the north), are specially prominent. These are the tombs of Absalom, the Apostle James, and Zechariah-Plate LXXXV. The first-named lies to the north of the others, and is supposed to have been made by Absalom to commemorate his name. If so, his object has been attained, though not after the manner which he intended, because to this day the Jewish children cast stones at it to show their indignation at his unfilial conduct. Next in order is St. James' Tomb, an extensive two-chambered cave, with a large open window divided by two vertical columns, looking direct across the valley toward the Temple Area. 400 But the tomb which is of particular interest to us, is that of Zechariah, the capstone of which is a complete pyramid!-Plate XCV. When we remember that this prophet uttered the words, " He shall bring forth the headstone thereof, with shoutings, Grace, grace unto it !" it is significant that the monument which has been erected to his memory should have a pyramid as its head-stone. Such a tomb-stone is surely unique ! 401 When we think of it, how appropriate it is that here, in the midst of so many evidences of death, we should find a pyramid, the symbol of him who is the resurrection and the life! How like, too, this is to that other, but greater witness to the resurrection power of our Lord, the Great Pyramid in Egypt, also standing in the midst of the death which is so evident on every side of it except to the north !-Plate 11.
',
PLATEXCIV.
PLATE XCV. Shall we say there is no connection between these two pyramids and Zechariah's reference to a head-stone? We must always remember that there is only the one witness to the Lord in Egypt, the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, for all the other pyramids are subsequent erections, and more or less copies of the Great one. This fact is well . . proven by Professor Petrie. After detailing a series of wellconsidered arguments, he states that there can be no reasonable doubt that nothing but "a bare sandblown rise of hill attracted t h e attention of Khufu [whom he understands to have been the builder] for
Zecharia7z's tomb, f r o m fhe s o u f h ; showzng also the window-like openings of St. James' tomb.
the site of his great monument" ; and that the part of the hill on which it stands " is certainly the finest site for miles on either side of it." This opinion is the one held also by Professor Smyth and many other competent authorities. 402 But not only was the Great Pyramid of Gizeh the first pyramid to be erected, but the pyramid structure proper is entirely peculiar to the Land of Egypt. Professor C. Piazzi Smyth, in his work Antiquity of Intellectual man, proves conclusively that the so-called pyramids of Mexico, Assyria, Babylonia, etc., do not answer to the requirements of the strictly geometrical definition of a pyramid, namely: " a solid,
PLATE XCVI
PLATE XCVII. whose base is a regular rectilinear plane figure, and whose sides are plane triangles, having all their vertices meeting together in a point above the base, called the vertex of the pyramid." These other "pyramids" were erected in steps or terraces, and had temples built on their tops. 403 In the same connection, Professor Flinders Petrie also writes : " Such a form of architecture [as a pyramid] is only known in Middle Egypt, and there only during the period from the 4th to the 12th Dynasty (before 2000 B.C.)-having square bases and angles of about 50". In other countries various modifications of the tumulus, barrow, or burial-heap have arisen which have come near to this type ; but these when formed of earth are usually circular, or, if square, have a flat top, and when built of stone are always in steps or terraces." 404 On a former occasion, when visiting the site of the Temple, we mounted the walls of the Temple Area and took a photograph of this part of the Valley of Jehoshaphat, showing the three prominent tombs just mentioned, as well as a few of the numerous graves which cluster most thickly at the base of the Prophet's tombPlate XCIV. 405 On Sunday, 4th July, John, Jack and I, in company with Brother Cotton and Mr. Jamal, all went a drive along the road to Bethany. We spent so much time visiting places of interest, that we did not manage to go all the way to Bethany. We drove to the summit of the Mount of Olives, and ascended the high tower of the Church of the Ascension, From this eminence we had a magnificent view of the Holy City. Directly below us were a large number of " threshing-floors," of which we succeeded in securing a photograph showing the harvesters busily engaged " treading " the corn-Plate XCVI. 406 We also visited jthe Tombs of the Kings, situated some distance to the north of the city-Plate LXXXV. After descending a broad flight of rock-hewn steps, we turned to the left, and through an archway entered a large open quadrangle, about 30 feet or more deep, also cut out in the rock. On the left wall we noticed a large opening like the stage and proscenium of a theatre-Plate XCVII. It would measure about 12 or 15 feet deep to the back wall. The Tombs of the Kings. On the left side of this stage at the back, there is a depression in the floor leading down to a low vertical doorway, which is open. Propped up beside it is a large stone like a mill-stone, which, if freed, would roll down and effectually close the entrance. It reminded us of the description of our Lord's tomb.
PLATE
XCVIII.
407 We crept through this small doorway, and stood upright in a fairly large chamber hollowed out in the solid rock at the side of the stage. From it we noticed, by the light of our candles, that a number of small passages led to other rooms, and having entered, we found that out of these again yet other passages led to still smaller rooms which contained the niches for the dead. All the larger apartments have a stone bench running round the bases of their four walls. These reminded us of the Ramps in the Grand Gallery of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh. In one of the rooms this resemblance is most remarkable, for at its north-west corner a portion of the Ramp is broken away, disclosing an open shaft leading downward to a small subterranean chamber, on three sides of which are the usual niches for the repose of the dead. It put us at once in mind of the north-west corner of the Grand Gallery with its broken Ramp and its Wellshaft. We have always understood that the " Well" in the Great Pyramid of Gizeh represents Hades, the tomb or death-state ; but now we have a practical demonstration of this common mode of burial in the East, so different from the western practice. Thus our belief in the symbolism of the " Well" in the Pyramid has been strengthened. 408 We have instructed a photographer in Jerusalem, who has done work in connection with the " Palestine Exploration Fund," to take a photograph of this interesting spot, our own photographic flashlight apparatus having been left behind at the pyramids-Plate XCVIII. It is a pity that the Plate does not show a greater portion of the stone bench on the left. 409 Thus, during our flying visit to Jerusalem, we have observed two interesting things connected with our work at the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, namely : Zechariah's tomb with its symbolical cap-stone; and this broken Ramp revealing the shaft-tomb, symbolical of the death-state. Tuesday, 6th July, 8 a.m. Jack and I are now in the train at Port Said, waiting for our departure to Cairo. We expect to arrive there at one o'clock. We had a fairly good passage over from Jaffa, except that we might have been more comfortable ; our cabin was at the stern, and the noise of the screw was disagreeable. Our train has now moved off, and there is a pleasantly cool breeze blowing into the carriage. In the East the morning is always the best time to travel. 3 p.m. We have now arrived in Cairo. The train journey was very tiring, and personally I felt quite worn out when we reached our destination. Jack, I am glad to say, is feeling well. We were escorted down the whole length of the station platform by a squad of hotel porters, each wanting us to go to his particular hotel. They would not take a refusal. It was not until we met our man, Judah, that they were induced to call off. 412 I asked Judah how he was getting on, and he replied that he was " very sorry," and informed me that his little boy has something wrong with his eyes. Judah appears distressed about it, showing that he, at least, appreciates good eyesight. Jack is writing to his father and mother in Jerusalem, telling them that we have arrived safely. We are now going to the post-office, where we expect to find a number of letters awaiting us. I will post this here, for it is difficult to get letters sent from the pyramids. The branch office there is closed during the summer season. With much love to all, Your loving brother in a far off and very warm land, MORTON EDGAR P.S.-Jack sends his love. '
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LETTER XV. Hotel Fast, Jerusalem. Monday, 5th July, 1909.
DEARBRETHREN,-OU~forces are now divided into two companies. Morton and Jack left at eight o'clock this morning for Jaffa, en route for the Great Pyramid, which (D.v.) they will reach to-morrow. We should all have gone together, but Stanley is not yet well enough. He has now been in bed for nine days, but this afternoon I lifted him on to a rocking-chair. He feels fairly well, except that he is still rather weak. His temperature now fluctuates between 99" and 100" F. We hope that he will have recovered sufficiently in a day or two to let him see Jerusalem, perhaps to take him a drive to Bethlehem or Bethany or both. There is now no boat from Jaffa to Port Said till Saturday, so that, however well he may be, we cannot leave here till then. 414 As a result of our waiting on, we have been able to arrange for the lecture, " Where are the Dead?" in this hotel. Last week I was too ill to give it, but I am now feeling very well. Brother Cotton joined us on Saturday evening, and last night he and Mr. Jarnal accompanied me to the Rev. Mr. Sykes of the Church Missionary Society. Brother Cotton showed him the draft of our programme and asked him if we could hire his Mission Hall. A long talk followed. He admitted that the problem of the heathen and of all others who die out of Christ was one which he could not answer, and stated that he would be very glad to hear what I had to say regarding it ; but he did not think he would be acting rightly to let us have the use of his hall for such a lecture. 415 This morning, after we had seen Morton and Jack away, Grace and Brother Cotton called at Hughes' Hotel, while I waited with Stanley, Hughes' Hotel has a larger and more suitable room for a public lecture than Fast's. The manageress, an Aberdeen lady, is consecrated to the Lord, and Brother Cotton, Morton and I had a nice talk with her yesterday. She seems to be favourably impressed with the Truth; but she told Brother Cotton this morning that she did not feel at liberty to let the room, because Mr. Hughes, who is abroad at present, objected not long ago to her letting it for a concert. She proposed that they should see Mr. Thomson who has a Mission Hall, and is superintendent of the Church Missionary Alliance of the American Free Church. Accordingly, they called on Mr. Thomson ; but he emphatically refused. He said he had read the brochure, Where are the Dead? which had been loaned to him by the manageress of Hughes' Hotel, and he did not at all agree with it, though he thought it a clever production. Brother Cotton was not surprised at this reception, for this Mr. Thomson was one of those to whom he sent the Divine Plan of the Ages shortly after coming to a knowof the Truth, and he remembered having received a strongly-worded letter from him, opposing the Truth. However, Mr. Thomson said he would come to hear the lecture. 212
PLATE XCIX.
416 Having failed in obtaining any of these three halls, Brother Cotton arranged with Mr. Fast for this hotel ; and handbills will be printed to-morrow morning (the proof has just come to hand this evening-Monday) advertising a meeting on Thursday at 8-30 p.m. These will be inserted in envelopes and sent to everyone in Jerusalem who
Jerzzsalem in the direction of Jaffa Gate and Mount Zion, a s viewed from fhe balcony of Fasf's Hotel.
understands English. Already several have been told of the lecture and have expressed their desire to be present. 417 Among these is Mrs. Schoenecke,the daughter of the late Dr. Schick, who spent all of his spare moments gathering from books, oral traditions and personal investigations at the site of the Temple, information concerning the various Temples and Mosques which have been successively erected on Mount Moriah. The original irregularly rounded summit of Mount Moriah has been made into a flat plain enclosed by walls, generally known as the Temple Area. At the south-east corner, erected on arches, is an extensive pavement, underneath which King Solomon placed his "forty thousand stalls of horses " (I Kings 4: 26), and also enormous cisterns to hold supplies of water estimated at ten million gallons. This water was brought to the cisterns by conduits from Solomon's pools, which are situated about ten miles south-south-west of Jerusalem.
PLATESC & CI.
Dr. Schick's model of Solonzon's Temple, lookzng north-west.
Dr. Schick's model of Herod's Temple, looking north-west.
418 Dr. Schick made large models of these Temples. Brother Cotton, Morton, Jack and I visited Mrs. Schoenecke yesterday, and spent about a couple of hours examining the models. After Mrs. Schoenecke had explained the structure of the tabernacle, I questioned her as to what it signified, but she did not know. I therefore described briefly the explanation of it given by C. T. Russell in Tabernacle Shadows, and she said that it was very reasonable. We procured several excellent photographs of the models (Plates C & CI), which are constructed of wood, and consist of many pieces, made to a scale of 1 : 200. When assembled they form two quadrangles, each measuring about nine feet long, five and a half feet wide, and (without the stand) twenty inches high. The photographs of Solomon's and Herod's Temples (Plates C & CI) were taken with the camera erected at the south-east comer, looking toward the north-west. 419 At present Grace and Brother Cotton are on a visit with Mr. Jamal to the American Colony to the north of the City-Plate LXXXV. As 4th July was a Sunday, the Americans are celebrating Independence Day to-day. They call themselves the " Overcomers," I understand, and believe in the near return of the Lord. 420 I asked Mr. Jamal if any of the Jews would attend the lecture, but he said they would not dare to do so. If their Rabbis knew of their going to a Christian meeting, they would ostracise them at once, and this would mean the loss of all means of support, for they are dependent on the bounty of individuals or societies in Europe and America. 421 Wednesday, 7th July. Yesterday morning, Stanley was somewhat better, and as Brother Cotton was driving to the railway terminus Stanley and I accompanied him. I spent the afternoon writing letters, and in the evening, Grace and I had a walk round the outside of the west and south walls of Jerusalem, that is to say, round Mount Zion. It is now known that the ancient city wall extended further south than the present one. At one place, on the south side of Mount Zion, we saw a portion of the old wall which has been laid bare by excavation-Plate LXXXV. In a line with this, also outside the present city wall, at the south-west angle, where the valley of Hinnom makes its sharp bend, a Church Missionary Society School, founded in 1853, includes in its walls portions of old buildings, steps, etc. The tomb of David is at this part, not far from the school. 422 George Adam Smith and many others believe that the traditional Mount Zion, which is higher than Mount Moriah on which the Temple stood, is not the Scriptural one, but that the true Mount Zion is directly south of the Temple Area on a lower level than Mount Moriah, and situated between the Tyropeon Valley on the west, and the Valley of Jehoshaphat on the east. Dr. Schick and others have stated their belief that Solomon's palace was erected here. In 2 Sam. 24 : 18, we read of going up to the Temple from the City of David,-a term frequently used in the Scriptures as synonymous with Zion-2 Sam. 5 : 7 ; I Kings 8 : I. This seems to be the chief argument in favour of the view. 423 On our return, Grace and I thought we might walk through a part of the city. Accordingly, we entered by Zion Gate, but instead of turning to the left in order to pass through the clean Armenian quarter, which consists mostly of synagogues and cloisters, we turned by mistake to the right, and walked into the Jews' quarter with its narrow, 215
crowded filthy streets-Plate LXXXV. When a donkey comes along, laden or unladen, or a porter with his burden, we must squeeze into the side to let them pass. There is only room for four people to walk abreast ; but this would be possible only if the streets were deserted, for many of the merchants squat on each side with their wares, and as there is a constant stream of people, it is impossible as a rule for even two to walk abreast. The smell is dreadful all the way, and clouds of flies hang over the foodstuffs, especially the sweets, and also over the vegetable refuse which litters the street. I can assure you, we were glad when we finally emerged into David Street, and then out by the Jaffa Gate. The streets outside the city walls are broad like European roadways. 424 This morning I called on Canon Brown, head of the London Jews' Society, for a bottle of milk for Stanley. He keeps a cow, and has been very good to us, supplying us with fresh milk every day. Then I visited the English Hospital for Jews, and saw Dr. Wheeler perform a few minor operations, and had a look round the Hospital with him. This evening we intend to drive to the Tombs of the Kings and elsewhere, and Grace is now making tea for us before we start. We expect (D.v.)to leave Jerusalem on the 10th (Saturday), and hope to spend a week at the Great Pyramid before returning home. With much love in the Lord, in which Grace joins, Your loving brother, JOHNEDGAR.
LETTER XVI. Tents at the Great Pyramid of Gizeh. Wednesday, 7th July, 1909.
DEARBRETHREN,-J~c~ and I are now in our tents at the Great Pyramid. We arrived last night at 7 o'clock, and found them erected much as I had left them nearly a fortnight ago. Abdul Salam Faid was glad to welcome me back, and to be introduced to Jack, but was disappointed at not seeing Stanley. He appears to have taken a great fancy for him, and is sorry to learn of his illness. We told him that we hoped that Stanley would be well enough by the end of the week to return to the Pyramid. Mr. Faid raised his hand and exclaimed : " We will pray to the Great God that he will get well and be able to come." 426 I took Jack over to see Mr. Covington, who has not yet started on his westward journey ; but not finding him in his tent, we walked over to the casing-stones which I showed to Jack. Being about nine o'clock, and the moon not having risen, it was quite dark. We had therefore to take a candle which was protected from the breeze by a glass globe, and by this feeble light Jack saw those wonderful casing-stones, gleaming out whitely from the surrounding gloom, the solitary survivors of the thousands which at one time encased this " Miracle in Stone "-Plate CII. 427 I am very glad indeed to get back to the Pyramid, and Jack says he too is glad to be here, for although we enjoyed our visit to Jerusalem, we did not feel quite safe there but were always afraid we might become ill. As precautionary measures against malaria we took quinine morning and evening while in Palestine, but at the Pyramid we do not think this necessary. 428 Just now (12 noon) the temperature in the shade (in my tent, which has a double roof, quite shutting out the sun's rays) is 91°F. Though it is warm, it is not unbearable, as a fresh wind is blowing from the north. There were some light clouds in the sky this morning at nine o'clock. When John was here, few clouds were visible, although during the fortnight before he arrived I saw a number of dark clouds every day. Some of these were dense enough to obscure for several minutes at a time, even the strong Egyptian sunlight; so much so, that on several occasions while photographing the casingstones of the Great Pyramid, I had to wait until a cloud passed away in order to get the desired light and shade. I have seen no rain, however, all the time I have been here. 429 Jack and I liave been in the Great Pyramid to-day, measuring the masonry of the east wall of the First Ascending Passage. We found it difficult work, and very tiring. In some places it is almost impossible to locate the joints between the stones, and these joints run in different directions. The system of masonry of this passage is very peculiar, quite unlike any of the other passages. We shall endeavour to make a draw-
PLATECII.
Col. Howard Vyse's historical CASING-STONES in the middle of the- northybase of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh; alongside of which stands Hadji Ali Gabri, whose father, when a bov, was in the employment of Col. Howard Vyse during his extensive operations at the Pyramids in 1837 A.D
ing of it. The masonry of the Horizontal Passage to the Queen's Chamber is very different from that of the First Ascending Passage. The stones there are very regular in size and shape; but as we have not yet measured that passage, I cannot say more about it at present. 430 Before we could properly measure the First Ascending Passage, we required to get Judah to brush down the floor from top to bottom, for it was covered with stone chippings and dust as a result of our men's work there, when cutting footholds. The fine dust which arose during Judah's brushing was carried by the air-current up the passage to where we were measuring, and was very unpleasant; but poor Judah experienced the worst of it. His left eye became quite inflamed, so that he had to put on a bandage. 431 We had our five o'clock tea, served by our faithful waiter Sayd, about half-way up the passage. The floor at that particular part is very broken and uneven, and this enabled us to rest both ourselves and the kettle and tea-pot, etc., without fear of sliding down to the Granite Plug at the lower end. Judah had by this time finished his brushing, and enjoyed a cup along with us. The last place at which we had " tea " when John was here, was at the bottom of the Well-shaft, where it enters the Descending Passage. John was sitting right in at the very bottom of the shaft, with a cool current of air coming down upon his head. 432 I am now about to start on the drawing which is intended to show at a glance the peculiar masonry of the walls of the First Ascending Passage. It is not an easy task to record every measurement exactly according to scale.
Thursday night, 8 t h July. Jack and I have spent most of the day in the First Ascending Passage, measuring the west wall. This morning we called on Mr. Covington, who returned to his tent last night. He was pleased to see me again, and gave us some newspapers containing certain articles referring to his work of excavating the casing-stones of the Great Pyramid. Two of these papers made reference, also, to our own work at the Pyramid. Friday, 9th Jzzly. We are going into the Great Pyramid presently, to measure the roof and floor of the First Ascending Passage. We hope that to-day will see the end of our operations in this part of the Pyramid, but are afraid'it will not ; it is so troublesome to measure. Judah's eye is not so bad to-day, although it is still a little inflamed. 435 A great number of strangers; mostly natives of the country, are about this morning. Most visitors pass by the Great Pyramid, and even of those who evince interest in it, few venture inside. In fact, all day yesterday, and the day before as well, we had the interior to ourselves. I - 4 0 p . m . We were in the Great Pyramid from 10 a,m. till 1 p.m., measuring the floor and roof of the First Ascending Passage. We were interrupted two or three times by some of those visitors whom we saw this morning. However, they did not take long to pass us, and we were not interfered with in any way. A number of them were Egyptian women, most of whom were accompanied by their guides only. I asked Sayd about this, as I always thought that the women of this country, and of the East generally, were kept very secluded. Sayd replied that no Arab women would be allowed to
enter the Pyramid alone. She would require to be accompanied by her husband, and would have to make her visit at night. It would be a shame. for her to visit it in any other way. Evening. In the afternoon we returned to the Great Pyramid and resumed our work. We finished the particular part we were at by six o'clock. This gave us an hour and a half to spare before dinner. In that time we climbed to the top of the Pyramid, my first ascent. We ascended by the south-west angle, the one nearest the Second Pyramid, and were not assisted, but Judah and Sayd accompanied us. We had a magnificent view from the summit. When looking down the sides they appeared very steep. We could have spent a long time viewing the Arab village, and the numerous tombs, etc., below us. The sun was setting, and we were specially interested to see the immensely long shadows cast by the Great and Second Pyramids, away over the sandy but partly cultivated plain to the east. To the south and west, we saw nothing but sand. It was impressive to think that we were situated right at the edge of the great Sahara Desert (called at this part the Libyan Desert) the area of which is greater than the whole of the United States of America. What a wonderful thing it will be when the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled-" The desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose" ! 438 Shortly after we reached the summit, Judah began to say his prayers. He evidently considered it a fine opportunity, on that high place. He faced the east and began to bow, and to kneel down and touch the ground with his forehead, etc. We could not hear him say anything, however. In their way, the Mohammedans are very religious ; and we cannot help admiring them, even though we know that their prayer is little more than a form. They let nothing stand in the way of their religious ceremonies. Every Friday (the Mohammedan's Sabbath) at 11-30a.m., Judah must go off to the village to attend prayers, and we have to get on as well as we may by ourselves. Although the Arabs have the reputation of being untruthful, we are glad to say that we have nothing to complain of in those who are immediately in attendance upon us. We have found them honest and obliging. Mr. Covington, however, is greatly incensed against the Arabs. They have robbed his tent several times, and he has been unable to get any redress. He has often said to me : " Oh ! you don't know these Arabs !" 439 We descended the Pyramid by its north-east angle, the easiest of the four to climb, and the one up and down which visitors are generally taken, and walked direct to the Arab village which is situated quite close to the east side of the Pyramid, not on the plateau, however, but down below, where we had some business to transact-Plate 11. We found the man we wanted sitting on the sand a little distance from his house, drinking coffee with a few of his Arab friends. 440 After joining in a cup, and discussing the relative merits of Arabian, Turkish, and French coffee (we preferred the Arabian), we strolled off together in the direction of the rock-cut tombs, two of which Professor Smyth had made his home during the time of his investigations at the Great Pyramid in 1865. Those were the days before the advent of the tramway car. It had taken Professor Smyth a whole day and part of another to do the journey from Cairo to the pyramids ; but now, the distance can be traversed in less than an hour ! In 1865, the Arab village was not built so close to the tombs as it is now. The place would therefore be very much cleaner than it is at
220
PLATE CIII.
present. Wooden doors have been fitted into the openings of the particular tombs used by Professor Smyth, but as they were locked we were unable to view the inside. 441 As it was dark, I was unable to photograph these tombs, but on a former occasion I secured a picture of the doorlike entrances of some rock-hewn tombs situated
Rock-hewn tombs to the west of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh; showing their door-like entrances.
not far from the west base of the Great Pyramid-Plate CIII. We have not had time to visit many of the tombs, and I am therefore unable to say much about them ; but in one of those shown in the photograph, we noticed a deep well-like shaft descending perpendicularly to a considerable depth from the floor of the squarely-cut chamber, and much resembling the Well-shaft in the Great Pyramid. I understand that these tomb-shafts are very numerous, and that they have several tiers of passages and chambers branching out from them in different directions. 442 I require to close this letter rather abruptly, as Jack is now going to Cairo and will post it. Vre received a telegram from Port Said at 9-30 this morning (it is now Sunday), saying that John, Grace and Stanley are on their way here. Evidently Stanley has recovered sufficiently to come on. A large tent about 18 feet in diameter is being erected for them-quite a village of tents now. But I must close. Love to all, Your loving brother, MORTON EDGAR. P.S.--Jack sends his love. He greatly enjoys being here.
PLATECIV.
LETTER XVII. Train en route for Cairo. Sunday, 1 l t h July, 1909.
DEARB ~ ~ T . ~ ~ ~ ~ , - y e s t at e r5dp.m. a y we bade good-bye to the Holy Land, and about an hour later it faded away in the distance. Grace, Stanley and I were there 16 days in all. We landed at Jaffa on Friday, 25th June, at 7 a.m., and we left yesterday, 10th July (Saturday) at 5 p.m. Barring our sickness and the mosquitoes, we had a very
Dr. Schick's Moclel of the Mosqzze of Omar, nnd fhe Temple Area; looking north-west.
pleasant time. The air at Jerusalem is fresh, except in the narrow, dirty streets. 444 The population of Jerusalem is about 100,000,and the proportion of Jews is said to be about three-fourths. All are agreed that it is within only the last few years that so many Jews have settled in the Holy Land, and now that the Turkish Constitution has been granted, and a new Sultan enthroned, they expect, because of the increased liberty which is already apparent, that the influx of Jews will continue to increase. As there is no longer room within the city proper for such a large growth of the population, many colonies of Jews, as also most of .the Europeans, the Missionaries, Consuls and others,
PLATECV. have settled outside. Colonel Conder states that in 1872, when he first visited Jerusalem, the population was only one-third of what it is now, and there were at that time only a few villas outside the gates, while the suburbs to north and west had not grown up, and there were no modern buildings on Olivet. Now fully half the city is outside
The Mosque of Ornar from the south.
the City-wall, chiefly to the north and west-Plate LXXXV. 445 When I left off my last letter to you, we were about to leave the hotel (Hotel Fast, Jerusalem) for a drive. It was Wednesday afternoon, 7th inst. We drove first to the Tombs of the Kings. In one of the chambers a stone bench or ramp which runs round the walls is broken away at the north-west corner, revealing a passage or shaft leading down to a chamber on a lower level (the lowest hell or Sheol-Deut. 32 : 22 ; Psa. 86 : 13). It looks so like the broken Well-mouth in the Great Pyramid, that Morton wanted a flashlight photograph of it. A professional photographer accompanied us, and the picture which he secured has turned out very wel17Plate XCVIII. 223
PLATECVI.
THE M O S Q U E OF O M A R .
PLATE CVII.
446 We next drove to the Garden Tomb, which is believed by Col. Conder and others to be the real tomb of Jesus. It is outside the wall to the north of the city, near the base of a cliff which is shaped like a skull, and hence might aptly receive the name Golgotha or Calvarium, the place of a skull (not skulls). After leaving the Garden Tomb we drove
The Cave urzder fhe Dome of the Rock, zn the Mosque of Ontar.
along outside the north wall of the city eastward till we reached the Valley of the:Kedron (the Valley of Jehoshaphat), and then down southward by the very steep and rough road into the valley to the Garden of Gethsemane, which is situated at the base of the Mount of Olives, opposite the Mosque of Omar. The Garden is kept by a Roman Catholic priest. Several olive trees in it are of an extreme age. One of them, which is claimed to be the place of our Lord's agony, is evidently very, very old. 447 Next day, Thursday 8th, after the heat of the day, we walked into the city and visited the Mosque of Omar. Plate CIV is a photograph of Dr. Schick's model of this mosque, and the Temple Area. It gives a good idea of the present appearance of the place. As this was my second visit I was able to explain the various points of interest to Grace and Stanley. The Mosque of Omar has a dull appearance when viewed from a distance, but close at hand it looks very well-Plate CV. The lower half is composea of marble, and the upper half of blue porcelain. Inside, the lofty dome and stained 225
PLATECVIII.
glass windows are beautiful, and there is an abundance of lovely mosaic work and gilt tracing. We required to put on slippers before we were allowed to enter the mosque. The portion of the floor directly under the great dome is the bare rock of Mount Moriah. It is fenced off from the remaining floor-space round it. Many claim that this is the exact place where the brazen altar of the Temple stood. There is an opening in it through which the blood of the animals sacrificed is supposed to have drained. We were informed that no Jew will venture within the Temple Area lest he should happen to tread on the site of the Holy of Holies. 448 In the rock under the dome is a cave, to which access is gained by a number of steps-Plate CVII. When we were in it we were told to stamp on the ground and notice by the hollowness of the sound that there is a second cave underneath. The Moslems have many ridiculous traditions. A certain hollow in the roof is claimed to have been worn by the pressure of Mohammed's head as day by day he stood in this cave and prayed. It was from here that the Moslems believe that the Prophet ascended to heaven on his miraculous steed, El-Burak. They say that he pierced the roof of the cave (the hole already mentioned being pointed out as proof of this), and that the rock would have followed him had it not been for the intervention of the Archangel. Many Mohammedans believe that the rock now hangs in the air ! 449 At the south-west corner of the mosque stands a tall square case of open ironwork, in which is kept, under lock and key, a large bottle-Plate CVI. This bottle is supposed to contain three hairs from the Prophet's beard. In the day of judgment, Mohammed will sit astride a short horizontal column which juts from the east wall bounding the Temple Area, and the Lord Isa (Jesus) will sit on the other side of the Valley of Jehoshaphat, and between them will be stretched these hairs across the wide valley. Everybody will be compelled to walk across on the hairs. Unbelievers, i.e., all who are not Mohammedans, will fall and be consigned to eternal torment, but guardian angels will guide the faithful safely across and usher them into Paradise. 450 After inspecting the Mosque of Omar, we walked to the south part of the Temple Area where we visited the Mosque of Al-Aksa-Plate LXXXV. This was formerly a Christian Church built by the Emperor Justinian, who is mentioned in Scripture Studies, Vol. 111, page 70. In this mosque we noticed several windows, the iron bars of which are covered with small tufts of rag. It was explained that these rags were tied there by devout women, under the belief that they would acquire a special healing virtue. When one-of their relatives turns ill, they remove a piece of rag from the window-bars, and stir some of the sick person's drink with it ! 451 In the evening, I lectured on " Where are the Dead?" There were about eighty people present, and all seemed much impressed. The only opposition we had was from the American Missionary, the Rev. Mr. Thomson. However, he did not interrupt the meeting, but reserved his remarks till the end, when he said that if he had me on a platform, he would " squash my arguments in half-an-hour." Brother Cotton acted as chairman, and at the close of the meeting asked if any would like another address next evening. A good number held up their hands. Some said it was the best lecture they had ever heard, and I was glad to have had the privilege of telling them a little of our heavenly Father's glorious plan of the Ages. 452 On Friday, 9th, we drove to the Mount of Olives and to Bethany. From the 227
PLATE CIX.
summit of the Mount of Olives we had a magnificent view of Jerusalem (Plate CVIII), and were able to appreciate to some small degree the deep emotion of Jesus when he wept over the city and pronounced these words : " 0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee : how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is felt unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, ' Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord' "-Llike 13 : 34, 35 ; 19 : 41. We thank the Lord for the knowledge that the time is near at hand, when Jerusalem shall no longer be " trodden down of the Gentiles "-Luke 21 : 24,-Par. 155. 453 When we reached the village of Bethany, we were shown the tomb of Lazarus, and the ruins of the house of Simon the leper, and those also of the church which had been built on the traditional site of the house of Mary and Martha. Although these sites are only traditional, it was pleasant to remember that we were near the ancient home of those whom Jesus so dearly loved, and the scene of his greatest miracle. The tender recollection not only recalled the past, but brought vividly before our minds the glad time in the near future when all that are in their graves shall hear the voice of him who said " I am the resurrection and the life," and shall come forth; and when the nations will say " Lo, this is our God : we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord ; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation " -1sa. 25 : 9. 454 On our drive to and from Bethany, we had lovely views of Jerusalem from Mount Scopus, a hill which lies to the north of the Mount of Olives-Plate CIX. It is said that Titus, in the year 70 A.D., had his first view of Jerusalem from Mount Scopus, and that when he saw the magnificent walled city, rising high above the Valley of Jehoshaphat, he was so impressed that he exclaimed : "Her beauty might avail to move the majesty of Rome to mercy ! " It is a pity that the railway does not approach Jerusalem from the east, the view is so grand, whereas it is somewhat disappointing when seen from the present railway station to the west-LXXXV. Our hearts were full as we gazed upon this wonderful city, the oldest in the world, and thought of its history and its many associations. 455 In the evening we had our second meeting-a Chart talk on the Divine Plan of the Ages-Plate VI. Some of those present evinced considerable interest, and we were sorry we had not a larger stock of first volumes of Scripture Studies, as we could have disposed of a large number. 456 On Saturday, loth, we journeyed by the morning train from Jerusalem to Jaffa, and were accompanied by Mr. David Hall. The Mountains of Judaea, along the valleys of which the railway-line winds in and out, are for the most part very bleak, and are littered with numberless limestone boulders. There is very little covering of soil on them. Mr. Hall explained to us that in the rainy season the earth gets washed down. Near the first station after Jerusalem, we saw several of the hills reclaimed in an ingenious, yet simple manner. Doubtless all the other mountain sides will soon be reclaimed after a similar fashion. The limestone blocks have been collected and built up to form a series of low dry dykes or walls, and the bare ground above each has been
covered with a layer of earth. In this way a series of terraces have been formed one above the other along the sides of the hills. As no plaster has been used in the construction of the walls, rain trickles freely through them, but the spaces between the stones are too fine to allow the passage of much earth. 457 The soil around Jerusalem is very rich, and is of a beautiful golden-brown colour. It is interesting to note the contrast between it and the soil of Lower Egypt, which, though also extremely fertile, is of a deep black hue. This corresponds well with the Scriptural symbolism of the two countries. Egypt typifies " this present evil world," whereas Canaan, "the glorious land" (Dan. 11 : 16), typifies the heavenly inheritance. Crops in both Egypt and Palestine grow with scarcely any effort, and where care is taken the results are wonderful. In the valley of the Jordan, a monastery possesses a vine which yields six tons of grapes. At one place tomatoes are grown which weigh three pounds each. Canaan must indeed have been a land "flowing with milk and honey." 458 Our sail across to Port Said was not agreeable ; the cabins were stifling. It is warm now in the train, but it does not feel so hot as on the day when Stanley and I first arrived in Egypt. The harvest has now all been gathered, and everywhere we see the grain, mostly in bags ready for exportation, though in some places it is still lying in large heaps. In most of the fields we see yokes of oxen drawing the primitive ploughs which merely scratch the soil. We are now nearing Cairo, and I must now close. We are all three feeling well, and hope to find Morton and Jack the same. Your loving brother, JOHN EDGAR.
GRAND GALLERY
LETTER XVIII. Tents at the Great Pyramzd of Gizeh. Tuesday, 13th July, 1909.
DEAR BRETHREN,-We were glad on Sunday to welcome to our village of tents, John, Grace and Stanley on their arrival from Jerusalem, and also to see that Stanley was quite himself again. 460 Since his return, John and I have been working in the First Ascending Passage, verifying the measurements taken by Jack and me. You will remember how we had found measuring in this passage very trying. The joints on the walls seemed so hopelessly confused that we had been inclined many times to give up in despair. However, we felt that we must continue, as otherwise the time already spent would be wasted. Our labour has been rewarded, for what at first was confusion to us, is now seen to be wonderful symmetry. There is design in the whole passage. This we discovered when we had carefully drawn to scale an elevation of each of the walls-Plate CX. 461 In Our Inheritance i n the Great Pyramid, 5th edition, page 295, Professor C. Piazzi Smyth inserted the following as a footnote : In the year 1872, Mr. Waynman Dixon applied himself long and steadily to mapping down everything measurable touching the reputed disorder of the joint-lines in the First Ascending Passage of the Great Pyramid, or that one leading up to the lower north end of the Grand Gallery; and presently perceived a most admirable order pervading the apparent disorder, tending also to hyper-excellent masonic construction. For the chief discovery was, that at stated intervals the smaller blocks forming elsewhere separately portions of the walls, floor, and ceiling of the passage, were replaced by great transverse plates of stone, with the whole of the passage's hollow rectangular bore cut clean through them ; wherefore, at these places, the said plates formed walls, floor, and ceiling, all in one piece." 462 These plates of stone have been called Girdles. Before leaving home we had recognized the importance of the three upper ones as marking important dates i n the Law Dispensation. ' We therefore examined them with care, and found that while all of the Girdles are differentiated from the other stones in this passage by their remarkable structure, the upper three are distinguished by symmetrical joints in the stones above and below them. An examination of these joints, as shown in the diagram (Plate CX), will demonstrate the exact symmetry of their angles one with another. Additionally, let into the walls immediately below the three upper Girdles, there are peculiar inset stones, which look like pointers, as if to call the Pyramid students' special attention to these Girdles. And as if still further to accentuate their importance, the inset "pointer" stones are let into specially large wall stones, as a reference to the diagram will show.
' In spite of long application we were unable to discover chronological significance in the lower Girdles.
463 For the purpose of reference we have numbered these Girdles, beginning from the upper or south end of the passage, and counting downward-See Plate IX. M e find that the distance from the upper extremity of the passage to the first Girdle, is almost twice the distance between the first and second ; while the distance between the first and second Girdles is nearly the same as that between the second and third. 464 Almost exactly in the centre of the double space between the upper end of the passage and the first Girdle, the joints in the floor and both walls are nearly continuous with each other, forming, therefore, what we might term a Girdle Joirzt. Let into the east wall immediately below this Girdle Joint, and as if to call attention to it, are two small inset stones, somewhat similar to the pointers immediately below the three important Girdles. The upper part of the passage from the top or south end down to the third Girdle is, therefore, divided into four parts of nearly equal length. 465 It is interesting to notice that the inset pointer-stones alternate, first on the east wall below the Girdle Joint, then on the west wall below the first Girdle, then on the east wall below the second Girdle, and finally on the west wall below the third Girdle. 466 These three upper Girdles are vertical, and square across from east to west, and are each composed of two stones, an upper and a lower, the upper forming the roof and part of both walls, and the lower the floor and the remainder of the walls, The joints on the walls of the passage between the upper and lower portions of each Girdle are horizontal, but are not opposite each other. In the first and third Girdles which, we have seen, are indicated by pointers on the west wall, the joint on the west is lower than its companion on the east wall; while in the second Girdle, which is indicated by a pointer on the east wall, the east joint is lower than the west. It would therefore appear that the two stones which form each Girdle are not set horizontally one upon the other from east to west, but at an angle. 467 Those Girdles which lie lower down the passage than the three just described, are all in contact with one another. Though, like the first three, they are vertical, they do not lie square across the passage; their joint-lines on the floor and roof incline upward diagonally from the east wall to the west wall. Some of these lower Girdles are formed out of a single stone. As will be seen in the drawing (Plate CX), the fourth Girdle is very irregular in shape, its south face being cut to form no less than six distinct joint-lines with the stones above it. 468 The whole of the passage from the fourth Girdle down to the upper end of the Granite Plug is much dilapidated, extensive exfoliation having taken place on walls, roof and floor. Accurate measuring at this part is therefore almost impossible. However, we tried our best to get the exact positions of all the joints by stretching lines tightly along the four angles formed by the walls with the roof and floor, and taking off-sets to these lines from the various joints. From peculiar indications in the roof at this dilapidated part, it would seem that the stones which form the Girdles here were originally built in solid, end to end, after which the bore of the passage was cut through them. Above the fourth Girdle, however, there can be no doubt that the passage was constructed in the usual way, i.e., that the floor was first laid, the walls erected at the proper distance apart on the floor, and the roof-stones then placed on top of the wall-stones. Nevertheless, it is quite probable that the stones forming the three
upper Girdles were built in entire, and the bore of the passage cut through them in situ. The two roof-stones immediately above and below each of the three upper Girdles, are in themselves partial girdles, thus further calling attention to the importance of these three prominent Girdles. 469 And yet, to the casual visitor to the Pyramid, and even to the observer who keeps his eyes about him, none of this wonderful symmetry in the masonry of the First Ascending Passage is clearly visible. The joints between the stones are in most instances so close, that it is difficult to locate their exact positions, more especially as they appear to run in all directions. The first impression one gets from an endeavour to understand the system of masonry in this passage, is that it is without order. Here is the impression which Professor C. Piazzi Smyth had formed of it : " The walls show sometimes vertical, and sometimes perpendicular-to-passage joints, and these are now and then confusedly interfered with by parts of horizontal courses of masonry. Altogether, there is smaller and less perfect masonry employed in the First Ascending Passage than in the Entrance Passage ; giving the practical impression of the former being a mere necessary means of communicating between the Entrance Passage and the Grand Gallery, and having little or no symbolic importance in itself." We have reason to believe, however, that Professor S~nythlatterly came to see the important symbolical significance of this Passage, namely, that it represents the Law Dispensation, the Age during which God had special dealings with the Jewish nation by virtue of their Law Covenant, even as the Grand Gallery symbolizes that Dispensation which follows the Jewish Age, namely, the Gospel Age, in which we are now living-Plate VI. 470 A quotation from the Rev. John Forbes' Scripture Parallelism, which Professor Smyth inserts on the fly-leaf of his 2nd Vol. of Life and Work, is specially applicable to the masonry of the First Ascending Passage, though not quoted by Professor Smyth with this intention, but rather as applicable to the whole Pyramid : "In God's work of creation, amidst the rich profusion and diversity which seem at first to defy all attempts at arrangement and classification, an unexpected beauty of order and regularity are discoverable on closer examination, and all things, from the lowest to the highest, are found to be in order and number and weight." With much love from us all, Your loving brother, MORTON EDGAR.
PLATECXI.
PLATE CXII.
LETTER XIX. Tents a f the Great Pyramid of Gizeh. Wednesday, 14th July, 1909.
DEAR BRETHREN,-A11 day we have been busy taking photographs, first of the tents and surroundings, and then inside the Great Pyramid by flashlight. Of the former, two were taken with the camera pointing out of my bedroom tent doors, one of which opens to the east, and the other to the north-west. In the eastward view (Plate CXI), the north - east corner of the Great Pyramid appears on the right ; and well in front, on the edge of the pyramid plateau, is Mr. Covington's square tent. The low flat-roofed building be./ yond this is the Viceroy's residence 4' during the season. Down in the sandy plain below, a few of the houses of the Arab village are discernible. 472 In the north-west view (Plate CXIV), a part of Mena House Hotel can be seen on the right-hand corner, while on the sand-hills above are a few small buildings connected with the hotel. The tents beside these outhouses belong to people whose busiI nesses are in Cairo, and who come out I here to lodge for the night and enjoy the cool, fresh night-air of the desert. Only those who, like ourselves, have work at the pyramids or tombs, are permitted to erect tents on the pyra, mid plateau. I. 473 After taking these and a few 1 other photographs, we journeyed over and to the sand-hills above the A group of ourselves with our Arab attendants, secured several views of the Great at the Great Pyramid of Gizeh. Pyramid from these heights. One of them (Plate CXIII) was taken with a long-focus lens, and shows only part of the huge bulk of the Pyramid, and our tents in front.
I
I
-
235
PLATECXIII.
PLATESCXIV & CXV.
View north-westward from
"
Te11fsat the Great P-yramid of Gizeh."
The cook ai his kitchen-tent.
0
PLATE CXVI.
Tlze STEP at the head of the Grand Gallery of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh; showing the Ramps terminating against its north front; and the low passage leading horizontallv southward to the Ante-Chamber.
PLATE CXVII. 474 Later in the day we resumed our work in the interior of the Great Pyramid. Placing the camera in front of the Step at the head of the Grand Gallery, we took a picture of it in order to show how dilapidated it now is after the wear of fully a thousand years' traffic (Plate CXVI) ; for since the year 820 A.D., when Caliph A1 Mamoun forced his way into --, . . ti " these upper passages, t h e y h a v e , ever been free of access to all. This ; photograph also p..-*, shows the low passage which l e a d s from the Grand Gallery to the AnteChamber, and be, yond this the sec, . ond low passage ,* leading out of the 1 Ante - Chamber to . the King's Cham, - . ber. T h e l o w e r ; . L-4-iSr 4 < -* * .. edge of the Granite -- -*-Leaf in the Ante' JL -4.Chamber is also distinguishable. In 2'Jze low passage leading horrzontai2y sorrthward from the Grand Gallery to the Ante-Chamber and King's Chamber. front of the Granite Leaf to the right or west side, Stanley can be seen sitting in the excavation made by Caviglia in his search for the northern air-channel of the King's Chamber, which we described in a former letter--Par. 345. Originally the west wall, like the east wall, was continuous and unbroken from its commencement at the south wall of the Grand Gallery to its termination at the King's Chamber. The continuity of the east wall is shown in another photograph which we took with the camera erected on top of the Step to the west-Plate CXVII. This photograph shows the square but somewhat dilapidated doorway of the small passage as it appears in the south wall of the Grand Gallery, and to the left, part of the east wall of the Grand Gallery. 475 We secured photographs of several parts of interest in the Ante-Chamber. One shows John standing in the twenty-one inch space between the north wall of the chamber behind him, and the Granite Leaf in front-Plate CXVIII. He is leaning against the east wall, which at this part is, like the north wall, composed of limestone. The floor is of special interest. You will no doubt recall how Professor C. Piazzi Smyth and others point out that, while the floor of the King's Chamber is composed entirely of granite, that of the Ante-Chamber consists mostly of granite, but partially of limestone-Plate XV. The latter portion is a continuation of the limestone blocks which form the Step in the Grand Gallery and the floor of the short passage leading into the ,c#v-
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PLATECXVIII.
The twenty-one inch spnce between the north (left) wall and the Granite Leaf, in the Ante-Chamber of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh; showing the first Granite floor-stone to the right
PLATE CXIX.
The south side of the G R A N I T E LEAF zn the A N T E - C H A M B E R of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh; showing the fragmentary remains of two of the pilasters on the east wall; also the first granite floor-stone raised slightly above fhe general floor-level.
Ante-Chamber. This limestone portion ends a few inches to the north of the Granite Leaf. John is seen standing on it, his toes touching the first granite floor-stone which is raised a quarter of an inch above the other stones of the Ante-Chamber floor. Before he can rest his feet firmly on solid granite, he will require first to bow down and pass between the granite walls under the Granite Leaf into the AnteChamber proper-Plate XX. 476 Another photograph (Plate CXIX) shows John in the act of passing under the Granite Leaf. By actual trial, we found it impossible to raise our heads on the inner or south side of the Granite Leaf, without first lifting our feet from the limestone floor, and placing them on granite. With the exception of two small limestone blocks in the upper corners of the south and east walls, this, the main portion of the Ante-Chamber, is formed entirely of granite. 477 As there is only a width of about three and a half feet between the east and west walls of the Ante-Chamber, we could not have taken the photograph of the small space to the north of the Granite Leaf, had it not been for Caviglia's excavation in the west wall. By taking advantage of this excavation, we were enabled to set back the camera far enough to secure a view of sufficiently wide angle to show John at nearly full length. 478 We find it necessary to use our special wide-angle lens, which has a focus of only 3% inches, in nearly all our photographs of the interior of the Great Pyramid ; in such confined spaces as that mentioned above, it is of great advantage. For views outside we have another lens with a focus of 6.3 inches, which can also be converted into a focus of 11% inches by an arrangement lately devised by lens-makers. Both of these lenses were made by Carl Zeiss of Jena, and are in our opinion the best possible for careful work. In addition to these, we have a " Tele-photograph " lens (also made by Carl Zeiss) capable of giving up to five magnifications; but so far we have not had many opportunities to make use of it. 479 A third photograph (Plate CXX) taken inside the Ante-Chamber, with the camera placed on the flat upper surface of the east wainscot, shows the upper portion of the west side of the Granite Leaf where it fits into its groove in the granite wainscot of the west wall. Above this, on the right side of the photograph, are seen the upper and middle of the three limestone blocks which form the north wall of the Ante-Chamber, Of the two blocks shown above the west wainscot, the one to the north is limestone, and the other is granite. The extreme blackness of the granite roof is due to the smoke from the torches and candles of the countless visitors who have passed below on their way to and from the King's Chamber. 480 More of the Granite Leaf would have been shown in the above photograph had it not been for an unfortunate little incident. According to our usual method we had set light to the touch-paper inserted in the powder, and had retired to a safe distance till the flash should be over. After waiting for a longer interval than usual without hearing the explosion, we concluded that the touch-paper had become extinguished, as had happened on certain other occasions. I therefore edged over in the direction of the camera along the top of the east wainscot, so as to cover the lens before adjusting a fresh piece of touch-paper. When quite close to the camera, but before I had time to cover the lens, the powder suddenly ignited. The result is that part of the field
PLATECXX. of view is intercepted by my knees; there is sufficient in the photograph, however, to give a general idea of the appearance of the upper portion of the Ante-Chamber. 481 The two wainscots form a very peculiar feature of this little chamber. Their distance apart is the same as the width of the walls of the low passages, i.e., about three
The upper end of the, Granite Leaf in the Ante-Chamber of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh; showing one of the fhree semi-cylindrical grooves in the fop of the west wair~scof.
and a half feet. They are each approximately a foot thick, the width, therefore, of the Ante-Chamber is about two feet more in its upper than in its lower part. The whole height of the chamber from floor to roof measures twelve and a half feet, and the length from north to south walls is about nine feet eight inches. The east wainscot reaches upward to within 46 inches of the roof, but the west wainscot is 894 inches higher. This difference in height is well shown in the photograph by the fact that my position, 243
as I sit on the upper surface of the east wainscot, is seen to be distinctly on a lower level than the top of the west wainscot. -;482 Each wainscot is characterized by four broad vertical grooves, 3% inches deep ; those on the east side are of the same dimensions as, and exactly opposite to, those on the west side of the chamber. The grooves into which the Granite Leaf is fixed, are 17 inches wide, and stop short at the bottom of the Leaf ; but the other grooves are cut the full height of the wainscots, and are 21% inches broad. The vertical ridges or pilasters which divide the three broad grooves on each wall, measure about 5 inches wide; while the width of those which retain the Granite Leaf on the south is 394 inches. The upper surface of the west wainscot is differentiated from that of the east by three deep semi-cylindrical horizontal grooves, which correspond in position with the three broad vertical grooves--See Plate XX. One of these horizontal grooves, and the upper end of the corresponding vertical groove, are shown in the photograph of the upper part of the chamber-Plate CXX. In this photograph, and especially in that which shows John stooping under the Granite Leaf (Plate CXIX), it will be observed that the dividing pilasters have been largely broken away, though sufficient remains to indicate their original dimensions. In the lower right-hand corner of the latter photograph the base of one of these pilasters is easily noticeable. 483 Some writers have suggested that the three opposite pairs of broad vertical grooves originally contained sliding portcullises of granite, which at one time cut off all entrance to the King's Chamber, This suggestion was supported by Col. Howard Vyse, who was quite of the opinion that the King's Chamber once contained the body of a dead king. He based this view on the resemblance of the Coffer to a sarcophagus, and on the fact that the other pyramids in Egypt, all carefully examined by Mr. Perring (his active partner in the work), as well as by himself, had given unmistakable evidences of having been erected as monumental sepulchres. His idea was, that during the lifetime of the king, the now missing portcullises were suspended above the floor of the Ante-Chamber on a level with the top of the low passages, just as the Granite Leaf is now suspended ; but that after the death and interment of the king, they were one by one lowered gradually by chiselling away the supporting granite immediately below them on the side walls, until, sinking down by their own weight, they finally rested on the floor and closed the entrance of the King's Chamber. This, he believed, explains why these grooves run down the whole height of the wainscots. For some reason, which he fails to explain, the ancient workmen had not lowered the fourth portcullis (i.e.,the Granite Leaf), and it was still to be seen suspended in its original position. 484 Except for a few mechanical difficulties, this theory seems reasonable; and those who have little interest in the matter might be inclined to accept it without further question. When, however, we begin to investigate the subject more closely, and with due '( respect for the intelligence of the Pyramid architect" (to quote Professor Smyth), we find that there are distinctive peculiarities about the " Granite Leaf" (first so named by Professor Greaves in 1638 A.D.), which make it certain that it, at all events, had not been intended by the architect to serve as a portcullis. 485 As a portcullis, the Granite Leaf would be unaccountably small when compared with its companions, for its grooves are four and a half inches less in width than theirs ; and as it is formed of two stones placed horizontally one upon the other (See Plate 244
CXIX),it could have been lifted out of its position or broken up with comparative ease. 486 If the Granite Leaf had originally been intended to act as a portcullis and had been lowered to the floor in the manner claimed for the missing three, it would have been quite useless as a protection against intruders ; for its uneven upper surface would only have been six inches higher than the top of the doorway, and the space of 21 inches between it and the north wall, would have permitted workmen to enter the chamber in order to break and remove the other portcullises-Plate CXVIII. 487 The grooves which contain the Granite Leaf stop short at the level of the top of the passages, but the others, as is shown in Plate CXIX, sink a few inches below the level of the floor. This is a sure proof that the latter grooves were not chiselled out after the completion of the building, but that, on the contrary, the granite wainscots were previously cut and finished in this fashion, and then built in position at the sides of the chamber, before the granite floor-stones were laid down between them. (In the King's Chamber the same method of construction was adopted, for the four granite walls of that chamber dip down five inches in an unbroken line below the level of the floor-Plate XV.) An additional proof is that the lower portions of the grooves do not present the rough appearance which must have resulted had they been cut in the manner suggested by Col. Howard Vyse. 488 A close examination of the Granite Leaf makes it quite certain that the architect did not design it as a fourth portcullis, not only because it never has been, nor could have been effectually so used, but also because it is firmly cemented into its present position (and, probably, also morfised into its place, although this is not so easy to determine). 489 We believe that the Granite Leaf was intended for a very different purpose; and I should like to draw your attention to a peculiar feature in connection with it. The Granite Leaf appears to be an inch narrower than its corresponding grooves in the wainscots ; it is 16 inches thick, while the grooves are 17 inches wide. Close examination shows, however, that this difference is made up by narrow one-inch projections or rebates on the north face of the Leaf, which make it fit tightly into its grooves. With the exception of these rebates (which are an evidence of special design), the whole of the north face of the Leaf has been dressed or planed down one inch, in order that one little part near the centre might appear in relief. This little part is generally known as the Boss. It is in external shape like a horse-shoe, and is 5 inches wide by 5 inches high on its outer face, which is level with the side rebates. It is situated on the upper of the two blocks which form the Leaf, its lower edge being 5 inches up from the horizontal joint between the blocks, and its centre nearly midway between the east and west walls of the chamber, but one inch nearer the west. The horizontal joint between those blocks can be seen in the photograph of the south side of the LeafPlate CXIX. 490 The extra labour which was necessary to reduce so carefully and uniformly the whole north surface of both the blocks, with the exception of the Boss and the projecting side rebates, to the extent of one inch, shows that this little Boss is an intended feature in the Great Pyramid ; and Professor C. Piazzi Smyth saw much significance in it. He claimed that both in its size and in its position it forms a key to the length of the Pyramid unit of measure, called by him the " Pyramid Inch," and also to the length of' the
PLATE CXXI.
" Pyramid Cubit " of 5 times 5 Pyramid Inches ; both of which measures he proves to be abundantly evident everywhere throughout the Pyramid-Par. 19. 491 As for ourselves, we believe that everything in this peculiar little chamber has a symbolical significance,and that the Granite Leaf is a most important feature. You will remember how beautifully, in the 3rd Volume of Scripture Studies, C. T. Russell ! points out a number of these symbolisms, ! which the photographs we have taken are intended partially to illustrate-See Chapter VII, Section (E). 492 One other photograph was taken in ! the Ante - Chamber :, Plate CXXI. This shows on the right side a portion of the west wall with its broad shallow grooves and its broken pilasters, and on the left the low passage, only three and a half feet in height and eight 1
feet fourinchesin length, leading to the King's Chamber. The narrow I rebates on each side of ! the doorway are clearly apparent, as also the four vertical and parallel grooves, measuring 394 inches in width by The south wall of the Ante-Chamber; showing the forzr deep 294 inches in depth, grooves which divide the wall into five eqrzal spaces; reaching from the ceilalso the low passage which lends southward ing of theante-Chamber to the King's Chamber. down to the fractured doortop. The five spaces marked off by these four vertical grooves and the two side walls, stand out distinctly, and are of equal width, namely, six inches. The white line across the floor at the further end of the low passage, is the dividing line between the granite floor of the entrance passage, and the granite floor of the King's Chamber beyond. The prominence of this line is due to the fact that the floor of the King's I L
PLATE CXXII. Chamber is three-quarters of an inch higher than that of the Ante-Chamber and the entrance passage.
493 In the King's Chamber also, we have taken several photographs; but it is so large, and the surrounding granite (for the chamber is entirely built of granite) is so
"Afternoon tea" in the King's Chamber; showing part of the dark granite walls of the chamber; also the Coffer.
dark, that we find it difficult to obtain a satisfactory general view of the whole chamber. We remember how Professor Smyth found photographing in this chamber so troublesome that he almost despaired of securing a record of any part of it. He made several attempts, burning large quantities of magnesium wire each time, but without success. Finally, he made a torch of 50 short lengths of magnesium wire bound loosely together, and by this managed to create a flash brilliant enough to enable him to secure a photograph of the Coffer. 494 We understand that a number of visitors to the Pyramid attempt unsuccessfully to take interior photographs by burning lengths of magnesium wire. The light produced by this wire, although very white, is not intense enough for photographic purposes ; and if large quantities of it are burned in order to get a longer exposure, the dense smoke generated soon obscures the object, because in these small passages and chambers the smoke has no chance to escape quickly.
PLATE CXXIII. 495 The method which we have found satisfactory is to use magnesium in powder form, with some preparation added in order to make it explode when ignited. The specially prepared powder which we use is named the " Agfa " flashlight, and we find that a small quantity is sufficient to enable us to photograph even a large place, such as the Subterranean Chamber. We . . . : ;%:-: $ q r ; ~ : x . ~ ~ : form a little heap of the powder , : '7 , . _ _.. .- . .- " . .. -. . . - 1 (varying in size according to the photograph to be taken) in the .'; centre of the lid of a metal box. .". ii Into this we insert one end of a strip of touch-paper; and then, all other things being ready, we set light to the paper and retire, shutting our eyes, and holding our hands to our ears. The glare of the flash is so intense that we have found it necessary to keep our eyes closed whenever possible ; and the noise, increased ten times by the resounding echoes throughout the passages, is rather disconcerting. (We wonder what the bats think of it all!) As the flash is instantaneous, the photograph is secured before the inevitable smoke (which is not dense in this powder) has had time to settle. At first we inclined to put the lid holding the powder too near the front of the camera, with the result that a number of the negatives were spoiled TJze nzozzih of the air-chonnel in the sorzih wall of by the light fanning out in front of the King's Clzarnher. the lens. We had, of course, to retake these photographs. 496 It is impossible to make use of .the focussing-screen of the camera in the ordinary way in these dark recesses of the Great Pyramid, but the correct focus is easy to obtain by means of adjustable scales, which indicate the proper distance of the lens from the sensitive film, relative to the distance that the camera is erected from the part to be photographed. AS the aperture of the wide-angle lens is very small (only f/22 to f/32), most objects in the field of view, whether close to the camera or at a distance, are sharply defined. 497 We photographed the mouth of the south air-channel of the King's Chamber as it appears on the south wall-Plate CXXIII. The surface of the wall immediately above and to the east side of the mouth is much broken away, and the opening is therefore much larger than it was originally. This air-channel runs horizontally southward for a few feet, then takes a bend upward, and after a second short length still another upward ;
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bend, from which point it south face of the Pyramid. arched, both in its breadth most peculiar feature, and
PLATECXXIV. progresses in a straight line, and at a constant angle, to the The floor of the horizontal portion is level, but the roof is from east to west, and in its length from north to south,-a evidently, from every appearance, the original design of the
The entrance doorway of the King's Chamber; showing the mozzfh of the north air-channel to the left.
builders. The side walls, where they join the floor, though straight in their length, do not rise at right-angles, but incline outward and upward for about two feet, after which they curve inward in the shape of a dome as already indicated. The result is, that although the floor of the channel is only a few inches wide, there is sufficient space between the walls higher up, and enough height between the floor and the arched roof, to allow one to creep in on hands and knees. I crept in (holding a lighted candle in
PLATE CXXV. front of me, which several times was nearly blown-out by the strong current of air which is constantly passing through), and examined the second short, but inclined length of the channel. This portion is also of a peculiar shape. Instead of being oblong in section like the air-channel on the opposite wall of the chamber, or the two channels leading from the Queen's Chamber, it is oval, and is lined with smooth plaster. I understand, from what Mr. Covington told us, that the I channel beyond the second bend takes on the usual oblong section. It is puzzling to know why the builders should have madetwo such peculiar departures. 498 We photographed the doorway of the small passage by which we had entered the The Coffer. King's Chamber Plate CXXIV. To show how small it is, Grace stood near it on the west side. The opening of the north air-channel can be seen on the left-hand side ; it will be noticed that its upper edge is in line with the top edge of the doorway. We secured a picture of the Coffer, with six of us sitting in it to give an idea of its size-Plate CXXV. On the right-hand side of this latter photograph, it will be noticed that a portion of the floor of the chamber is missing. Some of the floor-stones were raised from this, the north-west, corner of the chamber by early looters, who then excavated a large hollow in the soft limestone below the hard granite floor, in the hope of discovering hidden treasure somewhere under the Coffer. This excavation enables one to see that the granite walls of the chamber rest on limestone exactly five inches below the upper surface of the floor. 499 On the walls behind the Coffer, and also above the doorway, a great many disfiguring names are visible. Names are scrawled everywhere in the Pyramid. Generally they are carved in the stone; but in the King's Chamber the granite is too hard to make this easily possible, and consequently most of the names are painfed on its walls. 500 The Coffer has been much chipped and otherwise roughly handled, and yet it is wonderful how well preserved it is after so many centuries of ill usage. On striking it with the hand, it gives out a clear bell-like sound. This is due to the fact that it is
I
hollowed out of one large block of granite, which, as Professor Flinders Petrie points out, shows evidence of having been sawn into its square shape. The method by which this granite block was hollowed out was, according to Professor Petrie, by means of large jewelled tubular drills. 501 Evidences of the extensive use of saws and drills on all kinds of stone, some of which are harder even than granite, are everywhere apparent in Egypt. How the ancient Egyptians were able to use them has puzzled the minds of Egyptologists for many years. Their knowledge of mechanics teaches them that immense power must have been employed ; yet they fail to find any trace of an adequate appliance by which this power could have been generated.' Professor Petrie says: " The great pressure needed to force the drills and saws so rapidly through the hard stones is very surprising ; probably a load of at least a ton or two was placed on the four-inch drills cutting in granite [he elsewhere speaks of drills of no less than eighteen inches in diameter !] . . These rapid spiral grooves [to be clearly seen on the inside of drilled holes] cannot be ascribed to anything but the descent of the drill into the granite under enormous pressure." After describing the method by which the builders of the Second Pyramid introduced and placed in position the large granite portcullis which closes that pyramid's lower Entrance Passage (See Plate XXVIII), Professor Petrie adds the following comment: " The skill required to turn over and lift such a block, in such a confined space, is far more striking than the moving of much larger masses in the open air, where any number of men could work on them. By measuring the bulk, it appears
.
1 It is significant to note, in this connection, that a piece of wroztght iron was found in the Great Pyramid by one of Col. Howard Vyse's assistants, Mr. J. R. Hill, during the operatious carried on at Gizeh in 1837. Mr. Hill found it embedded in the cement of an inner joint, while removing some of the masonry preparatory to clearing the southern air-channel of the King's Chamber. This piece of iron is probably the oldest specimen in existence ; and Col. Howard Vyse was fully cognizant of the importance of the find. He forwarded it to the British Museum with the following certificates :
L'Thisis to certify, that the piece of iron found by me near the [outside] mouth of the airpassage, i n the southern side of the Great Pyramid-at Gizeh, on Friday, May 26th, was taken out by me from an inner joint, after having removed by blasting the two outer tiers of the stones of the present surface of the Pyramid ; and that no joint or opening of any sort was connected with the above-mentioned joint, by which the iron could have been placed in it after the original building of the Pyramid. I also showed the exact spot to Mr. Perring, on Saturday, June 24th.-J. R. Hill. "To the above certificate of Mr. Hill, I can add, that since I saw the spot at the commencement of the blasting, there have been two tiers of stones removed, and that, if the piece of iron was found in the joint, pointed out to me by Mr. Hill, and which was covered by a larger stone partly remaining, it is impossible it could have been placed there since the building of the Pyramid,J. S. Perring, C.E. "We hereby certify, that we examined the place whence the iron in question was taken by Mr. Hill, and we are of opinion, that the iron must have been left in the joint during the building of the Pyramid, and that it could not have been inserted afterwards.-Ed. S. Andrews,-James Mash, C.E." Because of its very rarity, some have been inclined to doubt the authenticity of this piece of iron ; but Professor Flinders Petrie rightly defends it-"The vouchers for it are very precise ; and it has a cast of a nummulite on the rust of it, proving it to have been buried for ages beside a block of nummulitic limestone [which forms a large part of the core masonry of the Pyramid], and therefore to be certainly ancient. No reasonable doubt can therefore exist about its being really a genuine piece used by the Pyramid masons." The Scriptures make mention of artificers in iron, before the DelugeGen. 4 : 22.
that this portcullis was nearly two tons in weight, and would require 40 to 60 men to lift it ; the space, however, would not allow of more than a tenth of that number working at it ; and this proves that some very efficient method was used for weilding such masses, quite apart from mere abundance of manual force." 502 We suggest that it is probably their almost universal belief in the theory of Evolution, which makes the learned Egyptologists wonder at the undoubted evidences of mechanical knowledge and skill possessed by ancient nations. But to those who, like ourselves, have faith in the Scriptural account of the fall of man from original perfection (Par. 147),the many examples of the skill of 4000 years ago are only confirmatory of our belief. The present great accession of scientific knowledge on all subjects which is held as proof of the tlreory of Evolution, is to us rather an evidence that we are now in the beginning of the times of restitution, concerning which the Scriptures speak so much (Acts 3 : 21), the times when all things will be restored to original perfection. 503 Although we do not say that the ancients knew all that modern research has brought to light, yet many things which they knew were lost in the subsequent degeneration of the race, and have not yet been restored to us of this day. The Great Pyramid itself is convincing proof, for instance, of the lost art of building accurately with great masses of stone. The opinion is frequently expressed and generally agreed to by those who can speak with authority, that no modern builder could undertake to build the Great Pyramid as it was constructed over 4000 years ago. They would not know how to make such fine joints between the large blocks of stone, nor how to fill them with cement. 504 Speaking about the joints and the use of cement by the Egyptians, Professor Flinders Petrie says : " The use of cement by the Egyptians is remarkable ; and their s k i in cementing joints is hard to understand. How, in the casing of the Great Pyramid, they could fill with cement a vertical joint about 5 feet by 7 feet in area, and only averaging one-fiftieth part of an inch thick is a mystery [See Par. 861 ; more especially as the joint could not be thinned by rubbing, owing to its being a vertical joint, and the block weighing about 16 tons. Yet this was the usual work over 13 acres of surface, with tens of thousands of casing-stones, none less than a ton in weight." It is confirmatory to find so noted an Egyptologist and Evolutionist adding the weight of his testimony not only to the opinion that the Great Pyramid was at one time entirely encased with beautifully smooth and exquisitely jointed limestone, but also to the fact that in its excellency of workmanship, it far surpasses all the pyramids and temples throughout Egypt. As the Great Pyramid is the oldest of the Egyptian monuments, this is against the evolution hypothesis, and in favour of the Scriptural teaching of the fall. Your loving brother in the Lord, MORTON EDGAR.
PLATE CXXVI.
LETTER XX. Marietfe's House, Sakkara. Thursday, 15th JzzZj: 1909.
DEAR BRETHREN,-Just now, Jack, Stanley and I are sitting in what used to be the desert home of Mariette, the great Egyptian excavator, and founder of Cairo Museum. The house is situated near the Sakkara Pyramids, about three hours' donkey-ride from the Pyramids of Gizeh.
Donkey-riding at the Sakkara Pyramids.
506 We started out on donkeys at 6-30 this morning, accompanied by our tent contractor, Abdul Salam Faid. The donkey I am riding belongs to Mr. Faid, and is called "Telephone." While on the road we noticed quite a number of "scarabs," the R
253
PLATESCXXVII & CXXVIII.
The first ruined pyramid to the south of the Gizeh group.
A tlzstnnf view of ihe Pyramids of Gizeh, from the soztth
PLATE CXXIX. ancient Egyptian sacred beetle, walking on the sand, and flying past us in front of our donkeys' heads. It was especially interesting to see them alighting on their backs on the sand, and then scrambling to their feet. We have been round all the pyramids which we passed on our journey, and have also visited some of the large underground tombs. We have taken a good many photographs. It is now about I o'clock, and it is our intention to wait here for an hour or two till it is sufficiently cool to enable us to return over the long stretch of burning desert sand. 507 In one of the tombs which we visited, named the Apis Tombs, there are long underground passages cut it different directions, and containing twenty - four sacred bulls in stone sarcophagi. So immense are these sarcophagi that some of them are said to weigh over 60 tons, and yet they have each been carved out of one huge block of granite. Although the lids of these great stone chests are very large, and must weigh several tons each, they have all been prized enough to one side to enable a man to creep in and remove the contents. M. Mariette, the discoverer of this large underground tomb, was fortunate enough to find one of these sarcophagi unopened. It contained the embalmed remains of a bull as it was Abdzzl Salam Faid,and his donkey Telephone." when buried there centuries ago. 508 While we were admiring the wonderful skill, and thinking of the great labour which must have been bestowed upon this intricate tomb and its immense coffins, I could not help reflecting that if the purpose of all this skill and labour was the burial of a couple of dozen bulls, then indeed the words of the Apostle here received their confirmation-" Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools "-See Par. 150. Surely, the men who made those tombs were fools indeed, however clever they may have been at building with great masses of stone ! 509 When we came to the first pyramid which lies south of the Gizeh group, we dismounted and had a look at the foundations of its temple uncovered about two years ago. Our attention was directed to a large number of shallow circular baths cut out of solid alabaster. We understand that the excavator had desired to remove these, but was prevented by the authorities of the Cairo Museum. Round the rim of each of them we counted 23 small cylindrical depressions, about three-quarters of an inch deep, conjectured to have been used for holding candles during sonie of the idolatrous services. In one place there are nine baths in a row; and the bather is supposed to have stepped from one to another, the water in them being graduated in temperature. 510 The pyramid to which this temple is attached is in a very ruinous condition. "
255
PLATESCXXX & CXXXI.
-
-
An example of the ruzned Pyramids of Abusir.
An example of the ruined Pyranzids of Sakkara.
PLATECXXXII. Little of it remains, but a part of the lower course of casing-stones is still in positionPlate CXXVII. We were interested to see some small stone huts erected on top of this ruined pyramid. A few of the people, who had formerly taken part in the work of excavating, live in these huts, and their duty is evidently that of care-takers of the
The Step Pyramid of Sakkara.
excavated pyramid and temple. On request they kindly supplied us with a refreshin2 drink of water, and were duly awarded with bakshish. 511 Before continuing our journey southward, we took advantage of the slight eminence on which this pyramid is built to look back northward in the direction of the Pyramids of Gizeh, and secure a photographic record of the scene. We had traversed a considerable distance, and away over the flat plain the Great Pyramid and its companions looked very small and dim-Plate CXXVIII. 512 All the Pyramids of Abusir and Sakkara are very ruinous. It will be seen by our photographs of some of them, that they are little more than large mounds of rubbish -Plates CXXX & CXXXI. The "Step" Pyramid of Sakkara is almost the only one which presents anything like a definite form-Plate CXXXII. This structure, which is not truly a pyramid, possesses four entrance passages, and has a complicated system of small passages leading in all directions. These are mostly cut in the rock below the pyramid's base-line. 513 We visited the interior of one of the Pyramids of Sakkara. It has only one simple entrance passage leading to a few subterranean chambers cut in the rock not far below the base of the pyramid. The walls of the chambers are covered with decorative scroll-work and hieroglyphics, and one of them contains a sarcophagus. 514 A noteworthy distinction between the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, and all the other pyramids throughout Egypt, is the fact that in it alone are passages and chambers
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PLATEC x x x v . constructed high up in the body of the building. In the other pyramids, these are either cut in the rock more or less after the example of the Descending Passage and Pit of the Great Pyramid, or else are situated low down near the base-line, partly in the rock, and partly in the masonry. This important distinction is strikingly apparent, when one has before him drawings which show in vertical section the internal arrangement of each of the thirty-eight pyramids of Egypt - Plates CXXXIII & CXXXIV. When it is remembered that the Great Pyramid was the first to be erected (Par. ?tP 401), the fact that I , &$*-$?%$ the other pyramids * -. =*.---- * - .*--%. I?are without upper "-"" .*>. passages and cham- bers, together with '--I-------- -. ' .c--- : -- - - -... the history of the accidentaldiscovery The casznzg-stones of one of the Sakkara Pyramzds. of those in the Great Pyramid by A1 Mamoun in 820 AD.-(Pars. 96-98), is strong evidence that the builders of the other pyramids were ignorant of their great model's upper system. 515 In the Sakkara Pyramid, whose interior we visited, some of the lower casingstones, which are still to be seen in their original position, are very large. We took a photograph of those on the west side, getting the Arab care-taker to stand close to them for the purpose of showing their size-Plate CXXXV. Although these stones are large on the outside, they do not seem so substantial and solid as the recently uncovered casing-stones of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh. 516 There can be no doubt 'that the temple in connection with this pyramid was built simultaneously with it ; for this is clearly shown by a few remaining casing-stones on the east side. The stones are " L" shaped, containing the angle of junction between the sloping side of the pyramid, and the perpendicular wall of the temple jutting out at right angles. The photograph which we secured of this right-angled junction will give some idea of its appearance-Plate CXXXVI. 517 We should like to have gone on to the Pyramids of Dashur, but Mr. Faid said it would take too long to do the journey. We had, therefore, to content ourselves with photographing them as they appeared to us in the dim distance-Plate CXXXVII. 518 Excavations round most of the pyramids throughout Egypt have demonstrated the fact that they all had temples, situated on their east sides. We are inclined to the opinion that the Great Pyramid of Gizeh is the one exception to this general rule. We 4
.
-
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-
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259
4
The east base of one of the Sakkara Pyramids; showing the peculiar L-shaped casing-stones.
A distant vzew of the Pyramids of Dashur, from the Pyramids of Sakkara.
PLATE CXXXVIII,
TRIAL P A S S A G E S HEWN IN THE ROCK EAST OF THE
GREAT PYRAMID OF
ClZEH
SHOW/NG THEIR WONDERFUL SfMILARlTY TO T E PASSAGE SYSTEM /N THE GREAT PYRAMID
are aware that those who claim that the Great Pyramid also had a temple have a certain amount of justification for their belief, for fragmentary remains of a black-stone (basalt) pavement can be seen on the east side-Plates I1 & XVII. But owing to the large amount of debris which still lies at the east base, it is not certain that this pavement extended right in to the side of the Pyramid itself ; and in any case its fragments are quite unlike the undoubted temple reniains of the Second and Third Pyramids of Gizeh, or of the other pyramids further up the Nile. Again, there is no room on this side of the Great Pyramid for a temple of any size. The three small pyramids which are ranged along the east side of the Great Pyramid, are built too close to allow a temple even so small as that to the east of the Third Pyramid, to be erected here. But even if it could be proved that a small temple had been erected near the Great Pyramid, it would not follow that it had formed any part of the Pyramid as originally designed and completed by the ancient builders. Just as we know that the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, unlike the other pyramids of Egypt, was not built as a tomb, not only because there is no record of a body ever having been found in it, but also because of its symbolism, so we may be sure that it was not built in connection with an edifice for idolatrous worship such as was practised by the ancient Egyptians.
PLATE CXXXIX.
PLATE CXL. ( A t the tents.) We arrived at our tents about 6 p.m., having completed the journey from Sakkara in quick time ; our donkeys galloped most of the way. 5 19 During our absence, John and Grace, accompanied by Judah, visited the Sphinx, the Granite Temple near the Sphinx, and the Trial Passages which are cut in the rock about a hundred yards east of the Great Pyramid-Plate 11. According to Professors Smyth and Petrie, the Granite Temple near the Sphinx has a direct connection with the temple of the Second Pyramid, both, apparently, being united by a long straight causeway. 520 John found the Trial Passages almost entirely filled with rubbish. They are, however, fully described by the principal writers on the pyramids-Plate CXXXVIII. Evidently these Trial Passages were intended to serve as models to the ancient workers at the bd' Great Pyramid, just as modern i shipbuilders and others work to - - - --carefully prepared patterns ; for, "" '+-' . .with the single exception of the * . - -. .. - . ?: -*=-. . -.* . h i - . - -. . position of the Wellshaft, these ?is. .:.- .*, v . . ~ ,-->: " +. .. - *- P, t - ' --,. 2~ .\-.*4 --.: inclined passages are an exact - -*.. --* .' ,.-$.-B- - , model of the Great Pyramid's . - -M'c .as. *. . .-f"-. " -7 , ..,( passage - system, shortened in -.- L,, 'length, but of full size in width and height. The resemblance is striking, even to the beginning of the Horizontal Passage to the Isolated trees near ihe " Well of sweet water" referred Queen's Chamber, the Ramps at to by Co2. Howard Vjrse. the sides of the Grand Gallery, and the contraction at the lower end of the Ascending Passage to hold the Granite Plug (excepting that in the Trial Passages, this contraction occurs additionally in the height, as well as in the width of the Ascending Passage). Although the vertical shaft is in a different position in the Trial Passages, it is evidently intended as a model of the Well-shaft in the Great Pyramid, the bore of each being the same. The total lengths of the Descending and Ascending Passages are 66 feet and 50 feet respectively. 521 On our journey back to our tents, I photographed the isolated group of trees which stand near the " well of sweet water" referred to by Col. Howard Vyse (Plate CXL), showing the Great Pyramid in the background-Compare Plate 11. The Arabs have now turned the place into a burying-ground. I also took the opportunity to ascend the hill which lies about half a mile to the south (and slightly to the east) of the -LI
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PLATE CXLI.
Great Pyramid-Plate 11. From this hill a commanding view is obtained of the pyramids, and of the intervening strip of desert covered with tombs and with great mounds of sand, some of which were formed by excavators of the tombs. My object was to gain a correct impression as to the relative sizes of the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx, when viewed from a distance. Although the sun was setting behind the pyramids, and a peculiar dark haze was filling the little valley below me, I was fortunate enough to secure a photograph of the scene, showing the Sphinx to the extreme right, and the Great Pyramid to the left, with the three small ruined pyramids on its right (east) sidePlate CXXXIX. 522 The entrance of the extensive and laborious excavation made by Col. Howard Vyse on the south side of the Great Pyramid, can be seen very well in this photograph. It looks like the mouth of another Entrance Passage. It was in pursuance of a theory that the Great Pyramid contained a second system of passages and chambers entered from the south, that Col. Howard Vyse caused his workers to search for a southern Entrance, in the same relative position westward of the centre line of the Pyramid, as the present northern Entrance lies eastward of the centre-Plate V. The work of excavating was continued for well over three months, but without finding any indication of a passage, either by an inclination in the courses of the stones, or by any other circumstance. The deduction drawn by Col. Howard Vyse as a result of this work is instructive-" After much labour, the excavation at the southern front of the Great Pyramid had been carried to the level of the supposed Entrance, but without the slightest appearance of a passage. The difficulties encountered in this operation proved how much expense and labour would be necessary to take down one of these great edifices. The stones must be carefully lowered from the top, or they would be broken, and unfit for any useful purpose ; and unless extensive causeways were formed, the surrounding ground would soon be encumbered to that degree as to impede all further operations. So wonderfully have these monuments been constructed for duration." 523 The failure to discover additional passages in the Great Pyramid, or to find passages and chambers constructed high up in the masonry of any of the other pyramids, caused an impression of wonder in the mind of Col. Howard Vyse. He wrote : I had not at that time any idea that the stupendous masses of the pyramids were composed of solid masonry, and that (with the exception of the King's and Queen's Chambers and adjoining passages, and Chambers of Construction afterwards discovered in this Pyramid), the apartments were invariably excavations in the solid rock. Indeed, after having ascertained the fact almost beyond the possibility of doubt, it was difficult to believe it, or to comprehend an adequate motive for the construction of these magnificent buildings merely as sepulchral monuments over a tomb, unless it was the all-powerful influence of superstitious feelings." 524 This photograph (Plate CXXXIX) shows at once how immeasurably larger the Great Pyramid is than the Sphinx; and we have noticed that the greater the distance from which we view these monuments, the greater becomes the contrast. In another view of the pyramids and Sphinx, taken from east of the Arab village (Plate CXLI), the Sphinx appears most insignificant. By this method of comparison, one can get some impression of the truly immense size of the Great Pyramid ; for the Sphinx, when viewed at close quarters, is itself huge, as may be appreciated by the phbtograph of it which we show
PLATECXLII.
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PLATE CXLIII. here-Plate CXLIII. Notice the man standing on its head, and the other clinging to its great thick neck ! 525 When one gazes upon the Pyramids of Gizeh for the first time, unless previously well imformed, he is apt to be a little disappointed, for they appear smaller and less attractive than possibly he had anticipated. This, however, is partly owing to their unique shape, and partly owing to the lack of a building near them with which a proper comparison can be made. St. Paul's Cathedral would appear insignificant beside the Great Pyramid, both in height and in breadth ; the pinnacle of its dome is a hundred feet lower than the apex of the Pyramid. Even St. Peter's of Rome, immense though it is, is small when compared with the Great Pyramid. Nor is it possible to accurately judge of the relative proportions of the various pyramids TIze Sphznx, wzfh p n r f of flze Second Pyramzd by simply looking at zn the background. them, for from whatever view-point they are surveyed, the inevitable diminishing effect of the perspective always gives a false impression, so that if the whole group be viewed from south of the Third Pyramid as in Plate CXLII, the Great Pyramid, although immeasurably larger than the Third Pyramid, shows no pre-eminence in size. 526 In his first volume of Pyramids of Gizeh, Col. Howard Vyse very well remarks upon the comparative indifference of visitors to the grandeur of the pyramids ; and to the growing appreciation of those who are privileged to work in or near them for any length of time. He writes : " Owing to the oblateness of their forms, the want of proper objects of comparison, the proportionate smallness of the stones with which they are built, and many other adventitious circumstances, the exaggerated and undefined expectations of travellers are often disappointed in the hasty survey generally taken of these monuments ; and they are consequently considered rude and misshapen masses of coarse masonry, without symmetry or beauty, and alone worthy of notice from their extraordinary size. A more deliberate examination, however, never fails to alter and correct those opinions ; and it was universally acknowledged, by those who remained any length of time at the pyramids, that the more carefully and frequently they are
PLATE CXLIV.
inspected,-the more extraordinary their grandeur appeared, and also the striking effects which, under the varying influence of the atmosphere, they continually presented. Preeminent in dimensions and antiquity over all other buildings in the world, they are alike admirable for the excellence of their masonry, the skill and science displayed in their construction, and the imposing majesty of their simple forms." 527 "They require repeated examination to enable any one to comprehend their awful and extraordinary proportions," the Colonel remarks in another place ; and this we have found to be the case. Points of comparison have gradually attracted our attention which have helped to educate our eyes to appreciate properly the remarkable magnitude of the Great Pyramid. Several of these can be seen in our photographs. One of the most prominent is the size of the large mounds of rubbish which lie at the base. These are about 50 feet high in the middle, yet they appear insignificant in those photographs which show the full height of the Pyramid-Plates LXXVII & LXXIX. Another good point of comparison can be drawn from Plates Nos. CXLIV & XXXI. In the former (which was taken from the hill above Mena House Hotel, and shows our tents in front of the Great Pyramid), the angle-stones which lie above the Entrance appear quite small in comparison with the long sloping sides of the Pyramid ; but when these same stones are viewed at close quarters, as in No. XXXI, they are seen to be very large. 528 Mere size would not of itself, however, cause us to be attracted to the Great Pyramid more than to its companions. We have already alluded to other points of distinction; and each day as we have progressed with our work, these have become more impressed upon our minds. The chief distinction is the abundant proof that the Great Pyramid is God's stone "Witness" in the land of Egypt (Isa. 19 : 19), and it is the knowledge of this which attracts us to the Great Pyramid to the almost total neglect of the others. Much love in the Lord from us all, Your loving brother, MORTONEDGAR.
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PLATE CXLVI.
LETTER XXI. Tents at the Great Pyramid of Gize11 Friday nighf, 16flz JzzIj: 1909.
A day or two ago, Judah fastened the rope-ladder (kindly lent to us by Mr. Covington) to the iron pin which our workmen have fixed in the floor of an excavation in the north wall at the upper end of the Well-shaft. Were it not for the ladder, I question whether we should have ventured the descent. Even with the ladder's aid, we found it laborious and not without risk. However, we feel that the Lord has provided this comparatively safe means of exploring this symbol of death, and that it is our I privilege to take adi vantage of it. Who would have thought I that we should find a rope-ladder ready i ' -1 for us on our arri- &i >LA-&-i 6--2~ val at the Great The Well-mozzfh,fro711 tlze sozzth Pyramid ! 530 As you are aware, the upper end of the Well is situated on the west side of the Grand Gallery, about two feet from the north wall, so that all who emerge from the First Ascending Passage into the Grand Gallery, cannot fail to see its open mouth at their feet on the right-hand side-Plate XVIII. 531 We have already taken several photographs of the mouth of the Well ; but it seems to be difficult to secure a photograph of this important part, which will show it as it appears to one who is standing in the Grand Gallery. We hope, however, by the aid of those taken, to make a drawing or drawings which will give some idea of its DEAR BRETHREN,-To-~~~, John and I visited the Well-shaft and Grotto.
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PLATECXLVII.
The WELL-MOUTH in the north-west corner of the Grand Gallery of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, from the east; showing the horizontal joint between the upper and lower portions of the square-cut-off Ramp to the south (left); the fragmentary remains of the missing Ramp-stone i n the north (right) corner; and the upper end of the First Ascending Passage to the right; also part of the floor of the Horizontal Passage to the Queen's Chamber i n the foreground.
PLATECXLVIII. general appearance. Two of our photographs show the fractured Ramp-stone very plainly, and also the depression in the west wall of the Grand Gallery, which marks the place formerly occupied by the missing portion of the Ramp immediately above the Well-mouth-See Plate XIII. One of these (Plate CXLVI) was taken from a point on the east side of the Horizontal Passage leading to the Queen's Chamber. The camera was erected three and a half feet to the south of the centre of the Wellmouth, with the lens about 18 inches above the floor, and therefore much below the inclined upper surface of the West Rainp at this place. The other photograph (Plate CXLVIII) was taken with the camera placed in the opposite (north-east) angle of the Grand Gallery, on top of the East Ramp. The sloping upper surface of the East Ramp appears in the foreground. ' 532 It has been claimed (by Professor Flinders Petrie among others) that the Well did not form part of the original design of the Pyramid, but that, as a mere afterthought, it was dug out first through the already completed masonry of the Grand Gallery, and then down vertically The Well-month, f r o m the eaat. through the core masonry and rock to the lower end of the Descending Passage-Plates IX & XVII. If this were so, it is unlikely that the stones in the immediate vicinity of the Well-mouth on the west, would show any great difference in. shape and arrangement from those directly opposite on the east side of the Grand Gallery. Yet a careful comparison reveals a number of important differences. This circumstance, in addition to the fact that the Well is an indispensable feature in the symbolical teaching of the Great Pyramid's passage and chamber system, seems to us to support the opinion held by Professor C. Piazzi Smyth
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Since arriving home in Scotland, we have prepared from our various photographs two drawings which show the whole of the Well-mouth with its immediate surroundings-Plates CXLV & CXLVII. In these drawings, which are similar to the two photographs described above, the principal additions are to the foreground. They show, at the line of the north edge of the Well-mouth, the irregular cut-off in the continuation of the sloping floor of the First Ascending Passage (Compare Plates XI1 & XVIII) ; also a small portion of the flat floor of the Horizontal Passage, which commences at this point and progresses to the Queen's Chamber.
PLATECXLIX. and many others, that the Well is not an afterthought, but part of the original design of the Great Pyramid. 533 On close examination it is seen that the north, west, and part of the south sides of the mouth of the Well, are in one stone; namely, (1) the small fractured portion of Ramp bounding the mouth on the ""n ".ohtr, (2) the depressed portion of the wall of the Grand Gallery on the west,--forming the horizontal roof of the small passage which leads from the Grand Gallery westward to the vertical shaft of the Well (Compare Plate XIII), and (3) the lower portion of the square-cut-off end of the Ramp on the south. It is evident, from its peculiar shape, that this encircling ; stone was specially designed to strengthen the boundaries of the 3 , Well-mouth. On the opposite side of the Grand Gallery, the corresponding portion of the East Ramp presents no such peculiar evidence of strength, where it is not required. 534 The upper part of the The lower end of the East Ramp zn the square-cut-off Ramp on the south Grarzd Gallery. side of the Well-mouth, is an independent stone. Its top surface, of course, runs in line with the angle of the Grand Gallery ; but its under surface is level, and rests horizontally on that portion of the large stone just described, which forms the south boundary of the Well-mouth-See Plates CXLV & CX1,VII. The distinctive shape of this upper stone was also, quite evidently, specially designed to form at the south edge of the Well-mouth, a firm termination to the long inclined Ramp which runs up the whole length of the Grand Gallery to the south of it-Plate -1X. Had the under surface of this stone been cut parallel with its upper inclined surface, so forming a sloping joint with the stone beneath, it would have shown a deficiency in constructional knowledge which cannot be attributed to the ancient builders of the Great Pyramid, and would have helped to support the claim that the Well was merely an afterthought. 535 Directly opposite, on the east side of the Grand Gallery, the joint between the Ramp there, and the stones on which it rests, runs parallel with the inclined upper surface ; for the Ramp on that side continues unbroken to the north wall of the Gallery, and therefore requires no special provision to stand against end-thrust. Our photograph of this lower part of the East Ramp where it butts against the north wall of the Grand Gallery (Plate CXLIX), shows also the abrupt cut-off of the smooth sloping floor, a short distance up (south) from the line of the north wall of the Gallery.
536 We believe that further examination might reveal other distinctive evidences of special masonic construction in the region of the Well; but those we have already noticed, even apart from our belief in the necessity of the Well because of its symbolical importance, are enough to satisfy us that the Well is indeed an integral part of the Great Pyramid's passage and chamber system as originally designed and completed. 537 The vertical shaft, down which the rope-ladder hangs, lies a few feet to the west of the line of the Grand Gallery, being approached by the small horizontal passage already referred to-Plates XVII & XIII. The floor of this small passage does not appear to be the original one. It is not all on one level, but rises abruptly in a shallow step near the Grand Gallery end. To determine the level of the original surface of the floor m i ~ h now t be a little difficult; probably it was flush with the upper surface of the step, but it may have bee.n 3, 'ittlrz higher. Car dr5wlng3 s%oe-Ihiz:fluor restored. 538 At the top of the vertical shaft, on the north side, there is a fairly large excavation. It is in the rough floor of this excavation, as I mentioned before, that our men have fixed the iron pin, from which the ladder is suspended. It is difficult to understand what purpose the excavatoi-s had in view in forcing their way into the masonry at this point ; quite probably it was they who cut the floor of the small passage, to gain more headroom for working. 539 At the foot of the first vertical part (which is about 25 feet deep, and 28 inches square in bore), we noticed a bend in the shaft southward. It still descends very steeply, however, and the rope-ladder hangs down it for yet another ten feet. From this point the shaft looks very fearsome, especially to us who are unaccustomed to such places. --We paused here and expressed doubt as to oizr being able to proceed further, and wondered why Mr. Covington had not made his ladder longer. Judah, seeing our hesitation, told us to "wait a minute," and immediately disappeared down that fearful shaft, using hands and feet, elbows and back in his descent. He went down to the lowest almost vertical part, from the top of which there hangs a rope from another iron pin-Plate IX. This second pin was fixed, to our order, by Judah and an assistant, under the supervision of Mr. Covington, during our absence in Palestine, and Mr. Covington has kindly supplied the rope to aid descent at this final, and very difficult portion of the Well. Judah had gone down to fetch this rope, and in the meantime John and I occupied ourselves squaring, plumbing and measuring the part of the shaft already traversed. On his return, Judah fastened the rope to the end of the ladder, c~31lti~z3-1s e - ~ e d i ~ n ana down we began to go again. 'Lv-C-i~ltm m L - s a h w+th with our iron pin at the top of the shaft, but we proceeded slowly, taking care to place our feet firmly in the footholds, measuring as we descended. 540 The small opening into the Grotto is situated a short distance down the second vertical part: For about seven and a half feet upward from the floor of the doorway, the four walls of the square shaft are composed of masonry built of small stones in ten horizontal courses. This short built part of the shaft goes through the Grotto. Below this, right down to the lower opening into the Descending Passage, the shaft is cut through the solid rock. 541 I gave a sigh of relief when, with the kindly aid of the rope, I reached the small doorway of the Grotto and sat in it with my feet hanging down the shaft. After a few more measurements from above, where John was, down to where I now sat, I crept 275
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PLATECL.
backward into the Grotto, and John came down and joined me. We were now in the Grotto ! We had often hoped that we might explore this part of the Pyramid, and take measurements, as most works we had read on the subject of the Great Pyramid seemed rather contradictory and vague when treating of the Well. We measured the Grotto in its length, breadth, height and depth. It is longer from east to west, than from north to south. The roof is low ; and except in one spot to the west, where .there is a deep hollow in the floor,'it is too low to allow one to stand. The floor, walls and roof are composed for the most part of gravel embedded in caked sand, which crumbles in the hands with comparative ease. Here and there the natural rock appears-Plate CL. 542 We photographed the small doorway of the Grotto from the inside, getting Judah to sit on the sandy floor on the west side with his head almost touching the roof -Plate CLI. But before saying more about the Grotto at present, I would like to draw your attention to some interesting matters in connection with the Well-shaft. The walls of the first vertical part are comparatively smooth; but from the bottom of the first down to the top of the second vertical part, the shaft is very uneven indeed, being neither square nor round in section-Plate IX. It looks as if the great irregularity in this part of the shaft is the result of stones having been dislodged from its walls ; for the whole of this portion of the Well, from the Grand Gallery down to the top of the second vertical part, descends through the comparatively rough core masonry of the Pyramid. Here and there, one can see the open joints between the core stones ; and we found them sometimes large enough to stow away our measuring rods when not required. Situated on the east, at the foot of the first vertical part, there is a crevice large enough at its outer end to allow one to sit in i t ; and in at its further end, the square corner of one of the core blocks is clearly distinguishable. 543 This thought seems to be supported by some of the older writers on the Great Pyramid, who record that this irregular part of the shaft was in their time much encumbered with large stones. If so, it is evident that to remove these stones without first cutting into the sides of the shaft in order to gain room, would be very difficult, if not impossible in so confined a place. Col. Howard Vyse quotes Mr. Salt's account of M. Caviglia's descent of the Well in 1817-"He descended by means of a rope to the bottom of the first shaft, 20 feet deep [our own measurement, taken from the roof of the small horizontal passage above, down to the lowest part of the vertical shaft, is 25 feet], when the passage, which inclined towards the south, was nearly filled up by some large stones, which he had great difficulty in removing." 544 M. Caviglia contemplated clearing the whole length of the Well-shaft ; but, owing to the lack of air, his Arab workers were unable to proceed, and he had therefore to abandon the attempt. Later, when working in the Descending Passage, removing some of the rubbish there, he unexpectedly discovered the lower opening of the Well, and was now able to effect his former design ; for by drawing out the loose debris as it fell down the almost perpendicular shaft, he cleared its entire length. 545 Many of the older operators at the Great Pyramid do not appear to have been aware that the Descending Passage proceeds downward in a direct line beyond its junction with the First Ascending Passage. The constant accumulation of loose debris from A1 Mamoun's forced passage must have effectually covered all trace of a subterranean connection. Davison (in 1763 A.D.-See Par. 241) seems to have been the only
PLATECLI.
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one, previous to M. Caviglia, who had detected the rock-cut continuation ; and this only because recent rains had washed away part of the concealing debris. He was able, however, only to penetrate down to a part about 80 feet short of the lower opening of the Well. Even the French savants, who visited the Gizeh Pyramids at the time of the French expedition to Egypt under Napoleon in 1799, though they carried on extensive operations at the Great Pyramid, appear not to have known that this passage extends below its junction with the First Ascending Passage. This is evident from an examination of the beautiful drawing which they published of the Great Pyramid's passage-system. 546 Before the time of M. Caviglia, in 1817, therefore, the location of the lower terminal of the Well was a great mystery; and many theories were held regarding it. A common belief among the Arabs was that the Well led to the Sphinx ; while others thought it communicated with the Second Pyramid. The many mythical tales concerning it were all calculated to heighten its mysterious character, and they aroused the curiosity of some of the earlier investigators sufficiently to lead thein to explore its depth. As far back as 1652,their writings give evidence of a fairly accurate knowledge of most of the upper portion of the Well, and of the existence of the Grotto. Some even attempted to clear the shaft to its lower end, but, like M. Caviglia, were compelled through lack of air to give up their ambition. 547 Because of a statement made by Pliny (79 A.D.) to the effect that: " Within the largest Pyramid t5ere is a Well; the river is supposed to have been let in by it," the Well-shaft was believed by some to lead to a reservoir of water. Doubtless it is from Pliny's account that this most peculiar shaft became known as " The Well." However, it is doubtful if Pliny's informants really knew of the present Well-shaft. Sir J. Gardner Wilkinson expresses it as his opinion that Pliny's statement rather referred to the Descending Passage ; for he believes that there is conclusive evidence to show that the Pyramid's upper passage-system was entirely unknown previous to A1 Mamoun's forced entry in 820 A.D. ; a belief also shared by Professors C. Piazzi Smyth and Flinders Petrie, and by many other authorities. 548 Owing to the thick coating of dust, and the extreme roughness of the walls of the shaft, it is difficult to determine the level at which the core masonry of the Pyramid rests upon the natural rock ; but it cannot be far above the Grotto. It appears to us as if the large core blocks rest directly on the top of the ten courses of smail stones which line the upper half of the square shaft of the second vertical part. As I indicated before, these courses of small stones were built to continue the shaft through the Grotto; and the level of the rock on which they rest can be distinctly seen in our photograph -Plate CLI. 549 Professor Petrie points out that the ancient workmen must have cut and completed the Subterranean Chamber and the lower part of the Descending Passage in the rock, before commencing the erection of the superstructure of the Pyramid with its built continuation of the Descending Passage. So also with the Well, its lower part would probably be cut in the rock first, and then it would gradually be continued upward as the core masonry of the Pyramid was built up, course by course, until it reached its present outlet on the west side of the lower end of the Grand Gallery. But before proceeding to the erection of the Great Pyramid, the workmen would also probably level the surface of the foundation rock. That they did not do this in one plane, but in
terraces, is evident, because the beginning of the rock-cut portion of the Descending Passage is distinctly on a higher level than the rock under the pavement at the outside base of the Pyramid ; while our measurements of the length of the Well-shaft show that the rock-cut portion of that shaft begins on a still higher level-Plate IX. 550 Our thought with regard to the Grotto is that, while the ancient builders were engaged in this work of levelling the rock surface in terraces preparatory to the erection of the Pyramid, they uncovered a large natural cavity or fissure. As the shaft of the Well passed through this cavity (and its peculiar course would lead one to believe that it was diverted for this purpose), the workmen would be instructed to build a continuation of'its four walls with small courses of stone up to the level of the rock. 551 The cavity or fissure would then be filled up to the level of the rock with sand and gravel from the desert, packed in firmly round the four walls of this built continuation of the shaft, and so form a solid foundation for the masonry of the Pyramid. In our photograph of the Grotto (Plate CLI), some of this sand and gravel can be seen adhering to the white plaster of the masonry.' 552 Curious investigators (probably shortly after A1 Mamoun's time), wonderin2 what could be concealed behind such peculiar little walls, forced their way through the four lowest of the small courses of the south wall. Encountering nothing but sand and gravel, they would soon abandon their task ; but, from time to time, later investigators, imbued with the same curiousity, would gradually extend the breach by picking away large quantities of the partly caked sand and gravel, and throwing it down the shaft would completely block up the bottom of the Well. (This thought was first advanced by Col. Coutelle in 1801.) Thus, the lower portion of the four walls of the shaft, built so long ago through the cavity, were again laid bare on their outer surfaces ; for the Grotto curves almost completely round the Well-shaft--Plate CL. Even Professor Flinders Petrie did his share in enlarging what has for long been generally known as the "Grotto." We discovered, at the bottom of the deep hollow to the west, a basket of the kind regularly used by the Arabs to carry sand, etc. 553 Wedged in at the east edge of the deep hollow in the floor of the Grotto is a large granite stone, which, judging by its broken appearance, is a fragment of a larger block. It has two worked surfaces at right angles to each other, and, most wonderful of all, parts of two large holes drilled through it! The north-east upper corner of this stone may be seen at the lower left-hand corner of our photograph of the GrottoPlate CLI. 554 There are similar granite stones elsewhere in the Great Pyramid. Three lie on the floor of the Descending Passage. One of these, the largest, was discovered by Professor Flinders Petrie, a little below the junction of the First Ascending Passage. It is across the top of this stone, as mentioned before, that the iron grill-door is fixed. It
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Col. Howard Vyse, in his 3rd Vol. of Pyramids of Gizeh, gives an account of a pyramid (the Northern Brick Pyramid of Dashur) with a base of 350 feet square, resting entirely on a foundation of sand. He writes : "The foundation is remarkable. The stony surface of the desert had been made level by a layer of fine sand [the sand and gravel from the desert], confined on all sides by a stone platform, 14 feet 6 inches wide, and 2 feet 9 inches thick, which supported the external casing ; and the pyramid was built upon the sand, which was firm and solid. Mr. Perring has met with other instances in Egypt where sand has been thus used; and provided it be retained in its place, it apparently may be depended upon."
has five worked surfaces, and the remains of one drill-hole four inches in diameter. Another was discovered by Mr. Covington on the floor of the Descending Passage a little above the opening of the lower end of the Well. Like the one in the Grotto there are two drill-holes in it. 555 This second stone now lies below the Well opening. On the day our men began to clear the debris from the Descending Passage, they had uncovered a-third but smaller granite stone, which lay on the floor a little below the iron grill-door. Taking away too much of the supporting debris, this stone began to move, and quickly gathering impetus on that steep floor, it plunged down the 200 feet or more of the passage and crashed with great force into the granite stone with the two drill-holes, knocking it to the bottom. Nevertheless, no damage was done to either of the blocks. As these two stones now prevented entrance to the Small Horizontal Passage leading to the Pit, I had them removed a few feet up the passage, and laid against the east wall, taking care so to place the larger block that the drill-holes might be readily examined by interested visitors. 556 In one of our photographs of the lower end of the Well, taken before this incident occurred, this larger stone may be seen lying further up the passage ; and part of one of the worked surfaces, and even the upper ends of the drill-holes may be discerned-Plate CLII. Judah is seen reclining on the floor of the Descending Passage above the stone, supporting his head on the board which Mr. Covington had placed across the passage to keep back the debris when he was clearing away the rubbish below that point. This board, of course, is no longer required, as the entire length of the passage is now clear. This photograph (taken before John's arrival in Egypt) shows the Well-opening in better perspective than the two others previously described (Plates LXII & LXIII), for in this instance the camera was erected at a lower point in the Descending Passage. 557 There is still another granite stone lying in the small Recess in the passage leading to the Pit, as may be seen in our photographs of this part-Plates LVIII & LIX. It has worked surfaces, but no drill-holes. 558 At first we were greatly puzzled to know how one of these granite stones found its way into the Grotto, of all places ! It appears, however, that among the large stones which formerly blocked the irregular portion of the Well-shaft above the Grotto, one was of granite ; for we find in M. Caviglia's list of measurements of the Well, the following item : " Depth of the Well to a block of granite that had fallen into it-38 feet." 559 Some active operator at the.Pyramid (probably Mr. Caviglia himself) must have had this granite stone lowered by means of ropes until it hung opposite the small doorway of the Grotto, into which it was then pulled and lodged out of harm's way, Although this operation must have been attended with considerable difficulty and danger because of the size and weight of the block, it was the easiest way to get rid of it ; for had it been thrown down the lower part of the Well, it would have again become tightly wedged somewhere in the narrow shaft, completely blocking the passage. 560 A more difficult problem, however, is to discover the original site and purpose of these five blocks of partly dressed granite stones with their drill-holes. The fact that one of the three largest is now in the Grotto, and has been traced to a point several feet higher than its present lodging place, would seem to indicate that they all originally occupied a position somewhere in the upper parts of the Pyramid. 281
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561 When Professor Flinders Petrie made his discovery of the large granite block on the floor of the Descending Passage at the junction of the First Ascending Passage (he seems not to have known of the others), it occurred to him that it might have come from the Ante-Chamber. The three pairs of grooves on the sides of that chamber seemed to suggest the possibility of other Granite Leaves or portcullises stretching across between the walls like the present Granite Leaf-See Plate CXIX. It was the only likely place he could imagine; but he saw too many objections to this theory to advance it as anything more than a mere suggestion. Why, he asks, should there be a [four-inch] drill-hole through the block [and we have seen that the two next largest also have each a pair of drill-holes], if it originally formed part of another Leaf ? He anticipates that some might claim that the hole was modern, made for smashing up the block more easily; but objects that "it is such a hole as none but an ancient Egyptian would have made, drilled out with a jewelled tubular drill in the regular style of the fourth dynasty [the period during which this Great Pyramid was built], and to attribute it to any mere smashers and looters of any period is inadmissible." 562 The grooves in the Ante-Chamber are, in any case, too wide, being an inch more than the thickness of the stone. Professor Flinders Petrie remembers that the blocks of the Granite Leaf are also an inch narrower than their grooves ; but seems to forget what he himself points out later, and as we have already seen (Par. 489), that the extra inch is filled in by corresponding projections or rebates on the blocks, which are wholly lacking in the block discovered by Professor Flinders Petrie ; nor are any to be seen on the other blocks. 563 Without doubt, these granite stones with their unique drill-holes, form a mystery which must be left for some future investigator to make plain ; we cannot think what was their original purpose, and are bound to confess as did Professor FLinders Petrie, that, to use his words, " something has been destroyed, of which we have at present, no idea." 564 While John and I were thinking over these matters, we distinctly heard a voice coming up the Well-shaft from 125 feet below, asking us if we were coming down to tea ! Jack and Stanley had persuaded their mother to visit the Pit ; and as Sayd had arrived with our customary four o'clock tea, they were now impatiently waiting for us to join them. We therefore caught hold of the knotted rope (which can be seen on the right-hand side in the photograph of the Grotto, hanging down against the north wall of the square shaft (Plate CLI), and-began the descent. Seven feet or so brought us to the end of the second vertical part. Beyond this the shaft descends at a steep angle southward-Plate IX. 565 The average height of the roof from the floor in this inclined part of the shaft, is about 30 inches. The width between the walls at the roof is greater that the width at the floor, the former being about 25 inches, and the latter 22 inches. The roof, walls and floor of this shaft are not, however, so regularly cut in the rock as are the Descending Passage and Small Horizontal Passage leading to the Pit. In the angles between the two walls and the floor, rough portions of the rock have been allowed to remain, for the purpose of serving as footholds. These footholds, which are regularly spaced all the way, are not very deep or secure, especially to those unaccustomed to such places. 566 Our measuring operations took longer than we had provided for, and our stock
of candles was now nearly exhausted. We had, therefore, to send Judah to the tents for a fresh supply, and, as might be expected, he was away for a long time. I remarked to John that it was rather risky to be left in the dark in such a long dangerous shaft, especially as we had nothing to hold on to ; for the rope which Judah had fastened to the end of the rope-ladder did not reach beyond the bottom of the second vertical part, and we had to work our way laboriously downward, placing our feet as best we could in the shallow footholds, and lying with our backs pressed against the angle of the east wall and floor. Not long after my remark, down came a shower of candles on our heads and backs! Judah had returned with a packet, and in his descent down the shaft it had slipped out of his shallow pocket and burst open, hence the unexpected but very welcome shower. Most of the candles were broken, but we did not mind. 567 I was now getting tired and a little nervous, the passage is so long and so steep, and the squaring, plumbing and measuring took so much time. I suggested to John that possibly we had taken enough of such special square and vertical measurements to get the general inclination of this portion of the shaft, which seemed to be constant throughout its length ; and he agreed that linear measurements along the roof and floor lines would now suffice. We noted, however, that at about the middle of its length there is a slight bend westward, and then back eastward to the same general line -Plate XVII. 568 I thought we should never reach that iron pin at the head of the final almost vertical part. Judah had previously unfastened the rope from the foot of the ropeladder, and was now behind us, carrying it with him. I called out to John, who was always some little distance further up with the other end of the steel measuring-tape, that he and Judah might lower the rope to where I was, and hold on to it until I should reach my next stopping place. John did not seem to mind so much, but I felt safer with a life-line, as it were, to hold on to should I require it. I afterwards noted that the passage did not appear so dangerous when, later, Judah passed me and kept below holding a light. However, I believe John is more courageous than I. I confess I had a feeling of rest and comparative safety when at last I reached that lower iron pin, and had my feet set firmly against it. Lying on my right side on the steep floor, I waited until Judah passed with the rope to fasten it to the pin. He was not long in doing this, and then we began the descent of the final part of the shaft, but again firmly holding on to a rope. 569 In this last portion of the Well-shaft we had to resume our squaring horizontally from floor across to roof (if there can properly be said to be a floor and roof at this part), plumbing vertically from the roof to a lower part of the floor, and then measuring horizontally and vertically between the points thus ascertained, all the way down. This method of measuring gave us the general angle at which this part of the shaft tends southward. We also took linear measurements along both the floor and roof lines, 570 While measuring the long inclined part of the shaft, we had noted two fissures in the rock, a wide one about half-way down, and another at the top directly below the Grotto, as if it were in continuation of it. The relative positions of these two fissures above two others in the Descending Passage below, suggests the probability of their being continuous with those others, as is indicated in Plate IX. (This thought was first suggested by M. Caviglia.)
571 We were not sorry when we had completed our measuring operations, and at length reached the lower end of the Well. It had been a trying time, but we were happy to think that we had accomplished this part of our work at the Great Pyramid. That Well-shaft is 200 feet in length ! 572 We found Grace and the two boys sitting in the Recess in the Small Horizontal Passage leading to the Pit, taking tea, and using the granite block which I have already mentioned, as a table. Our measuring operations in the Well-shaft had taken us much longer than we had anticipated, and they had commenced without us. This was our last " tea " inside the Great Pyramid of Gizeh ; and we were now able to demonstrate what we had remarked on a former occasion about the accommodation of the small Recess, for seven of us now sat in it, and yet we were not too crowded. We afterwards crept into the Pit and had a last look round. We illuminated it with two lengths of magnesium wire, and admired its proportions and rough symbolical floor. Grace had now been in every part of the Pyramid we ourselves had visited, except the Well and Grotto,-and she would not venture down there ! Jack had come down with us as far as the Grotto. We all send our love in the Lord, Your loving brother,
MORTON EDGAR.
PLATECLIII.
A section of the north end of the GRAND GALLERY of the Great Pyramid of Gireh; showing six qf the seven overlappings of the side walls; also, at the base of the north wall, fhe upper half of the doorway of the First Ascending Passage.
LETTER XXII. Train en rozzfe f o r Port Said. 8 p . m . , Saturday, 1 7 t h July, 1909.
DEAR BRETHREN,-We are now seated in the train, bound for Port Said and home. Our work at the Great Pyramid is ended. 574 This morning at 7 a.m., the sky was overcast with heavy clouds. Usually at that time, and even earlier, it is bright and cloudless overhead. This morning it seemed to frown at the thought of our near departure ! A day or two ago, however, I looked out of my tent door in the direction of the Great Pyramid to see how it was getting on, and to bid it " Good Morning," but to my astonishment I could not see the summit ! It was quite obscured with mist. I saw the mist driving up the north face, blown by the wind, just as I have so often seen the mist driven up and over the hills of Scotland. I hastened to secure a photographic record of the interesting sight, for I knew that the strong sunlight of Egypt would soon dispel the phenomenon. 575 We spent the first part of the morning in packing, and at 10-30. a.m., John and I with Judah paid our last visit to the interior of the Great Pyramid. We had a few more photographs to take, and another passage to measure-the Horizontal The Great Pyramid obscured in mist. Passage to the Queen's Chamber. Among the photographs taken were three in the Grand Gallery. We have found it very difficult to secure a proper photograph of the north end of the Grand Gallery as it appears to one standing about thirty feet up the inclined floor. However, we have succeeded in getting some fairly good ones of certain portions of it, enough to indicate the proper perspective, so that a drawing may afterwards be taken from them.
287
ATE CLV.
The north end of the GRAND GALLERY of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh; showing the full height of the north wall.
Nevertheless, the Grand Gallery is so large, and the floor slopes away so steeply, that we think it will be impossible to reproduce on paper a true idea of its appearance when looking north. ' 576 One of our photographs, however, shows the details of a large section of the north end of the Grand Gallery very clearly-Plate CLIII. At the bottom appears the upper half of the doorway of the First Ascending Passage. Six of the seven overlappings of the walls are shown ; and it will be noticed that the lowermost on each of the east and west side walls is not developed on the north wall. Immediately above the third overlapping on the west (left) wall, there can be seen a small section of one of the pair of sliallow grooves, which are cut opposite each other in the masonry of the east and west walls, and which run the entire length of the Grand Gallery-Compare Plate XVIII. The original purpose of this pair of peculiar corresponding grooves is difficult to imagine ; the structural reason for their existence has not yet been satisfactorily explained ; but no doubt there is some symbolical significance in connection with them, as there is in connection with many other mysterious features in this immense and gonerally little understood edifice. 577 Col. Howard Vyse, who first drew attention to these grooves, wrote with regard to them : " For the long grooves running on each side the whole length of the passage, it is difficult to assign a use ; they are roughly cut, and therefore could not have been used for a sliding platform, for which, at first sight, they appear adapted. Perhaps they were made to receive a scaffolding for the workmen employed in trimming off the sides of the passage." But to this suggestion Professor C. Piazzi Smyth objected" that the groove is represented so near the bottom of its overlapping sheet, that there was little strength left to support any weight ; and as the grooved portion has to a great extent perished, without any strain being put upon it,-we cannot regard it as anything connected with scaffolding, but rather with some symbolic meaning." 578 The grooves are each 6 inches wide by 3/4 of an inch deep ; and the distance from the edge of the third overlapping up to the lower edge of the groove is, in each case, 5% inches. According to the measurements of Professor Flinders Petrie, the lower edges of these grooves run parallel with, and exactly midway between, the floor and roof of the Grand Gallery. 579 We have secured several photographs of the lower end of the Grand Gallery looking south, with the camera erected about two feet from the north wall. These show the sheer cut-off of the floor of the-Grand Gallery immediately above the low doorway 'Plate CLV is a reproduction of a drawing of the north wall of the Grand Gallery, kindly drawn for us by Mr. Muirhead Bone, an eminent and well-known artist, brother of Mr. Bone of Messrs. Bone & Hnlley, the printers of this publication. The photographs we secured of this north part of the Grand Gallery have, fortunately, been comprehensive enough to convey to Mr. Muirhead Bone a sufficiently accurate impression of its details and very difficult perspective lines, to enable him to record a pictorial idea of the appearance of this remarkable and noble Gallery, truer to the reality than any we have seen. It must be remembered that, to one looking north, the side Ramps of the Grand Gallery dip down very steeply. In order to gain this effect in the drawing, we suggest that the Plate be held in a vertical position at a distance of six inches from the eyes, and with the top edge of the book a little below the level of the eyes. When holding the book in this position, the reader requires to look down upon the illustration, and thus he obtains the effect of the Ramps receding from him.
PLATE CLVI.
The GRAND GALLERY of fhe Great Pyramid of Gizeh, looking south; showing fhe mefhod of ascending the sleep slippery floor by fhe aid of the Ramps.
PLATE CLVII. of the Horizontal Passage leading to the Queen's Chamber. One of these (Plate CLVII) shows the floor of the Horizontal Passage, and John standing on it with his left hand resting against the sheer-cut-off above the doorway. 580 Two other photographs, one of which was taken with a long-focus lens, and
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both taken with the camera erected on a higher level than in the one described, give a good impression of the long sloping floor, Ramps and side walls disappearing into the darkness above-Plates CLVI & CLVIII. Judah, who stands on the floor of the Horizontal Passage, is leaning against the sheer-cut-off : while John is seen ascending the very steep and slippery floor of the lofty Gallery, his feet placed in the shallow footholds, and his hands holding firmly to the East Ramp. 581 The Ramps are exceedingly useful. The ancient builders carved out a series of large oblong holes on the upper surface of each of them (a few of which can be seen in the photographs), for what reason we do not know ; but they enable one to take hold of the Ramps more firmly. As this passage represents the Gospel Dispensation, the
The G R A N D GALLERY of the Greaf Pyramid of Gizeh, looking south; showing the sheer-cut-off of the floor; and the two Ramps ascending into the darkness beyond.
Ramps symbolize the Grace of God, his "exceeding great and precious promises, that by these we might be partakers of the Divine nature "-2 Pet. 1 : 4. One misses them in the First Ascending Passage, which so well symbolizes the Law Dispensation. There, to help in the ascent and descent, we require to take advantage of the little irregularities on the walls, which have been caused by exfoliation. If it were not for these irregularities, and the footholds hewn in the floor,-if the walls and floor of the First Ascending Passage had preserved their original smooth condition,-it would be quite impossible for any ordinary man to walk in it. On a former occasion (Friday, 18th June), while showing Professor Alex. Ferguson of Cairo through the Great Pyramid, the thought occurred to me while we were returning down the Grand Gallery from a journey to the King's Chamber, that the course of the '' backslider" is harder than that of the willing climber. To go back is more difficult than to go forward. I mentioned the thought to John, and he thoroughly agreed with me, for at the time he was holding the East Ramp firmly with his hands, and carefully sliding down one foot after another into the footholds.
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582 On the day in which Jack, Stanley and I visited the other pyramids higher up the Nile (Par. 505), John measured the Horizontal Passage leading to the Queen's Chamber, getting Grace's aid to hold one end of the steel tape, etc. We now desired to go over it again, to verify these measurements. 583 As I indicated in a former letter, the masonry of this Horizontal Passage is very symmetrical. For a length of about 64 feet from the beginning of the roof at the Grand Gallery end, each wall is built in two equal courses. In each of these courses there are 15 stones of one uniform size, namely, 41IA inches in length, and half the height of the passage in breadth-Plate IX. The vertical joints in the upper course are in line with those in the lower ; and those on the east are in direct opposition to those on the west wall. 584 Following these uniform sets of 15 stones, are two long stones in each course, averaging about six feet in length, after which each wall is built in one course only, apparently as far at least as the drop in the floor of the passage ; but beyond this, on to the Queen's Chamber, the very thick and hard incrustation of salt which entirely covers the walls of this passage, made it impossible for us to locate the joints with any certainty. This salt incrustation is peculiar to the Horizontal Passage and Queen's Chamber, although a little of it may also be seen on the walls of the First Ascending Passage. 585 With the camera erected in the passage at the south end, a few feet in from the doorway of the Queen's Chamber, we secured a photograph of the drop or step in this passage-Plate CLIX. To show the difference in the height of the passage north and south of this step (which is between 20 and 21 inches in depth), we got Judah to stand in front of it with a two-foot rule in his hand. It will be noticed that his head just touches the roof. The extreme irregularity of the floor-surface in due to a thick layer of dust, which covers an excavation made by Col. Howard Vyse in search of a supposed secret passage or chamber under the step. 586 We took another photograph of the Horizontal Passage with the camera erected in the Queen's Chamber, showing the doorway in the north wall of the chamber-
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PLATE CLIX.
The drop or step in the HORIZONTAL PASSAGE leading to fhe Queen's Chamber of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh.
PLATE CLX. Plate CLX. To show the height of the doorway, John stands near it on the west side, and Judah occupies the same position as in the former photograph. 587 Whenever we visited the Queen's Chamber, we found it very fatiguing to walk along the low part of the passage from the Grand Gallery. The reason is that we required to bend so low, lower even than when walkr. ing up the Descending and First Ascending Passages, bek+i :, cause although these two i passages are of the same . I right-angled height from floor , to roof as is the Horizonta! j Passage, i.e., a little under four feet, yet while walking upward in them we had the advantage of the greater vertical height, which is about five inches more than the right-angled height. (Before John arrived in Egypt I photographed Judah walking up the Descending PassagePlate CLXII. Contrast this Plate with Plate XLVIII, where John is shown walking down the passage, a mode of progression more difficult, even, than wallZing in the low Horizontal Passage.) We always experienced a feeling of relief when we reached The doorway of t h e Horizontal Passage in the norlh the lower part of the floor wall of the Queen's Chamber. to the south of the step, where we could straighten ourselves. In this part of the passage which measures exactly one-seventh of its total length, we found that one of average height like myself could walk upright, his head just short of touching the roof ; but John, who is a little over the average, had still to bow his head submissively until he reached the full freedom of the Queen's Chamber. If you will re-read the article on the Great Pyramid in the 3rd Vol. of Scripture Studies (or our own remarks on the same subject-Pars. 171-176), you will appreciate the significance of this more, possibly, than you have done hitherto !
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588 In the Queen's Chamber we photographed the east wall (Plate CLXT), showing the full height of the "Niche," that most peculiar recess which measures 184 British inches in height, by 41 inches in depth, with a width at the bottom and top of 62 and 20 295
PLATECLXI.
The QUEEN'S CHAMBER of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh; showing the NICHE in the east wall; also portions of the north wall and high gabled roof to the l e f f .
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PLATE CLXII. inches respectively. John is sitting at the entrance of a long horizontal excavation which is now largely filled with debris; while I am shown walking toward the door, the top of which, it will be noticed, is in line with the top of my head. 589 Professor C. Piazzi Smyth believed that the exact measurement of the eccentricity of the Niche { . - -. ,. : --* southward from the . - --., , .\-. centre of the east ..- * -;, '.\ wall, is intended as . -. 4 -, - -- -. another key to the A.a -I length of the Pyra$?:;*> : '-+I-& -& - -,, 27% mid Cubit ; and his - ---% - ? measurements to -t . C I support this theory * . - 2:. a r e verified by ; -v, -4 those of Professor I Flinders Petrie. 590 T h e l o n g " i, horizontal excava: tion driven eastward from the back of the Niche, is ,,\ : another of those I fruitless attempts to tg" discover additional & chambers and passages in the Great Pyramid. Mr. Covington frequently f expressed to us his opinion that the , Granite Plug in the F i r s t Ascending 1I Passage conceals the lower end of a , D >', small vertical shaft ; ?$!';:, % > 1 . - -- I . and if he could The Descending Passage of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, as viewed obtain the necesfrom the lower end of the Well-shaft; showing, when consary permission, he trusted wzfh Plate XLVIII, the greater headroom would have the whzch one has when walkzng upward Plug removed in zn Ihzs passage. order to test the truth of his theory. He bases his theory on the fact that the small vertical Well-like shaft in the Trial Passages (See Par. 520) descends to the junction of the two inclined passages, and argues, therefore, that a similar shaft should be found at the junction of the Descending Passage with the First Ascending Passage in the Great Pyramid. We * A
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PLATECLXIII. ventured to dissuade him from entertaining the thought of removing the Plug blocks, as we believe we have good grounds for the opinion that the Granite Plug was intended for a very different purpose than that of concealing a passage, and that it was firmly fixed in its present position to stay ! 591 In any case, Mr. Covington's theory will not hold, for an examination of the sectional drawing of the Trial Passages (Plate CXXXVIII) shows that the lower opening of the vertical shaft is situated at the point of intersection of the roofs of the inclined passages, and not at that part of the ascending passage which corresponds to the position occupied by the Granite Plug in the First Ascending Passage of the Great Pyramid. 592 We do not share the opinion held by some that there are chambers and passages in the Great Pyramid other than those with which we are already familiar. The present passage and chamber system of this wonderful Stone Witness so completely and beautifully meets all the symbolical requirements of our heavenly Father's great plan of the Ages, that it would be difficult to imagine how any of the features The north air-channel of the Queen's Chamber; of that plan could be further or s h o w i 'n,~nart o.f the "five-inch-thickness o f better symbolized by the addition of once concealing stone. a single passage or chamber.
593 The air-channels of the Queen's Chamber are very interesting. Their existence was not known till so recently as 1872 A.D., exactly six thousand years after the creation of Adam, according to Bible chronology. Scratched on the walls above them we read the words: "Opened, 1872." In Our Inheritance in the Great Pyramid, Professor C . Piazzi Smyth relates how Mr. Waynman Dixon, perceiving a crack in the south wall of the chamber, which allowed him at one place to push in a wire " to a most unconscionable length," set his man, Bill Grundy, to apply his chisel, with the result that before long the tool went right through into a cavity beyond. Further excavating proved the cavity to be the inner end of a neatly squared air-channel ! Proceeding to the opposite wall, Mr. Dixon discovered a second channel similar to the first. The builders had actually constructed two air-channels for the Queen's Chamber, but had not carried them through into the chamber itself! They had left the last five inches
298
uncut ! That this was their set purpose is proved by the fact that the orifices were not merely plugged, for there was no jointing, but, to quote Professor C. Piazzi Smyth, the thin plate was a ' left,' and a very skilfully, as well as symmetrically left, part of the grand block composing that portion of the wall on either side." This is well seen in the photograph which we took of the orifice of the north air-channel-Plate CLXIII. Half of it is still covered by this five-inch thickness of once concealing stone. (This was the last flashlight photograph taken by us in the Great Pyramid of Gizeh.) 594 What purpose could the ancient architect have had in view to induce him to expend so much time and trouble in constructing two long air-channels, in such a way that they would be useless as conductors of air until someone would seek, find, and remove the barrier ? For we must remember that the first part of the channels to be laid down in the process of building the Pyramid, would be those portions which are incomplete to the extent of the five inches of uncut stone ; and that all the hundreds of feet of carefully executed channelling which ascend from the Queen's Chamber at a steep angle, must have been added stone by stone as the Pyramid rose course by course. As even a casual examination of the various features of this great stone building convinces one that its erector was not by any means a fool, and that he had reason in everything he did, the problem of these air-conductors of the Queen's Chamber has puzzled the minds of many, even as numerous other features in the Great Pyramid have done. 595 Whatever may be the scientific reason, if any, for these incompleted channels, the symbolical meaning which appeals to us as correct is that suggested by C. T. Russell-See Pars. 141-143. 596 The greater part of the walls of the Queen's Chamber is covered with salt incrustation, which makes it difficult to examine them to any great extent. But here and there are clear spaces, and on parts of the west wall especially we were able to examine the joints between the stones. These joints are marvellous in their closeness, and are barely discernible. Mr. Covington said he has great delight in pointing them out to interested visitors, and watching the look of astonishment on their faces. Some are at first inclined to believe that what are pointed out to them as joints, are really the ruled scratch of a knife. And yet, though so fine, these joints, both vertical and horizontal, contain cement !
597 When we had finished our work in the Queen's Chamber and Horizontal Passage, we picked up our camera, measuring-tape, etc., and made our way down the First Ascending Passage for the last time. Then, taking a look into A1 Mamoun's forced passage to make sure that none of our measuring-rods had been left there (for we always hid them in that place when away from the Pyramid), we climbed up the Descending Passage to the Entrance, taking care not to give our heads a final knock against the low roof. On reaching the outside we found Judah sitting there, looking rather gloomy. We spoke cheeringly to him, and he brightened up. He had, lying beside him, all our measuring-rods tied in a bundle, and the rope-ladder coiled up ready to take over to Mr. Covington's tent. 598 After lunch, we took leave of Abdul Salam Faid and his brothers (who are partners with him in the tent-contracting business), and thanked them for all their 299
kind attentions. Before we finally left, we had, of course, to give Sayd and the cook their bakshish; they were quite satisfied with what they received. We then bade farewell to our tents, and started off for our tramcar at 3-15 p.m., bound for Cairo. Judah accompanied us to take charge of our lighter luggage, our heavy boxes having gone off in the morning on the back of a camel. 599 On the car, we looked back now and again at the fast diminishing pyramids, believing that we should probably not see them again while in the flesh. John said he felt sad at leaving the Great Pyramid where we had spent so many busy days. We had become familiar with the various passages and chambers, and had, if I may so say, developed Pyramid" muscles. During our first days we were so stiff that we could hardly manage to creep up and down the passages. Latterly, we could go up and down with comparative ease. I could even run up the uneven floor of the Descending Passage from A1 Mamoun's forced passage to the Entrance. On a former occasion I had seen Sayd running up this passage when returning with the tea things to the tents, and had admired his strength and wondered how he could do it. After fully five weeks of work in these steep passages, I was able to do the same myself. John, on this our last day, had lowered himself under the granite floor of the King's Chamber, where a few of the granite floor-stones have been raised at the north-west corner, and a hole excavated in the soft lime-stone underneath that part of the granite floor which supports the Coffer-Par. 498. He had also climbed to the top of the Granite Leaf in the Ante-Chamber in order to see the upper surfaces of the Leaf and the two wainscots. Both these feats require no small amount of strength and suppleness. 600 We parted with Judah at the railway station at Cairo, giving him his bakshish and a testimonial. He is very anxious that his name should be remembered in our "book," just as Ali Gabri's name was mentioned by Professor C. Piazzi Smyth. He proved to be most useful during our operations in the Great Pyramid, especially in the Well-shaft, holding the rope-ladder, fetching and tying the rope, carrying rods, camera, stand, etc. ; but above all, securing and superintending the workmen, and looking after our general interests with the happy result' that we received fair treatment from everyone. Although he did not take so much interest in our measuring operations, which were not so much his "business " as ours, he has nevertheless observed that our work at the Great Pyramid is not without some purpose. He enquired one day when we were working down in the Descending Passage, what this passage was for. We explained that it symbolized the ".poor groaning creation" on its way to destruction represented in the Pit. He evidently agreed that the symbol was apt, for ever after, when going down this passage, we could hear him groaning and sighing to himself. He wanted to make the illustration as realistic as possible. It was only his little joke. On another occasion he very particularly asked what we called those passages leading to the Queen's Chamber and to the Pit. We told him that these were "Horizontal" passages. He repeated the word several times, then finally said ' I I know him." He also made a mental note of the Girdles in the First Ascending Passage, their position, and the wonderful uniformity of the masonry of the three upper and more important ones. He took special note of the Granite Plug blocking the entrance to the First Ascending Passage, and also of the Ramps running the whole length of the Grand Gallery. He particularly enquired about the size of the King's Chamber, and on
receiving the information asked for a piece of paper that he might make a note of it. He was anxious to get all the information he could, that he might be a proper guide to visitors to the Great Pyramid of Gizeh. Sunday, 1 8 t h July. We are now in Port Said, waiting for the arrival of the Martaban which is late, and will not be here, we understand, till after midnight. We shall be glad when our feet are on deck. Although we hope to have a restful fortnight on board ship, we have enough work to keep us fully occupied, for we have our notes to examine and arrange, drawings to make, and a great many photographs still to develop. We are looking forward to meeting all the dear brethren again in Glasgow ; and we trust we shall soon be able to let you all have the results of our labours, so that your faith in the Lord's Holy Word may be stimulated as ours has been, by a rehearsal of the many corroborative evidences of the Lord's Great Stone Witness in the land of Egypt, that wonderful SYMBOL O F T H E CHRIST! With love to all from all, Your loving brother, MORTON EDGAR.
(From John) Dear Brethren,-The earnest desire of us both is that the fruit of our work, when completed and published, may be found to the glory of our heavenly Father. We have experienced keen delight in examining all the wonderful details of the Great Pyramid, and in noting the apt symbolism and the accurate time-measurements embodied in this marvellous structure, and we trust that we shall be enabled by the Lord's grace to set everything before you in such a way, that you may be able to comprehend them, and join with us in giving glory to God-John.
On board the S.S
"
Martaban," homeward-l~ound.
30 1
INDEX
INDEX. Abraham, accounted righteous, 51. God's promise to, 30, 34. intercedes for Sodom, 39. strong in faith, 56, 163. true seed of, 43, 44, 57. when rewarded, 57. Absalom, 399. Abu Roash Pyr., 254. Abusir Pyr., 512. Aceldama, 397,398. Adam, 44'48, 70. curse passed upon, 147. dead in, 193. had God's law written on his heart, 150. hope given to, 33. trial of, 32. was mortal, 132. wilfully broke God's law, 125. will eventually be raised, 125. Adamic Condemnation, 123, 147. all Gentiles born under, 182. fallen from world's shoulders, 175. followers of Christ free from, 191. Advent, second, 69. Ages to come, 70. Air-channels of King's Ch., 342-348. of King's and Queen's Chs., 141143. mouth of King's Ch's. north, 498. mouth of King's Ch's. south, 497. of Queen's Ch., 349, 593-595. Air-current, down well-shaft, 431. through passages of Gt. Pyr., 319323. through south air-channel of King's Ch., 322, 343, 497. up First Ascen. Pass. 430. Aiton and Inglis, 82. Alabaster, 509. Alexandria, 253. Ali Gabri (Alee Dobree), 222, 600. Hadji, 222, 229, 244, 301, 328. Al Mamoun, discovered Ascending Passages i n Gt. Pyr., 97, 98, 313. Entrance of Gt. Pyr. unknown to, 231. forced concealing block from lowe r end of Well, 313. forced hole i n side of Desc. Pass., 95, 164, 328, 331. forced passage into Gt. Pyr., 96-98, 100, 124, 328, 334. position of entrance of forced passage of, 229. Almighty, 194. Altar, 447. American Colony, 373, 419. Ancient worthies. 52. Angels, 151, 156. Angle of passages in Gt. Pyr., 384. ~ngle-stonesabove Entrance of Gt. Pyr., 229, 527. ~ n n i e ~ ~ d g210. ar, Anointed, 43, 54, 156. Ante-chamber, 103, 107.
Ante-chamber (continued), Caviglia's excavation in west wall of, 345, 474, 477. description of, 190, 475-492. dimensions of, 481. symbolisms of, 190-194. symbolizes School of Christ, 121. symbolizes the spirit-begotten, 178. theory regarding grooves in, 483488, 561, 562. Apostles, twelve, 80. Arabs, attendant, 103, 109. burying-ground of, near "Well of sweet water," 521. kept off by Judah, 324, 325. sure to have trouble with, 220, 234. untruthful, 438. village of, 221,234,439,440,471,524. women of. 436. Arabic, 364. ' Archangel, 448. 72, Architect of Plan of the Abes, 76, 141. Artaxerxes, 39. Atmosphere of Egypt, 259, 280, 326, 336. Atonement, 163. Authors, joint-, 9, 214. Babylon, 155--157. Babylon the Great, 83, 158. Backsliders, 204, 581. Basalt, 518. Base of Gt. Pyr., length, 15, 21. Basement sheet of Desc. Pass., 337. Baths, 509. Bats, 247, 309. Belzoni, M., 250. Benha, 269. Bethany, 453. Bethlehem, birth-place of Jesus, 380. distance from Jerusalem to, 379. drive to, 376. geographical position of, note p. 199.
has direct connection with Gt. Pyr. of Gizeh, 381-385. women of, 377. Bill Grundy, 593. Birth of Jesus, 118, 126, 127. Birthday, 366. Blind, 358. Bone, Mr. Mairhead, nofe p. 289. Boss on Granite Leaf, 489-490. Bottle, in Mosque of Omar, 448, Bottomless Pit, 145. Breasted, Prof., 225. Breeze (See Wind). Bride of Christ, 59, 63. Brown, Canon Carnegie, 374, 424. Builders, of Antitypical Pyr., 76-79, 149. of Gt. Pyr., 4-6. of other Pyrs., 514. Bulls, embalmed, 507, 508. Burdens, 355, 356.
Burns family, 215. Cairo, air in, 246. journey from Port Said to, 218, 219, 265. Journey from Pyrs. to, to meet John and Stanley, 261. Caliphs of Egypt (See Al Mamoun), 84. Calvary, 363, 446. Calvin, 29, 30. Camel, 355, 598. Camera, 496. Campbell's Tomb, 298. Canaan, symbolizes heaven, 383,457. Canal, Suez, 218. at sides of fields, 218. Candles, 341, 426, 509, 566. Casing-stones, of Great Pyramid. cement used in joints of, 85- 87,504 composed of limestone from Mokattam Hills, 245. cubical contents and weight of largest of, 260. formerly entirely covered with, 84, 223, 504. illustrated b y Prof. Breasted, 225. joints of, 85, 86, 260, 274, 504. measurements of, 269. nineteen exposed at north base of, 273. other casing-stones of, found b y Prof. Petrie, 275. photographing, 225. planned before built i n position, 74. Prof. Petrie on, 74,86,225,226,504. shown to Jack, 42;. symbolize members of Christ, 276, 386. uncovered b y CoL Howard Vyse, 85, 223-226. when uncovered, 84, 99. of Sakkara Pyramid, 515, 516. of Second Pyramid, 248. of Third Pyramid, 254, 255. Catholics, 362. Causeway, 519. Cave, under Church of Nativity, 380. under Mosque of Omar, 448. Caviglia, M., attempts to clear Wellshaft, 543, 544. discovers granite block in Wellshaft, 558. excavating along course of King's Ch. air-channel, 345, 474, 477. suggested that fissures in Desc. Pass. and Well-shaft are continuous, 570. work in Desc. Pass., 241, 242, 544. Cavity, A1 Mamoun's, 95, 100. Ceiling of :Ante-Ch., 191, 194, 479. Desc. Pass., 284, 332, 337. First Ascen. Pass., 468. Gr. Gallery, 103, 180, 185.
INDEX. Ceiling of (continued) :Grotto, 541. Hor. Pass. to Queen's Ch., 176. King's Ch., 108, 110, 114, 115. little pass. from Desc. Pass, to ~ e l i - s h a f t314. , little pass, from Gr. Gallery to Well-shaft. 533. little southp&s.from~ubt.Ch.,307. Kecess, 303. Subterranean Ch., 145, 294, 308. Cement, 85-87, 275, 338, 504, 596. Chaff, symbolical, 68. chambers of Construction, 74. discovery and description of, 109115. not intended to be visited, 117. symbolize Divine things or beings, 135. Chambers, direction of, in Gt. Pyr., 116. noae i n masonry of other Pyrs., 252, 514. Charcoal, 274. Chart Talk, 221. Cheops, 3, 297, 298. Christ, appeared in presence of God for us, 200. a stumbling-stone, 75-79. Bride of, 59, 63. casing-stones of Gt. Pyr. symbolize members of body of, 276. date of death of, indicated by north wall of Gr. Gallery, 127. dead in, 193. end of Law and beginning of Gospel Disp., marked by death of, 127, 184. end of the Law for righteousness, 180, 201. faithful Jews privileged to suffer and die with, 170. Gentiles made nigh by the blood of, 182. .gives his flesh for the life of the world, 54. Head corner-stone, 72'81, 149,275. immersed by John the Baptist, 54. immersed &to, 43,193. joint-heirship with, 188, 209. kept the Law of God, 125. love unites members of, 275. many members in, 43,44, 193. merit of, imputed to footstep followers of, 191. mind of, 194. other foundation can no man lay, 207. raised from the death-state, 125, 169. ransom - sacrifice of, symbolized by Well, 124, 181-184, p. 90. received by few Jews, 181. reign with, 1000 years, 196. resurrection of, suggested by Wellmouth, 118,169. rule of, an iron one, 176.
Christ (continued), symbolized by top-stone of Gt. Pyr., 23. the fore-runner, 52. the Seed of Abraham, 41. those who will attain the heavenly inheritance with, 189. world not heard of him, 42. written in the hearts of the fo!lowers of the Master, 158. Christian relieion. 362. Christendom -to be destroyed, 68, 79, 83. Chronology of the Bible, 593. Church glorified, 163. nominal, 59, 158. of the Holy Sepulchre, 361-:63. of the Nativity, 379, 380, note p. 199. Clouds, 246, 574, 428. Coffer, 108, 483, 493, 498, 500. Company, Great, 59, 62. Concrete, 292, 293, 340. Conder, Col., 444, 446. Consecration (See Sanctification). Cook, 256, 335. Copper, 135. Copper City, 350. Core Masonry, 74, 226, 260,542,548, 549. Cornelius, 49, 200 Corner-stone, chief, 71, 75, 82. Cotton, Chas. W., 214, 217, 267, 270, 354, 359, 392, 414, 415, 451. Coutelle, Col., 552. Covington, L. Dow., believes that Granite Plug conceals a shaft, 590. calls attention tonewspaper notices of work at Gt. Pyr., 433. clearing air-channels, 343, 349. clearing out Desc. Pass., 235. dosed Desc. Pass. with iron grilldoor, 237, 283. discovers granite block in Desc. Pass., 554. excavating casing-stones of Gt. Pyr., 223, 273. kinwess of, 234. measuring casing-stones, 260. ooinion of Arabs. 438. preparing for journey to Copper City, 350, 426. remarks regarding work at Gt. Pyr., 257. standing near casing-stones, 276. supervising fixing of iron pin in Well-shaft. 539. supplies robe-ladder for Wellshaft, 327, 529. Crops in Egypt and Palestine, 457. Cross, Law nailed to, 167, 181. Take up your, 188. Cubit, Pyramid, 19, 490, 589. of Israel and Egypt, 19. Cup drank by Jesus, 169. Customs, 216. 353.
Cyrus, 38. Dark Ages, 158. Darkness, 339. Dark Sayings of our Lord, 232. Date of: beginning and end of Daniel's 70 symbolical weeks, 157, 158. beginning and end of Times of the Gentiles, 155. birth of Jesus, 118, 127. building of Gt. Pyr., 98. commencement of removing casing-stones of Gt. Pyr., 84. Covington's excavation of row of nineteen casing-stones at north base of Gt. Pyr., 225. death of Ali Gabri (Alee Dobree), 222. death of Christ. p. 96, 1, 2. death of Prof. C. Piazzi Smvth. 222. destruction of ~ h r i s t e n d o ki59. , destructionof Jerusalem by Ronlan army, 68. discovery of air-channels of Queen's Ch., 593. discovery of casing-stones at north base of Gt. Pyr., 85. discovery of lower Entrance of 2nd Pyr., 250. discovery of lowermost Ch. of Constr., 110. discovery of socket-foundations of Gt. Pyr., 82. discovery of Subt. Ch. and lower end of Well-shaft, 241. discovery of upper Chs. of Constr., 111.
discovery of upper Entrance of 2nd Pyr., 250. discovery of upper passages and chambers of Gt. Pyr., 98, 312. earthquake, which cracked ceilings of King's Ch., 115. forced entry into Gt. Pyr., 98. Day, of judgment, 64, 65, 399, 449. symbolized in Gt. Pyr., 21, 23. David, city of, 422. King, 37, 380. street, 361, 423, tomb of, 421. Davison, Mr., 110, 241, 545. Death (See Hades). abolished, 121. condition of those who sacrifice unto, 189. curse of, passed upon Adam, 32. death-doomed body, 167. evidence of, in Valley of Jehoshaphat, 401. immersed into Christ's, 193. Jesus could not be holden of, 125. Jesus raised from, 169. of Christ, indicated by North wall of Gr. Gallery, 127. of wicked, contrasted with that of the saints, 192.
INDEX. Death (continued), swallowed up in victory, 64. Second, 70, 204. Debris on outside masonry courses of Gt. Pyr., 343, 348, 349. Delta of Lower Eglpt, 1, 13, 245. Deluge, 33, 151. Descending Passage, basement-sheet of, 337. beautiful workmanship of, 338. Col. Howard Vyse describes, 242. continuous floor-measurement for first time, 287, 288. Davison describes, 241, 545. debris removed from, by Judah, 235, 237-239, 277, 555. debris removed from, by M. Caviglia, 241, 242, 544. debris removed from, by Mr. Covington, 235. debris removed from, by Prof. Petrie, 243. description of. 90-92,144,145,282. descrGtion of lower flat terminus of, 289-293. granite blocks on floor of, 555. length of, 144, 237. light entering, 318. lower reach of, closed by iron grilldoor, 283. lowe* reach of, not measured by Prof. Smyth, 242, 285. measured by Col, Howard Vyse, and Prof. Petrie, 285, 286. Mr. Covington's method of removing debris from, 236, 238. never so thoroughly clear of debris as now, 243. older operators unaware of lower reach of, 545. rock-cut part of, first completed,549 symbolizes downward course of "this present evil world," 119, 122, 146-159, 282, p. 76. symbolizes Plane of Condemnation, 182, 188, 201. the impcrtance of carefully measuring the, 244. vertical height of, 587. very difficult to walk down, 284. wonderful straightness of. 317. . Diagonal length OYf base of ~ tPyr., 15. 25. Diet, 368. Dinner, 279, 310. Diodorus, 254. Dispensation, end of Law, and beginning of Gospel, 167. First, 33, 151. Second, 34, 152, 159. Divine Nature, 133. attained by those who gain the Kingdom, 52. belongs to the true Church, 163. given to faithful among Israel, 170. spirit-begotten are reckoned by God as partakers of the, 194.
Divine Nature (continued), symbolized by King's Ch., 136, 141, 178,pp. 71, 93. Dixon, Waynman, 9, 142, 461, 593. Doctrines of Devils, 379. Donkey-boy, 256. Donkeys, 396, 423, 506. Door, iron grill-, closing lower reach of Desc. Pass., 91, 237, 283, 331, 554. swinging stone-, closing Pyrs., 231, mr.4
L31.
Doorway of :each Chamber in Gt. Pyr., 116. Grotto. 540. 542. Hor. &s. leading to Queen's Ch., 579, 586. passages from Subt. Ch., 306, 307. small pass. leading to King's Ch., 492.
~oubK.188. Dragoman, 376. Drill-holes, 553, 554, 561. Drills, 500, 501, 561. Drawing of :First Ascen. Pass., 429, 432. north wall of Gr. Gallery, 575. upper mouth of Well, 531. Dynasty, 403, 561. Dysentery, 360. Ears to hear, 197, 232. Earnest (Pledge) of future inheritance, 194.Earth, abideth for ever, 159. Axis of, 20. desolations made in the, 175. distance from sun, 22. Gt. Pyr. in centre of, 14. to become man's inheritance, 70, 140. to be devoured by fire of God's jealousy, 159. Earthquakes, 84, 115. East, changes not, 359. mode of burial in the, 407. morning best time to travel in the, 410. Eastern life, 354. Egypt, invaded by Hyksos, 4, 5. Jacob enters, 35. Jewish nation delivered from, 36, 161. soil of, 457. symbolizes "this present evil world," 160, 383, 457. Egyptians, afraid of Israelites, 35. detested their invaders, 4. forced to build Gt. Pyr., 5, 6, 75. mechanical skill of, 501, 508. mnst have rejoiced when headstone of Gt. Pyr. was placed in position, 81. use of cement by, 504. use of tubular drills by, 500, 501, 561. Egyptologists, 501, 502, 504.
Electric-light, 341. Elijah, 373. Entrance, of Great Pyramid, angle-stones above, 229. cannot be seen from ground below, 229. Col. Howard Vyse's search for a south, 522. exact location of, lost, 96, 231. fine workmanship displayed in, 338. footpath up to, 339, 340. light shining down, 146, 38. originally closed by stone door, 231, 251. position of, 90, 144. visitors afraid to proceed down, 106. of Second Pyramid, discovery of Lower, 228, 250. discovery of Upper, 250, 251. of Third Pyramzd, abandoned upper, 253. photographed, 255. search for, 252. of south Pyr. of Dashur, 231. of Step Pyr. of Sakkara, 512. Equinoxes, 24, 25. Eternal torment, 29, 379, 449. Eusebius, 380. Eva Edgar, 210. Evil (See Present Evil World), angels become contaminated with,
isi.
God's wrath kindled against, 159. so long as permitted, downward course mnst continue, 154. world unable to discern, 150. Evolution, 502, 504. Excavations, along course of King's Ch. uorth air-channel, 344, 345, 474. at back of Niche in Queen's Ch., 588, 590. at upper end of Well-shaft, 538. clearing out debris from Desc. Pass., 235. clearing out fissure in front of Gt. Pyr., 228. clearing out Subt. Ch., 235, 295, 296. in search for Entrance of 2nd Pyr., 250. in the interior of the 3rd Pyr., 252. large vertical shaft in the Snbt. Ch.. 296. 297. ., of Gizeh group, of first ~ i r south 509, 510. on south side of Gt. Pyr., 522 round all the Pyrs. of Egypt, 518. to Chs. of Constr., 111, 112. nncovering casing-stones of Gt. Pyr., 85, 223-226. under step in floor of Hor. Pass. to Queen's Ch., 585. under floor of King's Ch., 498.
INDEX. Exfoliation, 317, 468, 581. Ezra., 38. Faid, Abdul Maujud (See Judah), 263. Abdul Salam, 256, 425, 506, 598. Abraheem (See Reis). Hassan, 256. Faith, Christ's day seen with the eye of, 163. condition of those who have, 187. doubts evidence lack of, 188. foundation of, symbolized by floor of Gr. Gallery, 207. in the ransom-sacrifice, 182. justified by, 178-198, p. 91. strength as a resuit of, 185. the death of those who have, 192. the just shall live by, 167. the righteousness of, 153. the way to life and immortality, 124. to move mountains, 208. very few exercise saving, 183. Faithful class, 62, 71. Fall of mankind, 147, 502. Fast, Mr., 361, 416. Father (of Edgar family), 366. Fayonm, 234. Feralli (See cook). ~ e r ~ u s dProf. n , hex., 214, 234, 256, 264, 326. Morton calls on, 220. shown through Gt. Pyr., 581. Fire of God's jealousy, 159. First Ascending Passage, blocked by Granite Plug, 91, 123. cutting footholds in, 257, 328. dates in Jewish Disp. indicated by Girdles in, 462. description of masonry of, 460-470. direction of ascent, 100, 161. discovery of existence of, 97, 98, -a
-
~ e s u sbirth ' indicated in, 126, 127. leads to Gr. Gallery, 180. measuring in, 429, 460. method oi access to, 328. size of bore of, 101. symbolises Law Covenant, 123, 201. symbolizes Law Disp., 119, 160170,581,pp. SO, 81. Well-mouth a cause of stumbling to one who emerges from, 183. Fissure, in :Desc. Pass., 311, 570. little south pass, leading from Subt. Ch., 305. Recess, 303. rock in front of Gt. Pyr., 228. Well-shaft, 570. Flashlight, 308, 480, 495, 593. Flesh, and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom, 195. given by Jesus Christ for the life of the world, 54. no man hates his own, 187.
Floor of :Ante-Ch., 191,193,194,475,476,487. Desc. Pass., 90, 91, 106, 160, 243, 282, 287, 332, 337. First Ascen. Pass., 106, 166, 257, 332. 431. ~ r . - ~ a l l k 102-105,185,186,204, G, 207, 579-581. Grotto, 541. Hor. Pass. to Queen's Ch., 102, 579, 585, note p. 65. in Gt. Pyr., very slippery, 279. King's Ch., 195. 487, 492. 498. 599. littlepass. leading from d r . Gallery to Well-shaft, 537, 538. little south pass. leading from Subt. Ch., 305. lowermost Ch. of Constr., 110. Queen's Ch. produced to floor of First Ascen. Pass., 126. Small Hor. Pass. to Subt. Ch., 291, 302. Subt. Ch., 93, 145, 294-296, 302. Focussing in interior of Gt. Pyr. 496. Fools, 150, 508. Footholds, cutting, in floor of First Ascen. Pass., 329. in A1 Mamoun's cavity, 100, 328. in Well-shaft, 539, 565. necessary to make use of, when traversing passages, 278, 581. on floor of Desc. Pass., 282. on floor of First Ascen. Pass., 581. on floor of Gr. Gallery, 580, 581, on upper surface of East Ramp in Gr. Gallery, 105, 109, 329. Footpath, 339, 340. Foundation-stone (Head-stone), none for counterfeit Pyr., 83. of Antitypical Pyr., 72. socket, 82. French, Revolution, 304. savants, 82, 545. Fruit, 368. Gabri (See Ali Gabri). Garden of Eden, 32, 42. Gate, Damascus, 363. Dung, 395. Jaffa, 361. S t Stephen's, 373. Zion, 423. Gehenna, 122, 396. Gentiles, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, 182. a people for his name taken out of the, 158, 182. Jerusalem trodden down of the, 155, 452. more degraded than the Jews, 165. not born under the Law, 182. pass by the ransom-sacrifice symbolized by the Well, 183. permitted to rule the world, 156. Times of the, 155, 157. unaware that a time of humiliation awaits them, 175.
Geographical position of Gt. Pyr. and Bethlehem, notep. 199. German Emperor, 360, 361. Gethsemane, Garden of, 372, 446. Girdles, 461-468. mark important dates in the Law Disp., 462. Glasgow, 215. 264, 600. Glasses, coloured, 350, 376. Goat Class, 68-70. God, This is our, 453. Gold, 135, 156. Gospel Age, 43, 70, 71, 83, 182. Disp., 127, 167, 184. message, witnessed to world, 28. Grace of God, condition of those who lose the, 188. symbolized by Ramps in the Gr. Gallery, 185, 187, 204, 205. Grace, Edgar, 262, 330, 341, 350, 572, 582. Grand Gallery, 575-581. description of, 103 107, 168, 178. direction of ascent of, 101. grooves on side walls of, 576-578. lit up by magnesium wire, 103, 277. small pass, to Ch. of Constr., from south-east top comer of, 109-112. sole purpose of, 188. symbolizes condition of those justified by faith, 17a198, p. 91. symbolizesDisp. of Grace, 119,581. symbolizes liberty, 168. symbolism of side overlappings of, 206-209. symbolizes the High-Calling, 199209, p. 96. Granite, block below entrance of First Ascen. Pass., 91, 237, 243, 287, 318, 328, 331, 554. block in Desc. Pass., 554-556. block in Grotto, 553, 558-560. block in Recess, 303, 557, 572. block in Well-shaft, 558. blocks stopping up abandoned Entrance pass. in 3rd Pyr. of, 253. casing-stones of Pyr. of Abu Roash of, 254. casing-stones of 2nd Pyr. of, 248. casing-stonesof 3rdPyr.of, 254,255. ceiling of King's Ch, of, 108, 114, A A?
chamber in 3rd Pyr. lined with, 253. floor-stone in Ante-Ch. of, 193, 194. 476. of 3rd Pyr. of, 255. sarcophagi of, 507. symbolizes things Divine, 135,191. Granite Leaf, 107, 479, 561. received name from Prof. Greaves. 484. side rebates and Boss on the, 489490. space of twenty-one inches in front of, 190, 475, 477.
INDEX. Granite Leaf (continued). symbolism of, 191-193, 491. the wainscot grooves which hold the, 482, 485, 562. thickness of, 489. thoueht to be a wortcullis. 483-488. ~ r a n i t ePlug, lower butt-e;d of, 91, 331, 332. method of passing round the, 164, 238. space in front of, formerly occupied by limestone block, 96, 97. symbolizes Divine Law, 123, 162. too tightly fitted to be removed, 98, 590. upper end of, 333, 334. Grave-stones, 399, 404. Greaves, Prof., 338, 484. Grooves, in :Ante-Ch. south wall, 492. Ante-Ch. wainscots, 482, 483, 487, 489, 561, 562. Gr. Gallerv side walls. 576-578. g rot to, 116, 527, 540, 541, 546, 550 553, 558-560. Guides, 106, 109, 283, 325, 436, 600.
Holy of Holies, 385, 447, p. 93. Hope, of the world wrecked, 175. toward God, 65, 172. Horizontal Passage (See Small Horizontal Passage, and Well), to Queen's Chamber, 582-587. direction and position of, 102. divided into two parts, 171, 587. drop i n floor of, 102,171, 174, 585. fatiguing to walk in, 587. masonry of, 583, 584. symbolizes seven thousand years of world's training, 171-176, 184, n. 8 3 . t o k t e - c h a m b e r , 107,186,191,474. to King's Chamber, 195, 474. Hospital, London Jewish Mission, 365, 374. Hotel, Bristol, 246. Du Parc, 354. Fast's, 360, 415. Hughes', 415. Mena House, 245, 256, 336, 472. Houses of Jews i n V,of Hinnom, 396. Human Nature (See Planes), Adam created on Plane of, 48. may be attained by Jewish nation, 181. progress toward, symbolized b y Hor. Pass. to Queen's Ch., 172. reckoned dead b y God, when presented i n sacrifice, 193. reckoned to those who are justified by faith, 178. restored to world, 70, 141-143. sacrificed by Jesus, 53,54,138,139. to be attained by Ancient Worthies, 52, 163. Huts, 510. Hyksos, 4, 75.
Hades (death-state), Jesus raised from, 125, 169. Jewish nation passed into, 170. symbolized bywell, 118,163,p. 90. symbolized i n Tombs of the Kings, 407-409. Hairs from the beard of Mohammed, 449. Hall, Mr., 270, 392, 456. Harvest, i n Egypt, 219, 548. symbolical, 61-70. Head-stone of Gt. Pyr., distance above King's Ch., 114. great rejoicing when placed in position, 81. Idol, 232, 233, 243. none for counterfeit Pyr., 83. Idolatrous, 398, 509, 518. Scriptural references to, pp. 43,44. Image, Nebuchadnezzar's, 156. symbolizes Christ, 55, 81, 149, 275, Immortality. 131. 133. brought id light, 121. 383. symbolizedby King'sCh.,136,p.71 symbolizes the sun, 23. Well-shaft symbolizes the way to, Zechariah's reference to a headstone, 400, 401. 24, 169, 183. Heathen, 28, 415, Inch, British, 19. Pyramid, 19, 490. Heaven symbolized b y King's Ch., symbolizes a day, 23. 23, 121, 138, 140-142, 178, 185, symbolizes a year, 25, 118, 127. 195, p.93. Height of Gt. Pyr., 15, 22. Inset-stones, 311, 462-465. Herodotus. 3. 4. 75. 228. 297. 298. Iron, 156, note p. 250. ~ e i r o g l ~ ~ h(see i d s ~ n & r ~ - m a r k s ) , Isaac, 35, 41, 56, 372. Antitypical, 57. 108, 117, 513. High-calling, of Jesus, began at his Israel, 35. Israelites, condition symbolized by baptism, 200. First Ascen. Pass., 163. requirements of those who would faithful, Israelites indeed, 166-168. accept the, 191. how they regarded their Law symbolized by Gr. Gallery, 178, Covenant, 123. 182, 199. Jesus sacrificed on their behalf,169. Hill, of Evil Counsel, 397, 398. standing with God firm and sure, to the south of Gizeh Pyrs., 521. 160. Hinnom, V. of, 360, 396, 397, 421. typically justified, 123, 163. Hipparchus, 24.
Jack, 214, 330, 411,425-427,442,572. Jacob, 35. Jaffa, walk round, 352-358. leaving Port Said for, 350. leaving, for Jerusalem, 359. leaving, on return journey to Pyrs. (Morton and Jack), 391, 410. leaving Jerusalem for, (John), 465. leaving, for Pyrs. (John), 465. Jamal, Anis, 354, 362, 376. well-known i n Jerusalem, 371. James' Tomb, 399. Jar, water, 258. Jehoshaphat, V. of, 372,398-404,422, 446, 449, 454. Jerome, 380. Jerusalem, air fresh in, 443. ancient city wall of, 421. built by Hyksos, 4. cast off by Jesus, 452. destroyed b y Nebuchadnezzar, 38. distance from Jaffa to, b y railway, 359. European part of, 360. height above sea level, 359. Jewish quarter of, 423. lecture by John in, 451, 455. population of, 364, 444. railway terminus at, 360, 454. restored by Nehemiah, 39, 157. result of visit to, 409. ride round, 396. streets of, 364, 423. trodden down of the gentile^, 155, 452. views of, 452, 454. walk through centre of, to law courts, 370, 371. Jesus, able to save to the uttermost, 203. birth indicated b y north wall of Gr. Gallery, 118. birth indicated in First Ascen. Pass., 126, 127, 167. birth, traditional site of, 379. born on Plane of Human Perfection, 126. born under the Law, 126, 182. called with High-Calling at his baptism, 200. came to his own, 180. gave u p his life willingly, 125, 189. resurrection and the life, 453. tomb of, 446. wept over Jerusalem, 452. years of life on earth, 118, 127, 167. Jewish Nation, beginning of, 35. cast off by Jesus, 452. concluded in unbelief, 181. delivered from Egypt, 36. destroyed as a kingdom, 38, 155. destroyed as a nation, 78, 157, 170. favour removed from, 41. few received Christ by faith, 181. lead through various experiences, 154-157.
INDEX. Jewish Nation (continued), less degraded than Gentiles, 165. lifted above other nations, 48, 164. lost privilege of High-Calling, 182, reformation period of, 157. rejected offer of High-Calling, 170. separated from other nations, 153. special advantages of, 49. Jews, cemeteries of, 399. houses of, i n V. of Hinnom, 396. not allowed to attend Christian gatherings, 420. not allowed into Church of the Holy Sepulchre, 362. not venture within Temple Area, 447. population of, in Jerusalem, 364, 444. wailing-place of, 394. Job, refers to Gt. Pyr., 82. John the Baptist, 52, 200. John Edgar, arrives in Egypt, 261, 2hS
at bottom of Well-shaft, 431. drives to Bethlehem, 376. impressed by magnitude of Gt. Pyr., 262. in Gr. Gallery, 581. in Hor. Pass. to Queen's Ch., 582, 587.
i n - C g r s and Ante-Chs., 599. in Well-shaft, 568. lectures in Jerusalem, 451, 455. notes from, 330, 350, 390, 600. sad at leaving Pyrs., 599. sicknesses of, 326, 365, 368. visit to Trial Passages, 520. Joints of :casing stones of Gt. Pyr., 85, 86, 260, 274, 338, 594. casing stones of 3rd Pyr., 255. Entrance Pass. of Gt. Tyr., 338. Entrance Pass, of 2nd Pyr., 250. First Ascen. Pass., 460-469. Hor. Pass. to Oueen's Ch.. 584. pavement and>latformof Gt. Pyr., 227, 338. Queen's Ch., 596. Well-shaft, 542. Jones, Wordsworth E., 206. ~ o r d & ,V. of 457. Judah, accompanies Mortoa to 2nd Pyr., 248. asked to pull out worm at lower end of Desc. Pass., 293. at Entrance of Gt. Pyr., 597. brushes down First Ascen. Pass. 430. descends Well-shaft for rope, 539. dislikes Pit., 324. farewell to, 600. fastens rope-ladder to iron pin k Well-shaft, 529. instructed to clear out debris from Desc. Pass., 236-239. instructed to clear out dust from corners of Desc. Pass., 285, 288.
Judah (continued), meets Morton and Jack at Cairo, 411, 412. photographed, 335. proper name, 263. recommends removal into new tents, 256. sent for electric-light bag, 341. sent for candles, 566. struck on face by bat, 309. Judas, 389. Justified, by faith, 180. cannot present body a living sacrifice unless, 192. not through the Law, 153, 162. not through Works, 182. symbolized by Gr. Gallery, p. 91. Justification by faith. Jews received first offer of, 179. not the result of Works, 124. purpose of, 188. symbolized by Gr. Gallery, 121, 178-198, pp. 91, 96. when complete, 191. Justinian, Emperor, 450. Kedron (see Jehoshaphat). King's Chamber, air-channels of, 141, 142, 342-348. entrance into 195, 196, 498. excavation under Coffer in, 498, 599. floor of, 487, 492, 498. granite ceilings of, 108, 114, 115. height above socket level, 25. inclination to south-west, 115. made of granite, 108, 493. mouth of south air-channel of, 497. planned before erection, 74. position in Pyr., 108. size of, 23, 108. symbolizes Holy of Holies, heaven, 178, 185, 195, 385, p. 93. symbolizes immortality or the DivineNature, 121,136,140,141, p. 71. temperature in, 322. thought by Col. Howard Vyse to have served as a sepulchre, 483. Khamseens, 322. Khufu, 401. Ladder, 110, 327, 529, 566, 568, 597. Lamb slain, 173. Lamp, the Word of God, 166, 204. Language, pure, 159. Law, Covenattt, made nothing perfect, 163, 167. nailed to the cross, 167, 180, 181. schoolmaster, 180. symbolized by First Ascen. Pass., 123, 181, 160-170, p. 80. yoke of the, 166. Divine, Dispensation ended, 127. engraved on tables of stone, 153.
Law (continued), gradually obliterated from man's nature, 152. how regarded by Israelites, 123. symbolised by Granite Plug, 123, 162. two men only capable of keeping the, 125. written in man's naturz, 150. Heredify. 32. Lecture ~erusalem,by John, 451, 455. arranging for, 270, 393,414-416. Ledge in A1 Mamoun's cavity, 328. Lens, 478, 496. Level, 226, 338. Liberty, of the children of God, 173. of Grace rejected by majority of Jews. 191. symbokzed by Gr. Gallery, 168, 180, 201. Libyan Desert, 437. Life, Adam's, 132. brought to light by Jesus, 121. crown of, 197. from the dead, 49. Jesus, the appointed way to, 180. Jesus', on earth, 118, 127, 167. Jews judged themselves unworthy of, 182. laid down by Jesus, 189. reward of those who, for Christ's sake. lose their. 191. way to, symbolued by Well, 124, 169, 183. whosoever will save his, shall lose his, 188. Light, down Desc. Pass., 146, 318. the True, 166. Limestone, angle-blocks above Entrance of Gt. Pyr., 229, 527. block on Desc. Pass. floor, 91, 247, 287, 328, 331. boulders on mountains of Palestine, 456. casing-stones of Gt. Pyr., 85, 245, chambers of constr., 114. foundations of temples of 2nd and 3rd Pyrs., 249. Gr. Gallery entirely of, 179. hard, on Desc. Pass. floor, 91, 160. passage to Ante-Ch. entirely of, 191. Queen's Ch. entirely of, 136. roof block concealing entrance of First Ascen. Pass., 96, 97, 313, 332. step at head of Gr. Gallery, 194. symbolizes things human, 135,136. Little Flock, 183. Living-stones, 71, 75, 80, 87, 387. Locke, Mr., 217. Lot, 34. Love, 87, 189. 275. symbolized in Gr. Gallery, 206-209. Lunch, 310, 321, 598. Mackeague, Capt. John, notep. 199.
INDEX. Magnesium, 103, 277, 493-495. Malaria, 427. Malta, 268. Mamelukes, 252. Mamoun (See A1 Mamoun). Manasseh, king, 398. Manetho, 4, 6. Mariette, M., 505, 507. Martaban, S.S., 221, 600. Mary and Martha, 453. Maspero, M., 91, 220, 239, 264, 280, 283.
Measuring, Desc. Pass., 285 -288. First Ascen. Pass., 429, 460-470. -rods, 278, 279, 597. Small Hor. Pass., 302. -tape, 285-287, 305, 582. Well-shaft, 539, 567, 569. Meek, 189, 277. Mediterranean Sea, 266. Melchizedec, 5. Members of Christ's Body, 43, 44. Menzies, Mr. Robert, 118, 120. Messiah, 39, 157, 167, 182. Meter, French, 20. Milk, 326, 368, 374, 424, 457. Milky-Way, 281. Millennia1Age, 64-70, 171, the proud to be abased in the, 176. Mind of Christ, 194. Minna Edgar, 210. Mist, 474. Mitchell, Mr., 13. Models of Temples, 418, 447. Mohammed, 448, 449, Mohammedans, 438,448, 449. Mokattam Hills, 113, 245, 335. Moloch, worship of, 398. Mortality, 131. Mosque of A1 Aksa, 450 Omar, 372, 447-449. Mosquitos, 246, 256, 369, 443. Mount, Moriah, 56, 372, 417, 422, 447. Offence, 398. Olives, 372, 405,452. Scopus, 454. Zion, 360, 395, 422. Mountains of Judza, 456. Mouth of Well (See Well). Mummy, none in Gt. Pyr., 108. Museum, British, 113, 253, Cairo, 220, 263, 505, 509. Mystery, five granite blocks in Gt. Pyr. a, 560-563. lower end of Well a, 546. of God's Plan revealed, 40. Names, on masonry of Gt. Pyr., 499. Napoleon, 545. Nebuchadnezzar, 38, 155, 156. Nehemiah, 39. 157. ~ e w s ~ a ~ 433. eis, Newton, Sir Isaac, 19. Niche in Queen's Ch., 588, 589. Night, 247, 309, 336, 472. Noah, 33.
North wall of Gr. Gallery, 107. indicates date of birth of Christ, 118.
indicates date of death of Christ, 127.
Norton, Capt., 260. Notches (See Footholds). Nurse, 374.
103, 107, 576.
their symbolism, 206-209. Owls, 347. Palestine, 330, 341, 350. soil of, 457. Parable, 371. Paradise, 70, 449. , Patriarchal Age, 34. Paul, 268. Pavement, in Temple Area. Jernsalem, 417. . of Gt. Pyr., 227, 338. of 2nd Pyr., 228 of 3rd Pyr., 255. on east side of Gt. Pyr., 518. Pentecost, 167, 200. Perring, Mr., 296, 297, 483, Perspective, 332, 525, 575. Petrie, Prof. Flinders, (See Quoted), 7. 99. 115. 213. 237. 243. 248.
589.
Mr. William, 22, Petroleum, 369. Philition, 4. Photographs, 276, 471, 493, 506. 593. cannot convey a true idea of proportion, 276, 332. developing, 279, 280, 331, 341. method of taking flashlight, 278, 495.
taken in confined places, 477, 478. P i (Greek letter T ) , 18. Pilasters in Ante-Ch., 482. Pit (See Subterannean Chamber). Planes of relationship to God, 47, 58, 134, 177, 198.
condemnation, 182. human depravity, 48, 164. human perfection, 48, 52, 53, 121, 126, 140--143,p. 71. justification, 182. spirit-beietting, 54, 57, 178, 191, -
P l a t ~ ? 1 1P 1 a a m i d 17
Pyr., 227, 274. Pliny, 547. Plumbing, in Gt. Pyr., 332, 539, 567, 569.
457.
Printing, 159. Promise, exceeding great and precious, 170, 205, 207. holy spirit of, 194. made to Abraham's seed, 41. Proportion, 276, 279, 525. Pyramid, Antitypical, 56, 72, 76, 81. Antitypical counterfeit, 83. a symbol of perfection, 46. geometrical definition of a, 402. Pyramid, Great, archited of, 27, 389. builders of, 4-6, 75. builders of other Pyrs. unaware of upper system of, 514. casing-stones of, removed, 99, 230. casing-stones of, stripped off by caliphs, 84. could not be built by modern builders, 503. date of building. 98. did not possess> temple like other Pyrs., 518. exactly oriented, 13. first to be built, 75, 401-403, 514. forcibly entered, 96-98. fulfils Isaiah XIX.,13. God's stone witness, 528. great rejoicing when completed,
21, 23.
121, 141, 142, 178, 195.
--. Platform, below casing-stones of ~
304.
to be destroyed, 159, p. 76. symbolized by Egypt, 160, 383,
81.
193. 194.
9
of 2nd Pyr., 501. Porter, 356, 411, 423. Port Said, Grace's and Jack's arrival, 341, 351, 352, John's and Stanley's arrival, 268. leaving Pyrs. for, and home, 573. Morton's arrival, 216. Morton's and Jack's passing through en route for Pyrs., 410. Post Office, 412. Power used by Egyptians, 501. Prayer, 438. Precession of the Equinoxes, 21, 25. Present Evil World, 122, 149, 152,
halo of light round lofty summit of. 281. indicates length of Precession of the Equinoxes, 25. measurements of day and year in,
spirit-birth, or immortality, 54,
--. --- - J - - - - - ?
465.
~ b i n of t Intersection, 332. Pope, 158, 191. Portcullis, supposed to occupy grooves in Ante-Ch., 483--488, 561.
Olive trees, 446. Orient Commerce Co., 354, 359. Overlappings on walls of Gr. Gallery,
.-
Pointers in First Ascen. Pass., 4 6 2
t .
meridian of, 14. Messianic, 8. method of building, 74. methods of comprehending pr+ portions of, 524, 525, 527. now dilapidated, 84.
INDEX. Pyramid, Great (continued), occupies finest site on Gizeh hill, 401. of Divine origin, 4, 389. only Pyr. which has upper system, 514, 523. only Pyr. which possesses airchannels, 342. only the one Entrance to, 522. originally closed by stone door, 231. originally covered with casingstones, 230, 504. peculiar shape of top-stone, 75. position of, 1,12-14, note p. 199. position of Entrance of, 90, 229, referred to in Bible, 82. relation to earth's axis, 20. size in comparison with Sphinx. 232, 521, 524. size of, 15, 16, 18, 21, 22, 525. socket-foundations of, 82, 273. squaring the circle in, 18. stones at the summit of, thrown down, 99. symbolizes distance of earth from sun, 22. theories held with regard to, 2. time employed in building, 3. top-stone of, must itself be a Pyr., 71 .-.
top-stone of, symbolizes the sun, 21, 23, type of the new creation, 82, 383. unit of measure of, 19. upper passages and chambers of, first discovered, 97,98, 313, 332, 514, 547. Pyramid, Second, Entrance Passages of, 250. granite casing-stones of, 248. lower Entrance Pass. of, discovered, 228, 250. Portcullis of lower Entrance of, 581. position of, 12. remnant of casing at summit of, 248. rock-levelling for erection of, 252. thought to have connection with Gt. Pyr., 546. upper Entrance of, originally closed by stone door, 251. upper Entrance Pass. of, discovered, 250. Pyramid, Third, casing-stones of, 254, 255. chasm in north side of, 252, passages of, 253. position of, 12. sarcophagus of, 253. seems as large as Gt. Pyr., when viewed from the south, 525. steps in, 253, Pyramids, difficult to judge relative sizes of, 525. entirely peculiar to Egypt, 402.
Pyramids (continued), first, south of Gizeh group, 509511. number of, in Egypt, 10, 514. of Abu Roash, 254. of Aburis and Sakkara, very ruinous, 512. of Dashur, 231, 517, note p. 280. of -Egypt, . . all copies of Gt. Pyr., 514. of Egypt (other than Gt. Pyr.) built as monumental sepulchres, 483, 523. of Gizeh, clearly visible from tramway car, 336. of Gizeh, forcibly entered, 250. of Mexico, Assyria, etc, not true Pyrs., 402, 403. Quarry, 74, 75. Quarry-marks, 74, 113, 117. Queen's Chamber, 102, 588. air-channels of, 141-143, 349, 593595. floor produced to intersect floor of First Ascen. Pass., 126. joints on walls of, 596. seven sided, 172, 136. symbolizes plane of human perfection., 121., 136-138. 141-143. 175, p. 71. symbolizes plane of justification, 163. Quinine, 427. Quoted, Caviglia, 558. Davison, 241. Forbes, Rev. John, 470. Greaves, Prof., 338. Mackeague, Capt. John, note p. 200. Manetho, 4, 6. Mitchell, Prof. 0. M., 24. Petrie, Prof. Flinders, 74, 86, 286, 338, 401, 403, 501. 504, 561, 563, note w. 251. ~ e t r o c i h ipoet, , 1. Pliny, 547. Russell, Charles T., 88, 131-133, 141-143, 156, note p.200. Seiss. Dr., 82. 129. smyth, ~kof..C. Piazzi, 13, 18, 23, 25, 338, 461, 469, 484, 577, 593. Strabo, 231. Taylor, John, 6. Thomson, Rev. Andrew, 2, 3. Vyse, Col. Howard, 86, 112, 224, 242, 252, 521, 522, 523, 526, 527, 543, 577, notespp. 251, 280. Rachel, tomb of, 378. Railway, line between Jerusalem and Jaffa, 359,456. terminus at Jerusalem, 360, 454. Rain, 235, 243, 246, 293, 343, 428, 456.
Ramps, description of, 104-106, 186, 329, 581.
Ramps (continued), distance between, 203. East Ramp, 535. holes in. 581. symbo&e Grace of God, 185, 187. 205-209, 581. West Ramp, 531-534. in Chambers of Tombs of the Kings, 407-409. Ransom, 53, 124, 138, 173, 181, 182, 183. cause of stumbling to the Jews, 183. at peace with God through faith in the, 185. centre or hub of plan of salvation, 184. Rebates on Granite Leaf, 489, 490, 562. Recess, in Subt. Ch., 300. on west side of Small Hor. Pass., 92, 303, 304, 310, 572. Reformation, 156. of Israel, 157, 159. of Spiritual Israel, 159. Reign with Christ, 196. Reis, 220, 234, 236, 335. Remnant of Jewish nation, 182. Restitution, Times of, 63, 136, 141, 358. now in beginning of, 502. symbolized by terminal portion of Hor. Pass., 171. those who lose grace of God in Gospel Age shall share the blessing of, 188. Resurrection, and the Life, 453. believed to take place in V. of Jehoshaphat, 399. Christ's, suggested by Well-mouth, 118. first, 62, 193, 196. north wall of Gr. Gallery indicate date of Christ's, 127. of the spirit-begotten, 178. partakers of Christ's, 193. symbolized by entrance into King's Ch., 196. symbolized by Zechariah's tomb, 401. Revolution (See French). Robinson's Arch, 395. Rock, levelled at north front of Gt. Pyr., 227. -levelling before erection of 2nd Pyr., 252. of Mount Moriah, 447, 448. on which Gt. Pyr., is built, 549. -part of Descending Pass., 549. -part of Well-shaft, 548, 541. Rome, Empire, 156, 454. Roof (See Ceiling). Rope (See Ladder), 327. Rubbish mounds at base of Gt. Pyr., 84, 85, 275, 339, 340, 527. Russell, Charles T., (See Quoted), 8, 135, 155, 171, 177, 211, 595.
INDEX. Sabbath, Mohammedans', 438. Sacrifice, 189. joint-, with Christ, 200. make a covenant by, 189. present your bodies a living, 192. when a sacrifice becomes a living, 191.
Sahara Desert, 350, 437. Saints, precious are the death of, 192.
to judge the world, 40. Sakkara Pyramids, 109, 505, 512. casing-stones and Temple of one of the, 515, 516. Salt, 584, 596. Mr., 543, Sanctification, path of faith-justification leads one to, 187. symbolized by Ante-Ch., 121, 178, 189.
symbolized by Gr. Gallery,p. 95. Sanctified, symbolized by Ante. Ch., p. 92: symbolized by Gr, G a l l e r y , ~ 96. . Sanctuary, Holy, 52, 195, p. 93. Sand, -foundation, 551. -hills, 472, 473. Sarcophagus, 108, 253, 483, 507, 508, ,.>A
315.
Satan, to be destroyed, 67. to be let loose, 68. workmanship of, 83. Saws, 500, 501. Sayd, waiter, 310, 326, 335, 347, 431, 436, 564, 599, Scarabs, 506. Schicks, Dr., 417, 418, 422, 447. Schoenecke, Mrs., 417, 418. School, -master, 180. of Christ, 121, 178, 191, p. 92. Scientific knowledge, 3, 502.
Scored lines on walls of Desc. Pass., 337.
Scotland, 326, 339, 574. Scriptural, references to head-stone, pp. 43.44. reference to Gt. Pyr., 82. Scripture Studies, 211, 221, 266, 450, 455, 491, 587.
Season, 258, 355, 412, 471. Second death, 70. Seed of Abraham, the true, 43, 44, 57.
~ e i s i - D r .27, , 82, 129, notep. 199. Sepulchral apartment, in Gt. Pyr., 111, 112.
pit, 298. Seruent. 33. 34. ~e;enG, weeks of Daniel, 39, 43, 157-159. - . -- . .
years' desolation, 38, 157. Shadow, cast by Pyrs., 437. of good things to come, 163. Shaft (See Well), in rock-hewn tombs, 441. in Subt. Ch., 93, 296, 297, 299. in Tombs of the Kings, 407--409.
Shaft (continued), in Trial Passages, 520, 590, 591. sunk in search of Gt. Pyr. casingstones, 275. up to topmost Ch. of Constr., 112. Sheep class, 68-70. she&, 5. . Shepherd Kings, 4-6. Siloam, 397, 398. Simon, a tanner, 357. the leper, 453. Skull, 249, 446. Small Horizontal Passage, 92. difficult to creep tlirougli, 284. general description of, 302. junction with Desc. Pass., 289-291. synlbolism of, 159, p. 77. Smoke, 494, 495. Smith, Geo. Adam, 422. Smyth, Prof. C. Piazzi, (See Quoted), 7, 82. 212, 213, 222, 254, 285, 287, 298, 337, 343, 440, 470, 490, 493, 519, 532, 547, 589, 600. Socket-foundations, 15, 25, 82, 273. Sodom, 34, 39. Soil in Palestine and Egypt, 456, 457. Solomon, 37. Temple of, 74, 418. South wall of Gr. Gallery, 107, 474. Sphinx, 12, 232, 519, 521, 524, 546. Spirit, -begotten, 54, 57. symbolized by Ante-Ch., 178, 191, 193, 194, p. 92.
-born, symbolized by King's Ch., 178, 195, p. 93. first to receive the Holy, 200. graces of the, 206209. walking after the, 191, 201. Stanley Edgar, 214, 265, 267, 279, 300, 326, 341, 360, 365, 368, 391, 413, 425, 459. Star, 24, 247, 280, 281, 382. Step in Gr, Gallery, 106, 109, 186, 474. symbolism of, 187, 205. Step Pyramid of Sakkara, 512. Steps in 3rd Pyr., 253. Stewart, Bro., 246. Stone of stumbling, 75, 77, 78. Strabo, 231. '
Subterranean Chamber, clearing out debris in, 235, 277, 295, 296.
general description of, 299-301. last look ronnd in, 572. position of, 92, 145, size of., 294., 299. south passage from, 93, 295, 305, 306.
symbolizes destruction, Gehenna, 119, 145, 146, 172, p. 77. temperature in, 323.undressed knob of rock in, 301. uncovering west wall of, 295. vertical shaft in, 93, 296, 297, 299. walls, ceiling and floor of, 145, 294-296, 302.
Suez Canal, 218. Summit, of Gt. Pyr., 99, 281, 437, 438, 574.
of 2nd Pyr., 248. Sun, distance from earth, 22, 24. sometimes obscured by clouds, 246, 428.
Sykes, Rev., 414. Symbolisms of Gt. Pyr., 128-130, 592.
Tabernacle of the wilderness, 135, 177, 389, 418.
Holy of the, symbolized by the Ante-Ch., p. 92. Most Holy of the, symbolized by the King's Ch., p. 93. Tares, 61, 68. Taylor, John, 4-7, 18. Tea, afternoon, 310, 311, 431, 564, JIL.
Temperature, 259, 264, 280, 319, 322, 323, 428.
Temple, foundation of first Pyr.'s, which lies south of the Gizeh Pyrs., 509. foundation of 2nd Pyr.'s, 248, 249. foundation of 3rd Pyr.'s. 249, 255. found to be connectkd with most of the Pyrs., 518. Granite, near Sphinx, 519. Herod's, 373, 418. Solomon's, 372, 389, 418. Temple Area, Jerusalem, 404, 417, 422, 447, 449.
Tents, bade farewell to our, 598. changed into new, 256. Mr. Covington's, 234, 472. not removed from their position during absence in Palestine, 330, 425.
of Cairo business people, 472. of lady doctor, 256. permission to erect, 234, 472. sitting in newly erected, 245, 246. Thomson, Rev., 415, 451. Rev. Andrew, 2. Threshing-floor, 219, 405. Titus, 454. Tombs, Apis, 507, 508. Campbell's, 298. Col. Howard Vyse's search for supposed secret tomb-chamber below Gt. Pyr., 228, 297, 298. Garden, 446. of David, 421. of Lazarus, 453. of the Kings, 406-409, 445. on west side of Gt. Pyr., 441. Rachel's, 378. used by Prof. C. Piazzi Smyth, 440. Zechariah's, St. James', Absalom's, 399-404.
Tramway car, 245, 336,440. Transverse Plates (See Girdles), 461. Traveller (See Visitor). Treading the corn, 359, 405.
INDEX. Tree, cursed is every one that hangeth on a, 167. olive, 446. Trial, one hundred years', 67. Trial Passages, 520, 590, 591. Trouble, great time of, 62, 64, 83. hope beyond the, 172. symbolized by drop in Hor. Pass., 174.
water, at Jerusalem, 368. at the Pyrs., 258. for tents at Pyrs., 256. tubes and wheels for raising, 218. Weather, 258. Weeks of Daniel (See Seventy). Well, 529-571. at the commencement of Hor. Pass, to Queen's Ch., 173, 181,
symbolized by Subt. Ch., 304. Turkish Constitution, 353, 370, 390,
184.
Twilight, 339. Tyropceon Valley, 395, 397,422.
bend in upper portion of shaft of, 539. built part of shaft of, 540, 548-552. central position of upper end of,
United States of America, 437.
cleared out by M. Caviglia, 241,
Viceroy's residence, 471. Virgins, wise and foolish, 59. Visitors, to the interior of Gt. Pyr.,
cleared out by Mr. Covington,
444.
184. - - -. 242. 543. 544.
106, 161, 165, 169, 174, 186, 190, 205, 233, 435, 436, 439, 469, 494, 596. to the Pyrs., 526. Vyse, Col. Howard, (See Quoted), 82, 85, 111, 213, 228, 242, 248, 250, 252, 253, 296, 298, 343, 483.
235.
final portion of shaft of, 569. first vertical part of shaft of, 541, 543.
Prof. Flinders Petrie's theory regarding, 532. inclined part of shaft of, 565-568, 570.
irregular portion of shaft of, 542,
-.
543. 558. - - -
Wages, 240. Wailing-place, 394. Wainscots, 479, 481-489. Waiter, (See Sayd), 256. Walls of :Ante-Ch., 477, 479, 481, 492. Desc. Pass., 337, 338. First Ascen. Pass., 460-470. Gr. Gallery, 103, 107, 206-209, 576-578.
~
length of shaft of, 571. little passage leading from Desc. Pass. to lower end of, 312-316. lower end of, 94, 183, 312-316. lower terminal of, formerly a great mystery, 546. mouth of upper end of, 105, 169, 183, 329, 530-536.
no faith in Well as a way to life,
Well (confinued), symbolizes Hades, or the deathstate, 118, 122, 169, 409. symbolizes the Ransom-sacrifice, 182, p. 90. the only open way to the upper passages and chambers, 124,169. theories held regarding the, 546, 547.
Wheat, symbolical, 68. Wheeler, Dr., 365, 424. Where are the Dead? brochure, 217, 221, 266, 415. (See Adv.) lecture, 451. Wilkinson, Sir J. Gardner, 547. Will, 191. Wind, 264, 265, 319, 320, 322, 339, 343, 428, 474.
Women, 436. Workmanship, 85,226, 250, 338, 504. World (See Present Evil World), condition of the, 146-148. escape the condemnation of the, by faith, 182. love of God in sending his Son to die for the, 188. of the ungodly, 33, 48, 61. only way to save the, 149. physical, not to be destroyed, 159. plunged into degradation, 158,159. those who lose grace of God, will share in the condemnation of the, 188. those who will judge and bless the, 209. trial of the, symbolized by the Hor. Pass. to Queen's Ch., 171-
183.
Grotto, 541. Hor. Pass. to Queen's Ch., 583, 584. Jerusalem, 421. King's Ch., 498, 499. little pass. from Desc. Pass. to Well-shaft, 314. Queen's Ch., 596. Small Hor. Pass., 302. Subt. Ch., 145, 294, 302, 308. Upper Entr. Pass., of 2nd Pyr., 250.
176.
Pliny's reference to the, 547. recognition of symbolism of, the key to understanding Gt. Pyr.'s teaching, 120. rock-cut part of, completed first,
Year, exact length of, 21. symbolized by Pyr. Inch, 25, 118,
549.
127, 167.
securing iron pin at head of, 327, 329.
size of. 124. small hor. pass. at upper end of, 102, 532, 537.
Well-shaft, 542, 548, 565. Warden, Capt. Wm. Orr, notep. 199. Washing, 377.
ultimate salvation of the, 184. Worm, 293.
stones found in shaft of, 543, 55P. summit below level of Queen's Ch. floor, 126.
Yoke, of Jesns, 167. of sin and death, 175. of the Law, 166. Zag-a-Zig, 265. Zechariah's Tomb, 399-401, 409. Zedekiah, 38. Zeiss, Carl, 348, 478.
INDEX O F SCRIPTURE CITATIONS. Genesis.
2 : 7 , . . . . . . . . . 143 3 : 17-19, . . . . . . 147 4 : 22, . . . . . page 250 ...... 34 12 : 1-3, 12 : 3, . . . . . . . . . 30 15:5,6, . . . . . . 34 18:17-33 ,... ... 39 22 : 2, . . . . . . . . . 56 22 : 16-18, 34, 42
...
...... ...... ...... Exodus. 1 : 7-22, ......
22 : 18, 43 : 32, 46 : 32-34,
30
Leviticus.
11
16 : 34, 48 1 8 : 5, ...... 123, 138 23 : 4-17, . . . . . . 200
5
35 8:25,26 , . . . . . . 5 19 : 1-8, . . . . . . 161 19 : 8, . . . . . . . . . 123 26 : 30, . . . . . . 389
......
Deuteronomy.
1 :1 , . . . . . . 138 11 : 1 . . . . . . 70 19 : 21, . . . . . . 53 28 : I-,...... 138 32 : 4, 387
.........
......
32 : 22,
445
I1 Samuel. I Kings.
4 : 2 6 . . . . . . . . . . 417 6 : 7, . . . . . . . . . 387 8 : 1, . . . . . . . . . 422
I Chronicles.
28 : 11, 19,
......
389
INDEX. O F SC.RIPTURE CITATIONS .
.
Job . 38 : 4 7 . . . . . . . 82 Psalms . 2.9. . . . . . . . . : . 79 . . . . . . 70 . 8 : 4-9, 25 : 9. . . . . . . . . . 189 45 : 14. 15. . . . . . . 59 45.16. . . . . . 52 46 : 8-10. . . . . . . . 175 49 : 7. . . . . . . . 53 50 : 5. . . . . . . . . 189 66 : 3. . . . . . . . . 66 . . . . . 148 76.10. 66 86 : 9. . . . . . . . . . 86.13. . . . . . 445 91 : 1. . . . . 194 93 : 18. . . . . . 96.9-13. ... 110.3. . . . . . 66 . . . . . . 204 112.4. . . . . . 70. 115 : 16. 116 : 15. . . . . . 192 55. 73 118 : 22. . 119 : 105. . . . . . . 204 ... 388 139 : 1 4 16. 145 : 20. . . . . . . 66 Proverbs. 2 :2 2 . . 67 ...... 204 4 : 18. Isaiah . 8 : 14. . . . . . . . . . . 79
4:;
... 44. 437 35 : 1. . . . . . . 202 40 : 31. . . . . . . 203 41 : 10. ...... 38 44 : 28. ...... 38 45 : 1-8. 46 : 10. ...... 98 51 : 1. . . . . . . . . 386 76 53 : 2. 3. . . . . . 53.11. . . . . . . 40 53 : 12. . . . . . . 1'18 55 : 9. . . . . . . . . . 140 55 : 11. . . . . . . . 31 . . . . . . 67 65 : 20. Jeremiah . 25 : 11. 12. . . . . . . 38 31 : 29. 30. . . . . . . 175 32 : 18-20. . . . . . . 389 51 : 25. 26. . . . . . . 83 Ezekiel . 21 : 25-27. . . . . . . 157 . . . . . . 192 33 : 11. 37 : 9. 10. . . . . . . 143 Daniel 2 : 31--45. . . . . . . 156 1 :6 . . . . . . 457 12 : 1. . . . . . . . . . 304 9 : 24-27. ... 39. 157 Hosea., 11 : 1. ... ... 383 ~icah.~ 4 . 8 . . . . . . . . . 64 Zephaniah .. 3 : 8. 9. . . . . . . 159 Zechariah . 4 . 7 . . . . . . . . . . 400
.
' Malichi . 3 . 1 6 . 1 7 . . . . . . . 387 Matthew 2 : 1-15 . . . . 381-383
.
28 : 19.
LUG:.
...
49
.
3 : 15. . . . . . . . . . . 39 3 : 16. 17. . . . . . 68 9 : 23. 24. . . . . 188 9 : 24. . . . . . . . . . 60 13 : .34. 35. . . . . . . 452 14 : 1 . . . . . . 176 ' 48. 65 19 : 10. . . . . . . 452 19 : 41. 77 20 : 17-19. . . . . . . . . 155. 452 21 : 24. . . . . . 62 21.36. John . 1 . 1 1 . . . . . . . . . . 49 1 : 11. 12. . . . . . 180 1 : 11-13. ... 68. 70 3.7.8. ...... 70 3 : 18. . . . . . . . . . 182 68 4 : 38. . . . . . . . . . 5 : 23. . . . . . . . . . 81 5 : 26. . . . . . . . . 133 5 : 28. 29. ... 52. 64 6 . 4 4 . . . . . . . . . 183 6 : 51. . . . . . . 54. 138 . . . . . . 56 13 : 34. 14 : 6. . . . . . . . . 207 . . . . . . 386 15 : 19. 17 : 15-18. . . . . . . . 386 ... 276 17 : 22. A& 1 : 13. 14. . . . . . . 200 . . . . . . 200 2 : 1-18. 2 : 34. . . . . . . . . . 52 3 : 14. 15. . . . . . . . 49 3 : 17. . . . . . . . . . 77 3 : 19-23. ... 138 63. 126. 502 3 :2 . 4 : 10-12. . . . . . . 383 4 : 11. 12. . . . . . . 149 ... 49. 200 10 : 1 10 : 37. 38. . . . . . . 54 ... 182 13.46. 15 : 14. 62. i58. 182 15 : 18. . . . . . . 31 . . . . . . 65 24 : 15. . . . . . . 268 27 : I-. . . . . . . 268 28 : I-. Romans 1 : 18-32. ... 150. 508 3 : 9-26. . . . . . 153 3 : 10. ...... 51 . . . . . . 162 3 : 20. ...... 51 4 : 8-13. 4 : 20-25. . . . . . . 56 . . . . . . 58 5.1.2.
.
. 7 : 22. 23. . . . . . . 166 8 : 1. ... 191. 201 8..1.9. . . . . . . 57 . . . . . . 178 8 : .15. 8 : 18. . . . . . . 197 8.19-22.' . . . . . . 44 8 : 20. . . . . . . 172 8 : 21. 22. . . . . . . 173 6 : 22. . . . . . . 147 . . . . . . 387 8 : 29. 78 9 : 31-33. . . . . . . 10 : 4. . . . . . . 180 1 : O . . . . 18; 1% : 1 2 . 2 . 49 11 : 32. 181 i78. i92. 199 12 : 1. I Corinthians.
10 : 1%. . . . . 48 ... 43 12 : 12. 1 3 : 1-13. . . . . . . 209 15 : 50. .. 1'40. 195 . . . . . . 58 15 : 53. 15 : 53. 44. ... 133 I1 Corinthians. 3 3 . . . . . 158 5 : 1. . . . . . . . . . 178 6 . 1 . . . . . . . 60. 188 6.1.2. . . . . . 70 1 :2 . . . . . . 52 Galatians.
.
.
Enhesians .
Colossians . 1': 16-19, . . . . . . 72 2 : 14. ... 127. 167. 181 2 .-16. 17. . . . . . . 44 3 : 3; . . . . . . . . . . 193 I Thessalonians. 4 : 16. . . . . . . 196 -1Timothy. 2 : 4..6. 53. 125. 138 . . . . ... 125 2 : 14. 6 : 16. . . . . . . . . 133 I1 Timothy . 1:1 . . . . . . 121 2 : 11. 12. ... 189. 196 Hebrews . 2 : 9. . . . . . . . . . 53 '
8.5. . . . . . . 589 9 : 24. ... 52. i95. 200 10 : 1. . . . . . . . . . 48. 1 : 1. 4. . . . . . . 163 10 : 4. . . . . . . 48. 123 . . . . . . 204 10 : 29. 11 6. . . . . . . . . 188 11 : 19. 41. 56 11 : 39. 40. "52. 57. 163 12 : 9. . . . . . . 178 James . 1.6.7. . . . . . . 188 2 : 23. . . . . . . . . . 56 4 : 6. . . . . . . . . . 176 I Peter .
.
I1 Peter . 1 : 2. . . . . . . . . . 178 1 : 4. 58. 133. 205. 581 1 : 5-7. . . . . . . 206 1 : 5-11. . . . . . . 208 48 2.5. . . . . . . . . . 2 : 20-22. . . . . . 204 3 : 7-10. . . . . . . 64 I John . 2 : 2 . . . . . . . . . . 65 3 : 2. . . . . . . . . . 197 . 56. 189 3 :1 . . 189 4 : 0 11 . . . . . . . 148 5 : 19. Jude . 6. . . . . . . . . . 151 Revelation 2 : 20. . . . . . . 189. 197 52. 59. 209 3 :2 . 81 5 : 13. . . . . . . . . . 7 : 9-17. ... 59. 62 . . . . . . 173 13 : 8. . . . . . . 83 17.5. 18 : 1. . . . . . 83 18 : 5. 8. . . . . . . 83 52 19 : 3-9. . 20 : 6. ... 59.62, 193. 196 . . . . . 67 20 : 7. 8. 21.3-5. . . . . . . 70 ... 67. 69 21.8. . . . . . . 89 21 : 14.
.
.
.
.
.
1 1 4 . . . . . . 64 2 . 8 . 9 . . . . . . . . . 124 . . . . . . 387 2 : 10. 2 : 12. 13. . . . . . . 182 . . . . . . 73 2 : 20. 2 : 20-22. ... 80. 386 4 : 9. 10. . . . . . . 385 5 : 29. . . . . . . 187 Philippians . 2 : 9-11. . . . . . . 383 3 : 10. 11. . . . . . . 193 3 : 13. 14. . . . . . . 199 . . . . . . 197 3 : 21.
.
THE DIVINE PLAN OF T H E . AGES A Helping Hand
for, Bible Students
PASTOR CHARLES T. RUSSELL, of Brooklyn Taherrznclc, N. Y., U.S.A. Author of "Studies in the Script~tres."
EVERYONE should read "The Divine Plan of the Ages," a book of over 350 pages, which has been greatly blessed by the Lord to thousands of Christians and honest sceptics. This wonderful book makes no assertions that are not well sustained by the Scriptures. I t is built up stone by stone, and upon every stone is the text, and it becomes a pyrntnid of God's love and mercy and wisdom. There is nothing in the Bible that the author denies or doubts, but there are many texts that he throws a flood of light upon that uncover its meaning. I t is impossible to read this book without loving the writer and pondering his wonderful solution of the great mysteries that have troubled us all our lives. There is hardly a family to be found that has not lost some loved one who died outside the church-outside the plan of salvation, and, if Calvinism be true, outside of all hope and inside of eternal torment and despair. "The Divine Plan of the Ages," may be obtained by sending 116 (35 cents) to the "Watch Tower branch: 24 Eversholt Street, Bible and Tract Society," Brooklyn Tabernacle, N.Y., U.S.A.-British London, N.W.
WHERE A R E THE DEAD? AN ADDRESS
TOWNSOF GREATBRITAIN
DELIVERED IN MANY O F THE
IRELAND, AND
ALSO lN
DENMARK,
SWEDEN, NORWAYAND PALESTINE, BY
J O H N EDGAR, M.A., B.Sc.,
M.B.,
C.M.,
Fellow of the Royal Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow ; Professor of Midmifery and Diseases of Women, Anderson's College Medical School : Senior Surgeon. Royal Samaritan Hospital for Women,
Glasgow.
I HAVE pleasure in drawing attention to the fact that the brochure of m y brother's well-known address on "Where are the Dead ? " is now in its third edition. This address, wherever it was delivered, created much interest; and in most cases hundreds were unable to gain admission to the halls. If you have been interested by your perusal of "Great Pyramid Passages," it will afford you pleasure and profit to read "Where are the Dead ? " after which you will doubtless desire to present copies of this booklet to your friends, in the hope that it may awaken interest in the Truth. T o this end I have made the brochure as cheap as possible, consistent with good workmanship and materials. It contains over 50 pages, is bound in tough paper covers, and has an attractive appearance. Send your orders direct to : MORTON EDGAR, 224 WESTREGENTSTREET, GLASGOW, SCOTLAND. Price for quantities of one dozen and over, twopence (four cents) each copy, including postage. For smaller quantities sent by post to a single address, twopence halfpenny (five cents) each copy. NOTE-When remitting, please send Postal or Money Order, as commission has to be paid on personal cheques. (Foreign stamps cannot be exchanged in this country.)
IN PREPARATION : "
Memoirs of the Late Professor John Edgar"
CONTENTS Page
5 ; e.tion
I . THE MEASUREMENTS OF THE GREATPYRAMID
.!.
I
ANGLESOF THE G K U A PYRAMID ,~ II i. BIBLECHRONOLOGY, BIBLE DATES - I3 4. CHRONOLOGICAL PERIODSEXAMINED I6 5. THE YEAR, ITS BEGINNING AND LENGTH40 6. HISTURICAL YEARSYMBOLISED BY T H E PYRAMID INCI* 44 7. SCIENTIFICPROPORTIONS OF THE GREATPYRAMlY 45 8. PYRAM~D'S METHODS OF RECORDINGPEKIODS OFTIME - - - - - 48 9. SYMBOLISMS OF T H E GREATPYRAMID 49 10. THE DATES OF JICSUS CHRIST'SBIRTH,BAPTISM, ANY CRUCIFIXION - - - - 53 11. THE LAWDISPENSATION .64 12. THE GOSPL
-
'
CONTENTS--Continued. Seclion 30. T H E O L D W O R L D 31. THE DATE OF THE GREATPYRAMID'SEI~ECTION 179 32. THEPRESENT EVIL WORLD - - - 33. END OF THE SECONDDISPENSATION- 34. THE SECONDDEATH - - - 35. NIIEASUREMEN.I.SOF LOWER WELL-OPENING, 37. WYCLIFFE 38. LUTHER
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PRINCIPAL DIAGRAMS Azge
OPTHEAGES
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40. THE FOUIZ EMPIRES PARALLELS - 41. MEASUREMENTS OF THE UPPER WELL-MOUTH 42. T H E JEWISH NATION'S PERIODOF SEPARATION FROM THE WORLD 43. THE BIRTH OF THE SAVIOUR,AND THE ADVENT
-
THEJEWISHAGE - - - - 45. T H E OATH-BOUNDCOVENANT - 46. THE KINGDOMOF ISRAEL 47. RESTOKATION OF THE N A T ~ O NAND KINGDOM OFISRAEL- - - 48. THESEVEN TIMES OF THE GENTILES 49. T H E T E M P L E - - - 50. THEJUBILEE - 51. T H E ~ ~ S E V E N T Y W E E K-S " 52. T H E ~ ~ ~ ~ O O D A Y-S " 53. T H E ~ ~ I ~ ~ ~ D A -Y S '-' - 54. T H E ~ ~ I ~ ~ O D A Y S- ' ' 55. THE"TIME OF 'THE END" - - 56. T H E " ~ ~ ~ O U A Y S -" - 57. THE TRUE AND COUNTERFEII' DAYS" - - - - OFDANIEL 58. THE COMPLETE PERIOD OF THE PLAN OF - - - SALVATION 59. THETWENTIETHYEAR OF ARTAXERXES APPENDIX - - - -
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OF THE
THEGENTILES-
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GREAT PYRAMID
315
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NOTE: T h e price of this 2nd volume, bound in cloth, is 21-, o r 50 cents, and bound in leather, gold edges, 31-,or 75 cents, including postage. Further copies may be procured by applyir~gto: Morton Edgar, 224 West Regent Street, Glasgow, Scotland. Volume I gives a full account of the authors' personal operations and investigations a t the Great Pyramid, and their observations of the other Pyramids. Much new and valuable information is given in Volume I. It contains numerous quotations from the rare Pyl-amid works of such writers as Col. Howard Vyse, Prol. C. Piazzi Smyth, Prof. Flinders Petrie, and others, Every part of interest referred to is illustrated by carefully prepared and printed reprodr~ctions of photographs, and by numerous diagrams. Many of tlie photographs are tile first of their kind to be published, and 50 o!' these were taken by flashlight in the interior of the Great Pyraii~id. Volume I contains 164 iIIustrations in all. The very full Index a t the end of the vulume, makes the book valuable f o r reference on all questions touching the Great Pyramid. In size, Volurne 1 of Great Pyramiri Passugts measures ten inchcs by seven and a half inches, and contains over 330 pages. In order to secure the best possible results from the rlurnerous Plates, a stout quality of the best dull art paper has been chosen. T h e Price of Volume I of Great Pyr'yl.cznzidPnssngts, bound in stiff boards covered with good cloth, is 516, or $1'35, including postage. T h e Price of the papel--bound Edition is 31-, o r 75 cents, including postage. Except for the binding, this paper-bound Edition is the same i n every respect as the better bound.
GREAT PYRAMID PASSAGES.
THE measurements which appear in the chart of the Great Pyramid (page 4) are derived mainly from the valuable works of Professors C. Piazzi Smyth, a n d Flinders Petrie-"Life and Work at the Great Pyramid," and "The Pyramids and Temples of Gizeh." When we consider the difficulties which measurers have to contend with in the very confined, dark, slippery, and now somewhat dilapidated passage-ways of the Pyramid, we can readily recognise that though these workers may conduct their measuring-operations with every care, their conclusions would necessarily differ to some extent. As Prof. Smyth very properly says, "no two human measures ever agree exactly; all that finite man , can hope for is to come within moderately close limits." W e find when we compare the lists of these two eminent scientists that there is but little : difference between their measures for most of the upper parts of the Pyramid's interior system; and the results of our own measuring-operations," also, closely agree with their figures. W e are confident, therefore, that the measurements used in this volume are a s near to the truth a s we can hope for. ' Thcy harmonise all the teachings of the Pyramid,
+
*Carried on in the year 1909-See Vol I. I
1(
1. MEASUREMENTS OF T H E GREAT PYRAMID. a n d are corroborated over and over again by the numerous time-features, which are based upon the Bible chronology. T h e y reveal wonderful design throughout the exterior and interior proportions of this truly niarvellous building. T h e measurements are all in Bvitisk I~zcllcs.
The length o f the Grand Gallery, from the north wall at the lower end, up the floor-line to the front of the Step a t the upper south end, is, according to Prof. Smyth, 1814.8, and according to Prof. Petrie 1815.5 inches, a difference of '7 of a n inch. We find that a figure lying between these two yields the proper harmony throughout all the various time-measurements, viz.: 1815.25, or 1815% inches. The length o f the Horizontal Passage leading to the Queen's Chamber, measuring froin the north wall of the Grand Gallery southward to the line of the north wall of the Queen's Chamber, is, according to Prof. Smyth, 1519.4 inches with a possible variation of -3of an inch, while according to Prof. Petrie it is 1523.8, or nearly 4% inches longer, which difference, a s Prof. Petrie says, seems difficult to account for. W e therefore measured this passage with special care and got a r e s ~ i l t which lies between these two, namely, 1522'4 inches. W e cannot be f a r wrong if we accept a s t!he length of the Horizontal Passage the mean Bumber 1521.75, or 15213/4 inches, thus giving due h e i g h t to all three results. 9
3,The length o f the E r s t Ascending Passage,
fpjpm the " Point of Intersection" " up the floor-line tg, the beginning of the Grand Gallery, is, accord-
iM to Prof. Smyth,
15-49, but according to Prof. g ~ t r i e , 1546.8 inches, a difference of 2 . 8 inches. B&h measurers complained of the great difficulty I
I
tG~he "Point of Intcrsection" is that point on the floor of the Descending Passage which is intersected by the produced floorline of the First Ascending Passage. 2
MEASUREMENTS OF T H E GREAT PYRAMID. 1. doing accurate work in this passage o n account 0 1 the interception of the Granite Plug, the slip1)criness of the floor, and extensive dilapidations of I l ~ rwalls, etc. (See Vol. I, pars. 257, 468). Their Illeasures, therefore, taken under such trying circ-(~n~stances, may be considered to be close. Here gain we find that if we take a figure which lies I)ctween these two, namely, 1545 inches, we shall get the desired harmony in the large nulrlber of r irne-measurements indicated by, and in connection with, this passage. oI'
The length o f the Descending Passage, from ihe present outsici~beginning of the floor, down the Lloor-line to the Point of Intersection," was very carefully nleasured by Professors S n ~ y t h and Petrie. According to the former it is 985.9, and to the latter 966e4 inches, a difference of half a n inch. Our own i ~ ~ e a s u r i ngave g a result between these IWO, viz.: 986.3 inches. W e therefore adopt a s the length of this upper reach of the Descending I'assage, 986.25, or 986% inches. The length o f the missing part o f the Descending Passage, I.e., the distance from the present outside beginning of the E i ~ t r a n c efloor, up to the line of r l ~ eancient and now missing casing-stone surface 01' the building, was conlputed by Professor Petrie I ruin existing indications to have been 124.2 inches, with a possible variation of ' 3 of an inch. W e Il~creforeadopt a s the true ancient length of this o,issiiig portion of the Descending Passage floor, /:)/I%inches. Thus, the total original length of the \);Issage from the surface of the casing, down the i~~c:lined floor-linc to the "Point of Inlersection," w e 1;1kc to have been /1103/4 inches, which tneasure is 11o1q ~ l i t eone-tenth of a n inch more than the total 1<.11fith computed by Prof. Petrie. The length o f the Granite Plug, which is tightly wc~tlgcclinto the lower end of the First Ascending
MEASURE.WENTS OF T H E G R E A T PYRAAfIL).
1.
I1:lssage, is, according to Prof. Snlyth, 178.8, and .~c.c.oi-dingto Prof. Petrie, 178.5 inches. But with l-c~gardto his length of the Granite Plug, Prof. 511tythsays in Vol. I1 of his "Life and Work," page ,.. It has not yet been proved; and it was so ,z, vc:l-y difficult and roundabout to measure, that I ( 1 0 not attach much value to the numbers." Col. I loward Vyse's length for the Plug is 177 inches. W e do not think we shall be far wrong if we take cl~elnean of these iigures, or the round number 178 inches, thus giving clue weight to all three ~neasurei-s. T h e Granite Plug is composed of three blocks of l.cd granite. There is a space of a few inches between the lowernlost and middle blocks (Prof. Peti-ie says 4 inches). T h c top end of the upperluost block is m u c l ~fractured in appearance (See Vol. I, Plate LXIX), and this, of course, suggests Ihe thought that the Plug was originally longer. Prof. Petrie says he saw a bit of granite still ce~ncntedto the floor two feet furillel- u p the passage. We, aiso, saw what for so111e time we took l o be a piece of granite a t the place indicated; but on later more careful exanlinatio~lit proved to be a ll~mpof coarse red plaster. We saw several similar 1)ieces of plaster adhering to the angles of the floor : ~ n dwalis t h r o ~ ~ g h o uthe t length of the passage, ; ~ n dwe I-equired to clear some of then1 away a s r l ~ e yhindered careful measuring. W e also saw a t Ic,ast one suck piece of plaster in iheGrand Gallery. ' I . ' l l i s cnarse red, or, rather, pink plaster, was very ~nstensivelyused by the ancient worli~nenin the core 1ll;lsonry of the building, and some of it can be seen i l l certain wide joints in the dilapidated portion of 111c:First Ascending Passage. We believe that the upper end of the Granite l'l[~x is in its original state, and that its rough ~~ltfinished appearance h a s symbolical' significance. ' l ' l ~ cupper end of the lowernlost block also has a I'l.a.c:ll~redappearance, which is certainly original, 5
4
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I. DIEASUREfi1ENT.S OF THE GREAT PYRANID. tion, and because of this we conducted our own measuring-operations wilh every care a t our command (See account in Vol. I, pars. 285-293). W e measured the length of this passage sever] times, from the "Point of Intersection" down tc the bottom square end (See Vol. I, Plates XLIX and L), with the following results:No.
Measurement taken along-
Brit. ins
west side, with rods, 6 and 3 feet,-3034.5 2 -Roof, west side, with steel tape, - - -30356 3 -Floor, west side, with steel tape, - - 3 0 3 7 7 4 -Floor, west side, with steel tape, - - 3 0 3 7 3 5 -Floor, west side, with rods, 3 and z feet,-303P3 6 -Floor, east side, with steel tape, - - -30355 7 -Floor, east side, with steel tape, - - -30357 1 -Roof,
0 1 these measures those by rods (Nos. I and 5) are the least trustworthy; for no matter how carefully rods are held, and alternately placed one after the other down the length of the passage, slight errors through slipping are very liable to creep in. Considering the great difficulty of measuring a length of over 250 feet down this very steep, dark and low curlfined passage-way, the results of the measuremeilts b y rods are wonderfully close to the other measures taken by Lhe triore accurate steel-tape method.* According to the above list of measures, the length of the passage on the west side along the roof-line is shorter than along the floor-line; and, again;the length along the floor-line on the east side is shorter than on the west side These apparent differences, while no doubt partly due to sinall errors in our measurements, are also due to the fact t h a t . the flat lower terminal is not quite a t right angles to the incline of the passage. 1* T h e steel tape used by us is 600 British inches in length, and was specially made for the purpose of measuring in the Great Pyramid. t By subsequent (in Rlarch 1912) square m e a s ~ ~ r i n gI ,found that the top-west to bottom-east diagonal of the flat end of the
8
I
MEASUREMENTS O F THE GREAT PYRAMID.
1.
As the nlouth of the lower end of the Well-shaft is situated in the west wall of the Descending Pas-
sage, and a s a large ~luniberof time-measurements with this lower opening of the Well, wc consider it proper to carry the floor-length of Ihe Descending Passage down the west, rather than tlvw~lthe east, side. We therefore base our figures [or the length of the lower reach of the Descending L'assage upon our steel-tape measures Nos. 3 and 4, 01. a mean between these two, namely, 3037% inclies. :I[-e connected
The distance from the north edge of the lower mouth o f the Well, down the floor-lirie on the wcst side to the bottom of the Descending Passage, is, according to Prof. Petrie, 296 inches. T h i s measure is given by Prof. Petrie in a round nu~-nber, b u t we state the distance more particularly to be 29654 inches. Detailed measurements-of the lower, ;u11c1 also of the upper, muuth of the Well, wiil be given later.
The floor-&engthof the SmaU HorizonntaH PasPit, is, according to Prof.
sage beading to the
l'etrie's round number, 351 inches. W e made out measure to be 350% inches on tlie west side, and nearly 352 inches on the east side. T h i s ~lifferencebetween the west and east floor-measure111e11ts is due to the fact already mentioned, namely, r lrat the flat terminal of the Descending Passage i s not quite square. Just as the floor-length of the I)cscending Passage is shorter down the east than tlown the west side, so the floor-length of the Small l lorizontal Passage is, conversely, lo~rger on the c.:~stthan on the west side. A s in the case of the Il ~ e accurate
I )(.scending Passage, is nearly at right-angles to the incline, and Il~atthe othcl.diagona1 from the top-east to bottom-west corners, i s also nearly at right-angles to the incline; but the first ~~~cbntioned diagonal is zbout 1.25 inches further out or more to III(* north thzn the other. Consequently, any measuring along 1111 west roof-line, and east floor-line, i s bound to give a less ~.c:snltthan along the east roof-line, and west floor-line.
9.
/.
MEASUREMENTS OF THE GREAT PYRAMID.
Descending Passage, so here also we have based our figures for the floor-length of the Small Horizontal Passage on our measurenlents along the west side, 350% inches.
The roof-length o f the Small Horizontal Passage leading to the Pit, Prof. Petrie does not particularly specify. Col. Howard Vyse gave it roughly a s 27 feet, i.e., 324 inches. Our own measuring gave the length more exactly a s 325% inches, i.e., the distance from the roof-terminal of the Descending Passage, horizontally to the north wall of the Pit. It must be noted, however, that the floor-length of the Smal! Horizontal Passage continues into the Pit 5 inches beyond the line of the north wall of that chamber (See Vol. I, par. 302). Further details of the ir~easurementsof the Snlall Horizontal Pasage will be noticed when dealing with this part of the Prramid.
The width s f the Pit, from the north wall to thc south wall (along the east wall) is, according to Prof. Petrie, 325.9 inches. Our own measurement, by steel tape stretched directly a n d horizontally across the chamber froin the west side of the doorway of the Snlall Horizontal Passage on the north, to the wall above the roof of the doorway of t h e little south blind passagc, is 325!! inches, which is the measure we adopt as being probably as nearly correct a s can be determined; for it nlust be rei~lenlberedthat the walls of the Pit, although fairly even, are sonlcwhat roughly dressed ( s e e Plates in Vol. I).
The length o f the little South Blind Passage is stated by Prof. Petrie to b e 646 inches. W e found that the further south end of this passage is very rough, so that while our measure for the length of the passage to the deepcst part of the rough terminal was 645 inches, it was only 641 inches to the rnost prominent projection (See the account of I0
1
I. operations in this passage in Vol. I. 1);~s.305). T h e average length of 643 inches is, Illerefore, a fair statement of the length of this ,,assage. W e believe the rough unfinished south Icrmination of this peculiar little blind passage llas a syn~bolical meaning, even a s the rough I)rolcen floor of the Pit is syn~bolical. T h e marvellously accurate work of the ancient builders dis~,layedgenerally throughout the Pyramid, leads us lo collclude that the apparently course workmanship in certain portio~lsis intentional. The ineasurements of various other par-ts of the Pyramid are given throughout the volume. II.fBASUREAlElVTS O F THE G R E A T PYRAMID.
O I I S measuring
'
I
,
1 ' I
2. AhCLES OF THE GREAT PYRAMID. The angle of rise o f the exterior sides o f the Great Pvramid was ~ r o n o u n c e db v Prof. Flinders Petrie, after careful angle-measuring of the large well-preserved casing-stones a t the north base of the 1)uilding (See Vol. I, pars. 84-86, a n d 223-226 with to be 51" 52' plus or :~ccon~panying 111i11us 2'. Prof. C. Piazzi Smyth, following the Il~eoryfirst propounded by John Taylor, claimed ~ I I : I the ~ exact angle is 51" 51' 14'3", which angle is ~.olitainedwithin the findings of Prof. Petrie," and w'ls substantially supported by Prof. Smyth's own instaki taking meas~lring. This angle 51" 51' 14.3'' is called the (Pi) angle, 1:iving to the vertical height of the Pyramid the .,lrne ratio to its square base, a s the radius of a l.i~-c,lebears to its circun~ference (See Vol. I, par. I 3). In conjunction with the building's socket-level Ir:~:,c-length (of 9140.181 Bri!. ins.), this x angle II;I.; cndowcd the Great Pyramid with many wonc l ~ ~ r -scientific f~~l truths, and h a s also enabled a I I I I I I I I I ~of~ important time-measurements (corrobor-
.
I
I'~.of. Petrie wrote Prof. Smyth in a private letter that the
l ~ ~ ~ ~ : was I c s 51" 51'.
I1
ANGLES OF ?'HE GIiEAT PYXAMID.
ative of Llle Scriptural Chronology) to be indicated with exactness. None of the other thirty or Inore ineasured pyramids throughout Egypt have been erected at this T angle. Con~nierltingupon this fact, Prof. Smyth writes: "If, therefore, the 7; quantity with its resulti~lgshape is really found built into the Great Pyranlid with exactness, ... ... it 1101 only discriminates that building a t once froin all other pyrainids of Egypt, whatever their absolute size may be; but proves that such a distinquishing feature for the wise of latter days must have been the result either of some most marvellous accident, or of some deev wisdonl and settled determined purpose " ( "Our Inheritance," 5t!1 Ed. p. 10). W e have confidence that the reader will agree with us, after p e r ~ ~ s i nthis g volume, that there no feature in the Great Pyramid the result of accident. T h e ancient angle of the rise of the corner arris lines cf the building, i.e., from the corner socketfoundations up the corner angles to the suinmit top-stone, is 41" 59' 18.7". T h e ancient angle a t the summit, sideways, is 76' /7'31.4", and diagonaily it is 96" 1' 22.6". These three angles are computed from the T angle of the sides.
The angle s f incIinration of the Descending and Ascending Passages, a s scieritifically deduced by Prof. Sinytli from the exact geomerrical proportions of the building, as well a s from his careful personal angular observations in the several passages, is 26" 18' 10". This, the theoretical correct angle, is approximated ixore nearly by the Grand Gallery than by the other passages. T h e mean angle of the Descending Passage a s actually observed by Prof. Smyth, is 26" 26' 49"' of the First Ascending Passage 26" 6' 5", a n d of the Grand Gallery 26" 17' 37"; and these angles are practica1:y confirnled by Prof. Petrie's observations. Prof. Smyth points out t h a t the Grand Gailery, the angle of which is I2
AArGLES OF TE-IE GREAT' PYRAMID.
2.
only half a minute from that required by theory, is lhe best constructed of all the passage-ways, and In it the buiiders appeal to have inore closely allained to the intention of the Architect.' W e share with hi111 in this opinion, not only 1)ecause the angle of 26" 18' lo" agrees with many hcientific featuies in c o n i ~ e c t i owith ~ ~ the Pylamid, I)ut on account of the harmony thus ploduced llii-oughout all the time-measurements contained in illis v o l u n ~ e ; a n d also because of the Scriptural connection wliich it establishes between the Great Pyramid in Egypt, and Bethlehem, the place of our Lord's nativity in the Holy L a n d (See Vol. I, pars. 381-389). 'Referring to the observed angles of the Descending and First Ascending Passages, Prof. S n ~ t hdraws attention to the fact that "one of them IS more, and the other less, than the theoretical quantity; their mean, o r 26' 16' 30", being within 2' distance Lherefrom; and looking like a case of probable error of con\truction on the part of honest v~orkrnen,who knew the right theoretical angle, and wished to hit, but had practical difficulty in hitting, i t exactly" ("Life and Work," Vol. 111, page 37).
A S the time-measurements in the Great Pyramid ~ l r ecorroborative of the "times a n d seasons" contained in the Scriptures, it will be necessary to have before us a list of prominent Bible dates f o r ready reference: BIBLE DATES.
-
B.C. 4128 Gen. 2: 7; 5 : I. God created Adam had a son at 130 ,, 5:3. Seth born
-
Enos born
-
- - B.C. 3998 had a son at 105
-
Cainan born -
-
-
- B.C.3893
-
-
- B.C.
had a son a t
had a son a t
90
3803 70
,,
5:6.
,, 5:9.
,, 5:12.
I
3.
B I B L E CHRONOLOGY. Mahalaleel born - B.C. 3733 had a son a t 65 Gen. Jaredborn - - - B.c.3568 had a son a t 162 ,,
-
-
-
Enochborn-
-
- B.C. 3506 65
had a son a t
Methuselah born Lamechborn
- - - B.C. 3441 had a son a t 187 - - - B.C. 3254 182 had a son a t
Date o f F L O O D -
.-
-
B.C. 3072 Noah born 600 Age of Nod11 at Flood
- - B.C. 2472 2 Shem had a son after Flood
1 '
1
1
Arphaxad born
1I I
1
Eberhorn
-
Peleg born
I
I
-
Reu born
-
Serug born
-
Nahor born -
I
I
,
.
l e r a h born
-
I I I
I
I
B.C. 2405
Rehoboan enthroned - B.C. Yeais of reign
B.C. 2371
30
Abijah enthroned - Years of reign
- R.C. 2341 32 had a son a t
-
Asa enthroned - - Years of reign
had a son a t
Jehoshaphat enthronedYeais of leign
had a son a t
Jehoram enthroned Years of reign
-
-
-
-
-
-
had a son a t
I
I
Solomon enthroned - B.C. Years of reign
-
had a son a t I
'
B.C.
30
34
-
--
B.C. 2020 W h e n Isaac was born 60 Isaac had a son a t
-
- - Age of Jacob
B.C. 1960
?$j 40 1 Chron. 29:27.
40 2 Chron. 9:30. 999 17 ,, IZ:I3. B.C. 982 3 ,, I3:2. B.C. 979 41 ,, 16:13. B.C. 938 25 ,, 20:jI. B.C. 913 8 , 2I:zo.
Ahaziah enthroned - - B.C. Years of reIgn
Terah died a t
ABRAHAMIC COVENANT B.C. 2045 Abraham in Canaan 25
Jacobborn
4
%%
-
had a son a t
I
Date of Abrahamic Covenant B.C. 2045 Children of Israel sojourned 430 Exod. 12 :40-A?: -[ G ~ I ill;. . EXODUS from Egypt - B.C. 1615 ,, 12:40-43. Wandering in the Wilderness 40 Deut. 8:2. Enter land of CANAAN - B.C. 1575 Acts I3 :IS, 19; Nurn. .13:3; 9:1: I0:II.IZ; Division of the land 13:I-3,25,26; 32:s: -~ . :5-7.10. Beginning of JUDGES - B.C. 1569 . J o s ~ 14 Period of Judges 450 Acts I3:zo. -Saul enthroned - B.C. 1119 Years of reign 40 ,, 1 3 : ~ . David enthroned - B.C. Years of reign
- had a son a t
-
Salah born '
B I B L E CHRONOLOGY. 3. When Jacob entered Egypt - B.C. 1830 Jacob was in Egypt 17 Gen. 47:28. Jacob died, beginning of the B.C. / 8 / 3 ,, 46:3;49:28; J E W I S H NATION Deut. 26: 5.
Athaliah enthroned - - B.C. Years of reign
-
-
905 I -
,,
22:2.
904 6 -loash enthroned - B.C. 898 Years of reign 40
,,
22:12.
,,
24:1.
A~naziahenthroned - - B.C. Years of reign
,,
25:I
-
130
I5
--
858 29
3.
--
-
Jotham enthroned - B.C. Years of reign
777 16
-
Ahaz enthroned - B.C. Years of reign
761
16 Hezekiah enthroned - B.C. 745 Years of reign 29 Manasseh enthroned - B.C. 716 Years of reign 55
-
Amon enthroned Years of reign ,
CHRONOLOGICAL PERIODS E X A M I N E D .
B I B L E CHRONOLOGY: Uzziah enthroned- - B.C. 829 52 2 Chi-on. 26:3. Years of reign
661 2
B.C.
,,
27:1.
,,
28:1.
,,
29:I.
,,
33:I.
,,
33:ZI.
,,
34:I.
.,
36:5-
I
-
Josiah enthroned Years of reign
-
B.C.
Jehoiakim enthroned Years of reign
B.C.
659 31 628 I/ --
Zedekiah enthroned - B.C. 617 Years of reign I1 ,, 36:11. Zedekiah dethroned,-beginning of -TIMES of the GENTILES B.C. 6 0 6 ,, 36:20, 2170 Jer. zg : 11. 12 (marg.). DESOLATION OF LAND -EDICT OF CYRUS - B.C. 536 Jer. 29:1o; 2 Chron. 3622, 23.
4. CHRONOLOGICAL PERIODS EXAMINED. FKOMthe foregoing list of Bible Dates (Sec. 3), we find that the chronological chain is composed of nine main periods or links of varying lengths. Each iink will stand close investigation, when examined in the light of the Scriptures themselves. It is important that they should be thoroughly tested, for the correct interpretation of the time-prophecies entirely depends upon the true chronology.
The period s f 1656 years from the creation oi Adam to the flood, does not require much comnlent for it is based upon the records of the original Hebrew Scriptures. A s has been pointed out by 16
I1
4.
Ill;lny eminent chronologists, the addition in the (;reek Septuagint version of the Old Testament oL' exactly 100 years to the ages of most of the ~):~lriarchs, is quite evidently a forgery. W e could not imagine areason why the Hebrews in Palestine should desire to shorten their ancient chronological ~ccords;but it is easy to see why the Greek Jews ill Egypt were induced to lengthen them when Iranslating the origi~ialHebrew into Greek. They tlcsired to make their history appear a s ancient a s 1)ossible in their Greek translation, in order to compare favourably with their Egyptian neighI)ours; for the Egyptian historians claimed imlnensely long eras'& their past records. It is well to note that Egyptologists admit that Egyptian historical chronology is a difficult subject, owing chiefly to a n insufficiency of facts in connection with the reigns of the kings of the 7th to rrth, and 13th to 17th, dynasties. T h e original list of kings compiled by the Egyptian priest and historian, Manetho, in the first half of the 3rd cen[ury B.C., is lost; and the copies of it which are pre.;crved in the writings of Julius Africanus and I4;usebius (both of the 3rd century A.D.) are conIlicting. Nor d o any of the later excavated tablets . I I I ~papyri records contain a conlplete chronologiral list of kings. For many of the kings of Egypt ~ ~ c i t h the e r order of succession, nor length of reign I S known, and therefore it is impossible for an ,~ccurate chronological history of Egypt to be (.ompiled. Many systems of chronology, of course, I~nvebeen put forward; but the difficulty of arriving , I ( any reliable conclusion is apparent from the v a s t diversity of opinion. T h e date proposed for I I I C beginning of the @st dynasty by six pri~zcipal ~r~r~l~nritics ranges over a period of 2554 years! or ;I I I Lhe way between 5869 B.C. and 3315 B.C. The I:lllcr date, 3315 B.c., is the latest deduction; and it i h Ilopeful to observe that a s the work of excavation i ~ r Egypt progresses, constantly bringing to light II
I7
CHRONOLOGICAL PERIODS EXAMINED.
CHRONOLOGICAL PERIODS EXAMINED.
-
'
contend for the shorter period overlook the clear statement of Stephen (Acts 7:2-5), that it was after Terah, Abraham's father, was dead, that Abrahain entered Canaan. According to Gen. 11 :32, Terah died at 205 years of age. W e must not, therefore, understand that the three sons of Terah were all born in the same year, but that the begettal of these sons began when he was 70. Abraham although the youngest was the most important of the three, and is therefore mentioned first.
additional data for investigation, a steady reduction in the dates are found necessary, thus bringing them more nearly in accord with Bible testimony. The uncertainty which attends Egyptian chronology, equally applies to that of Assyria and all other ancient countries. W e therefore have great confidence in the Hebrew chronology, which gives us a connected history from the time of Adam down to the year 536 B.C. where secular history begins to be reliable.
The period o f 421 years from the flood to the date of God's covenant with Abraham, is, like the period 0 already considered, based upon the ancient Hebrew a Scriptures. It has been supposed that this period should be reduced 60 years because of the statement in Gen. I I : 26, that "Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, . Nahor, and Haran." This would give a period of 145 years between the birth of Terah, and the covenant with Abraham; for AbrarO ham was 75 years of age, according to Gen. 12:4-7, when he entered Canaan and so secured the promise, and
4.
1
The period o f 430 years fro111 the Abrahamic Covenant, to the Exodus from Egypt and the giving of the Law, is expressly stated by the inspired Apostle in Gal. 3:17 (The words "in Christ" should be omitted,-see R.v.). From this inspired statement of the Apostle Paul, we know that the 430 years' sojourn of the children of Israel, inentioned by Moses in Exod. 12:40, 41, includes the sojourning of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the land of Canaan, which, although promised to them for an inheritance, was still a "strange land "-Acts 7:4,5. As the Bible dates show a period of 215 years between the Abrahamic Covenant and Jacob's entrance into Egypt, it is evident that the children of Israel's actual residence in Egypt was 215 years (2/5+ 2/5=430). Most authorities think that a 1)eriod of 215 years is too short for the great ~nultiplicationof the Israelites during their resitlence in Egypt, forgetting that the Scriptures indicate that this increase was miraculous (See I
4.
4.
CHRONOLOGICAL PERIODS EXAMINED.
CHRONOLOGICAL PERIODS EXAMINED.
demonstrated by the accompanying diagram. T h i s diagram shows the genealogy of Moses. Moses was 80 years old at the Exodus (Exod. 7 :7). H i s mother, Jochebed, was the daughter of Levi (Num. 26: 59). Levi lived for 137 years (Exod. 6: 16), but he cannot have spent more than the last 97of them in Egypt for he was older than Joseph (Gen. 37:3), and Joseph was 39 when Jacob and his sons entered Egypt (Gen. 41: 46-54, compare with Gen. 45: 3-1 1). It follows from these facts that if the period of the Israelites' residence in Egypt was 430 years a s the
(Gen. 15: 13, 15), quoted by Stephen (Acts 7: 6,7), [hat Abraham's seed would be afflicted 400 years, is often taken to mean that the affliction in Egypt was to be 400 years. T h e Apostle Paul, however, points out that this foretold affliction began when Ishmael "mocked" or "ill-treated" Isaac at the time of the feast when Isaac was weaned (Gal. 4: 28-30; Gen. 15: 5-1 2). As the Bible dates show that Isaac was born 405 years before the Exodus, he must have been five years of age when he was weaned. T h a t Isaac was not "weaned from the milk" till he had reached the age of five years seems unaccountable to people of Western countries, but in Palestine this is the coinmon practice even at the present day. T h e women of Palestine believe that the longer the child is suckled the stronger he will grow, and the weaning never takes place under two years, but frequently in the case of a favourite man-child such a s Isaac was, he is kept at the breasts for four or five years, and even longer. The "babes and suckling" of the Bible are old enough to sing, a n d are ready to be taught knowledge (Matt. 21:15,16; Isa. 28:9; I Sam. 1:21-23). Jehovah's further intimation to Abraham that his seed would come out of bondage in the fourth generation, and that the nation who had held them in bondage would be judged (Gen. 15: 14-16; Acts 7: 7), was fulfilled when Moses delivered the Israelites after inflicting the ten plagues upon the Egyptians. T h e four generations began with Jacob when he entered Egypt, Levi and Jochebed being the second and third, and Moses the fourth generation. T h e Samaritan and Septuagint versions of the Old Testament render Exod. 12: 40 einphatically in support of the inspired Apostle's statement in Gal. 3: 17,-"the dwelling of the sons of Israel, and of their fathers, which they dwelt in the land of Canaan, and in the land of Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years."
R.V. translators assume, Jochebed must have been a t the very least 253 years old when Moses was born ! Again, Moses' father, Amram, was the son of Kohath, and Kohath was one of those who entered Egypt with Jacob. Kohath lived 133 years, and Amram lived 137 years (Gen. 46: 8, l I- ; Exod. 6: 18, 20). If, now, we were to allow that Kohath was a new born babe when he entered Egypt, and that Amram was born the year his father died, there would still remain a g a p of 80 years between the death of Amram and the birth of Moses! T h e statement made by Jehovah to Abraham 20
21
4.
I
4.
CHRONOLOGICAL PERIODS EXAMINED.
CHRONOLOGICAL PERIODS EXAMINED.
The period o f 46 years from the Exodus to the division of the land among the twelve tribes of Israel, is made up from two periods of 40 and 6 years. T h e 40 years from the Exodus until the nation crossed the river Jordan to take possession of the promised land, is exact to a d a y (Exod. 12: 42-51; Deut. 29:5; Josh. 4:19; 5:lO; Num. 14:34). T h e period following the forty years in the wilderness, during which the Israelites conquered seven nations a n d then divided the land of Canaan anlong the tribes (Acts 13: 17-1 9), is proved to be 6~yeai-sby the following texts :(5) Num. 13 : 2 5 , 2 6 . ( I ) Num. 33: 3.
In the Book of Joshua (14: 5-7,lO) we read that when Joshua was dividing the land, Caleb came to him and said: "Thou knowest the thing that the Lord said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadesh-barnea "-namely, that he would live to inherit part of the land-" Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of God sent me from Kadesh-barnea to espy out the land ......and now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years ... ...and now, lo, I a m this d a y fourscore and five years old." W e are informed in Num. 10 : 11, 12, that in the 20th day of the 2nd month of the 2nd year (i.e., 1 yr. I rno. 20 dys.) after leaving Egypt, the people journeyed from Sinai to the wilderiless of Paran; and it was from Kadesh-barnea in Paran that Caleb and the other spies journeyed forth (See Num. 13:l-3, 25, 26; 32:8). It was, therefore, a little over a year after the Exodus that Caleb was sent to spy the land, and 45 years later the land was conquered and divided, altogether a period of 46 years.
3 ~ n they d departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month: on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out wlth an hiah hand in the sight of all the ~ g y p t i a n s .
(2)
Num. g :I .
AND the LORDspake unto nloses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of thesecond year after tiley were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,
(3) Num.
10: 11, 12.
11 91 And it came to Dass on the twen-
tieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up irom off the tabernacle of the testimony. 12 And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wildelmess of Sinai: and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran.
(4) Num.
13:I-3.
AND the LORDspake unto Moses, Saying *'send thoumen, thattheymaysearch the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathersshall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them. 3 And Moses by the commandment of the LORDsentthem from the wilderness of Paran: all those rnen were heads of the children of IsraeI.
zc. A n d thrv retllrncd searchir~e -" - - ~ - - - ~from of the land after forty days. 2 6 7 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh: and broueht back wordunto them. and unto all-the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. .-~.<
(6)
~
Num.32: 8.
8 Thus did your fathers, when I seut them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.
(7) Josh.
14:s-7.
5 As the LORDcommanded nloses, so the childreil of Israel did, and they dlvided the land. 6:[ Then the children of Judahcame unto Joshua in Gilgal : and Caleb the son of Jephunneh thr Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadesh-barnea. 7 Forty vears old was I when Moses tl& servani of the LORDsent me from Kadesh-harnea to espy out the land: and I br-ought him word again as zt was i n mine heart. (8) Josh. 14:10. 10 And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he sald, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderncss: and now, lo, I urn this day fourscore and five years old.
The Period o f 450 years of the Judges is said by the Apostle Paul to have extended from the time of the division of the land, till Samuel the prophet (Acts 13:19,20). It is generally acknowledged that without this inspired statement in the New Testament the continuity of the Old Testament chronology would be broken. Nor could we know the period of Saul's reign, were it not that the Apostle again supplies this information, enabling us to connect rlp the chronological chain (Acts 13:21). The Old 'Testament does, indeed, furnish an indication of [he time which elapsed between the Exodus and (he period of the kings, but owing to a n evident error on the part of a copyist, or a translator from Ihe original Hebrew manuscripts, the matter has Ixen involved in a measure of obscurity. With (he aid of the Apostle's figures we know that the rolal period from the Exodus to the commencement 23
4. CHRONOLOGICAL PERIODS EXAMINED. of the erection of the Temple in Jerusalem was 580 years. In I Kings 6:l we read in our Bible that the period in question was 480, or 100 years less than the sum of the periods given in the other Scriptures (40+6+450+40+40+4=580). T h e ease with which this mistake in I Kings 6:1 crept in, whereby 580 was made to read 480, is very apparent when the Hebrew letter which stands for 4 " V J ' is compared with that for 5 "3". Although in all existing Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Teslarnellt (none of which date earlier than the 10th century A.D.) numbers are written out at length, it seems certain that the writers of the originals, and all the ancient copyists, employed the letters of the alphabet to denote nunierical values. It is weliknown that this method was used by the Greeks, and, indeed, by all ancient Eastern nations. Maccabaean coins prove conclusively that this shorter method of recording numbers was in vogue among the Hebrews after the Babylonian captivity (536 B.c.), and there is no reason to doubt that it was in use from the beginning. Because of the similarity of certain lctters in the Hebrew alphabet, copyists have mistaken one for another, in spite of their proverbial care, a n d thus have in some cases given rise to much n~isunderstanding. It is wonderful, indeed, that such errors are not more frequent in the Bible; the Lord has so overrulled matters that the errors which have crept in are corrected by the testimony of other Scriptures.
T h e period of 513 years of the kings of Judah, dating from Samuel the prophet when the 40 years of Saul's "space" began, till the dethronement of Zedekiah the last king, is derived entirely from the Book of Chronicles, the reign of Saul being the only exception (Acts 13:21). T h e chronological chain cannot be carried through the line of the kings of the ten tribes, without reference to the line of Judah, for two breaks occur 26
CHRONOL,OGICAL PERIODS EXAMINED. 4. in the succession of the reigns of Israel's kings. There is a gap of ten years after Jereboam I1 (2 Kings 14:23; 15:8); and a second gap of ten years after Pekah ( 2 Kings 15:27; 17:l). The reigns of the kings of Judah as give11 in the Book of Kings, agree exactly with those given in C:lironicles. Chronologers (as Ussher) who have attempted t o base this period of Bible Chronology upon the hgnchronisms" found in the Book of Kings, have caused much unnecessary confusion; for it is well known that these synchronislns cannot be reconciled with the reigns of the kings of Judah and [srael, nor even with themse1ves.i It is now generally agreed that these sy~lchronismswere added to the Book of Kings by a later hand, and are not to Ile considered a s original independent chronological data. T h e fact that the writer of Chronicles (which is held ro be the last written of the books *ASynchronism is a statement to the effect that "A," king of Judah, began t o reign in a certain year of the reign of "B," king of Israel; or vise versa-See 2 Kings 15: 32 for an example. ?As an example of thedisagreement in synclironisticstatements, we read in 2 Kings I5:30 that Hoshea slew Pekah in the' 20th year of Jotham, and reigned in his stead. This statement is quite ~nanifestlya n interpolation, because Jotham did not reign more than 16 years ( 2 Chron. 27:1); nor did Hoshea reign instead of l'elcah even in the 20th year after the accession of Jotham (which would be the 4th year o i Ahaz) as is suggested by Ussher .~ccordingt o the marginal note in many Bibles, for in 2 Kings 17:r it states that Hoshea began to reign in the 12th year of Ahaz. T h e synchronism of 27 years mentioned in 2 Kings I5 : I cannot ~~ossibly be true; and many other synchronisms are erroneous. In 2 Kings 8 :16, the words: "Jehoshaphat being then king of I ~ ~ d a hare " omitted in a number of Hebrew manuscripts and in Iu;lny versions (See note in the Variorum Bible). If the synt.lironistic statements in 2 Kings 8:16 and 3:1 were true (thus ltlalcing Jehoram of Judah reign only 4 years alone, and therefore dlortening the chronological chain by 4 years), then other syn[.ln.onisms as I Kings 16:29; and 22:4I, etc., are not true. This .81~ows that many of the synchronisms in the Book of Kings are c,onflicting, and strengthen the belief that they are interpolated (( 'ontrast diagrams Nos. I and 2 on page 28). 27
. .
AHA6 ................... I KlNC6
OF 16 29
ISRAEL
...........................JEnQSHAPfi/AT I KING5
-
OF
2 2 - 41
JUDAH
. . .--
2
KlNCJ
3 1
These two diagrams demonstrate that the "synchronisnzs "found in the Book of Kings cannot be reconczled with the rezgns of the kings of Judah and Israel, nor even with themselves. They nevertheless agree better with Diagram NO. 2, which allows Jehorartz of Judah a reign of 8 years alone (Compare z Clzron. 21: 1-5).
--
1 I
I I
I ,
'
1 I
4.
CHRONOLOGICAL PERIODS EXAMINED.
CHRONOLOGICAL PERIODS EXAMINED.
to have it firmly established, we have thought it advisable to enter into the details somewhat fully. W e suggest that the reader verify for himself the numerous Scriptural references. It is evident from a consideration of the above texts, that the 70 years of desolation spoken of by Jeremiah was in fulfiiment of the prophecy of Moses, that the land might enjoy its sabbaths of rest, because when the people were in the land they would not let it rest. When Zedekiah was taken captive to Babylon in the 4th month of his 11th year (Jer. 39:2), it appears that some of the poorest of the people were left in the land (Jer. 39:l O), over whom Nebuchadnezzar set Gedaliah as governor (2 Kings 25:22). And when the Jews who had escaped to other lands heard that Gedaliah was made governor over this remnant, they returned and 'joined him (Jer. 40:11,12). But we read that in the 7th month Gedaliah and many others were slain (Jer. 40: 15, 16; 41 :1-3); and although the Lord promised to protect the very few who yet remained if they would obey him (Jer. 42: 10-1 2), they were now so afraid of the Chaldeans that they would not settle in the land, but fled into Egypt (Jer. 43:l-7). Thus, toward the end of the 11th year of Zedekiah the land of Judea was desolate (Jer. 44: 2, 6, 7, 22; 2 Kings 25: 25, 26). This abject fear of the small nutnber who were left after Gedaliah's death, was foretold by Moses, who said that they would flee out of the land and perish among their enemies (Lev. 26:36-39), and that then the land would enjoy her sabbaths while she lay desolate without them (Lev. 26:33, 34, 43), to fulfil, or accomplish, 70 years. Although the teaching of the Scriptures regarding this period of 70 years desolation is very clear, it has been strangely obscured by Ussher and other chronologers. They have imagined that the 70 years began in the 3rd or 4th year of the reign of Jehoiakirn, 19 or 18 years before Zedekiah's dethronement. This, of course, would shorten the
chronological chain previous to A.D. 1, and thus make the six millenniums from the creation of Adam end 19 or 18 years after 1872 A.D. They recognised that the land was not "desolate without an inhabitant" during the remaining 7 or 8 years of Jehoiakim and the 11 years of Zedekiah, and they therefore termed the 70 years as a period of captivity. But the Scriptures are enzphat~cthat no captivity began i n the 3 r d or 4th year of Jehoiaki~n, nor, indeed, till aJtev the dcath of that king. It was after Jehoiachin (the son of Jehoiakim; also named Jeconiah and Coniah-See 2 Kings 24:8, margin) had reigned three months, that the beginning of the captivity of Judah took place ' (2 Kings 24:6-18). T h e prophet Ezekiel (who was among those carried to Babylon with Jehoiachin), always reckoned the captivity as dating from the time when Jehoiachin was taken captive, 11 years before the final captivity and desolating of Jerusalem and the !and (Ezek. 1:2; 33:21; 40:l.-See diagram on page 32). Jeremiah, also, did not recognise any captivity of Judah previous to that of Jehoiachin (See Jer. 27:16-22; and note that this utterance of Jeremiah was during the 4th year of Zedekiah; for the Variorum Bible points out that in verse I of this 27th chapter Zedekiah is the king meant, a s is shown by comparing verses 3 and 12, and verse I of the next chapter-the 28th. The Septuagint omits 27: 1 entirely). It was in the 4th year of Jehoialtim, which was also the 1st year of Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 25:1), that Jeremiah promised the Jews that if they would turn fro111 evil the Lord would do them no hurt; otherwise (he king of Babylon would come against them (Jer. 25: 1-12; 36:l-3). The fear of an invasion had the In "Studies in the Scriptures" by C. T. Russell, Vol. 11, top
4.
30
o f page 52, notice that the texts given in the 5th line do not refer to a captivity 18 years before Zedekiah's dethronement, 111rt to the captivity of Jehoiachin (son of Jehoiakim) 11 years I)cIore the final captivity and destruction of Jerusalem. 31
4.
CHRONOLOGICAL PERIODS EXAMINED.
effect of causing the people t o proclaim a fast, and endeavour to influence Jehoiakim to repent (Jer. 36:4-10, 16). T h i s fast was held in the 9th month of the 5th year, so that the Lord did them " n o hurt" previous to the 6th year of Jehoiakim" (Jer. 36:9). But Jehoiakim cut up and burnt the "roll of the book" which Jeremiah had written against him, and Jeremiah required to write another roll, in which h e repeated h i s prophecy that " t h e king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land [make it desolate], and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast" (Jer. 36:22-32). Because of this act of contempt in cutting up the roll, the Lord brought Nebuchadnezzar against Jerusalem, and Jehoialiim was bound in chains to be carried : to Babylon (2 Chron. 36:2-7). ; Nebuchadnezzar, however, did not pursue his original intention to take Jehoiakim captive, $ but made him pay tribute in: stead, and carried off some of the vessels of the temple, being content with this alone. At the end of three years' subjection "2 Jehoiakim rebelled against Ne3 buchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:l). with the result that the1 Lord 5
?
b *The Septuagint reads the 9th monB
d
of the 8th year, which is probably correct-See footnote on page 33.
-
32
CHROl\;OLOGZCAL PERIODS E X A M I N E D
4.
harried him by sending against him bands from the surrounding countries, the people of which were now under the power of Babylon, until Nebuchadnezzar was free to come in person to besiege Jerusalem (2 Kings 24:l-4, 7). Jehoiakim was not taken captive to Babylon; but after reigning eleven years he died, being probably assassinated by his infuriated subjects when they saw Nebuchadnezzar coming to lay siege against the city; and it seems that he was not accorded a n honourable burial, but that his dead body was cast iorth out of Jerusalem" (Jer. 22: 18, 19; 36:30). It was therefore upon the head of Jehoiachin (Coniah) that the collective sin of his fathers was visited (Jer. 22:24, 25; 36:30, 31). W e read that it was at that tzme (11 years before Zedekiah's dethronement) that Nebuchadnezzar a n d his servants came a n d besieged Jerusalem (2 Kings 24:8-11); a n d Jehoiachin (son of Jehoiakim) evidently thought it hopeless to resist, and surrendered himself with all his princes a n d all the chief of the land into the hands of the king of Babylon (2 Kings 24:lO-17). This, the first deportation of captives to Babylon, took place in the 8th year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24: 12; Jer. 24:l-10); a n d the second a n d final deportation was at the dethronement of Zedekiah eleven years later, in the 19th year of Nebuchadnezzar (2 Mings 24: 18, 19; 25:l-11). Although a few cities in Judea still remained unsubdued after the first captivity, which were desolated at the final invasion by Babylon (Jer. 34:l-22), this final captivity is spoken of a s being more a captivity of Jerusakm (Jer. 1 :3; 32:l-5), from which time, therefore, the 70 years desolation of Jerusalem began (Dan. 9 :2). kAlthough the Scriptures do not say when Jehoiakim began to I)ay tribute, they by the foregoing texts indicate indirectly that II was in his 8th year. The great Jewish historian Josephus ( orroborates this, saying distinctly that it was in Jehoiakim's 8th vcar that he became tributary to Babylon, rebelling three years I,~tei,i.e., in his 11th and last year (See Ant. X, 6:1-3). C 33
,4.
4.
CHRONOLOGICAL PERIODS EXAMINED.
CHRONOLOGICAL PERIODS EXAMINED.
Verses 28-30 of Jer. 152 show that the writer understood that the jirst captivity of Judah was after the death of Jehoiakim, Il years before the final destruction of Jerusalem. H e in this place pre-dates the years of the captivities, calling the 8th year of Nebuchadnezzar, when Jehoiachin was carried to Babylon, the 7th (Compare 2 Kings 24:12), a n d the 19th year the 18th (Compbre Jer. 52: 12). T h e captivity mentioned in the 30th verse of this 52nd chapter of Jeremiah is that of the Jews who fled to Egypt, after Zedekiah was dethroned and the desolation of the land had begun (See Jer. 43 :5-11; 44:l-14). Josephus, in Ant. X, 9:7, says that this last act of vengeance against the rebellious Jews took place " o n the 5th year after the destruction of Jerusalem, which was the 23rd of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar." This agrees with Jer. 52 :30.
embassv which had gone to Babvlon on behalf of Zedekiah in his 4th year (compa;e Jer. 29 :3, with 51 5 9 , margin). W e believe that the foregoing Scriptural data definitely fixes the commencement of the 70 years period f;om the 7th month, in the 11th year, of the reign of Zedekiah, Judah's last king.
T h e 70 years spoken of by Jeremiah is shown in Jer. 29:l-14* to have begun to count from the time when the 7-enznant (or residue-same word in the Hebrew) in Jerusalem were taken captive by Nebuzar-adan, the captain of Nebuchadnezzar. It was in the 4th month of his r ~ t year h that Zedekiah was taken captive (2 Kings 25: 2-7; Jer. 39: 2-7), while in the 5th month Nebuzar-adan carried away the reurnant to Babylon (2 King 25:8-I 1; Jer. 39:8, 9). It was this I-emtznnt or residue, a s well a s to all those who, I / years.before, had gone into captivity with Jehoiachin or Coniah (Compare verses ! and 8 of Jer. 24), that Jeremiah sent the letter, telling them to settle down in Babylon, for the Lord would not visit them till 70 years were accomplished (See Jer. 29:1, 2). T h e messengers bearing Jeremiah's letter to the captives in Babylon had been employed by him in a similar capacity 7 years before, Elasah a n d Gemariah evidently having formed part of the 'In Jer. 29, verses 16-20 are omitted in the Septuagint, and are regarded by some authorities as not being in the original manuscripts-See the Variorum Bible. 34
The question arises: on what basis did Ussher claim that there was a captivity o i Judah 18 years before the dethronement of Zedekiah? Not b y following Josephus," but by endeavouring to harmonise the Scriptural records with the Astronomical Canon of Btolemy, which seerns to gain support by Dan. 1:l-4. But the Scriptures a n d the Canon cannot be harmonised at this period,? not even if it the 70 years period are: "The words of Josephus " H e [Nebuchadnezzar] reduced them all, and set our temple which was at Jerusalem on fire [Compare 2 Chron. 36: 19-21]; nay, and removed our people entirely out of their own cou~ltry, and transferred them to Babylon; when it so happened that our city was desolate during the interval of seventy years, until the days of Cyrus king of Persia" (Apion, 1 :19). In another place he says: "But the king of Babylon, who brought out the two tribes [Judah and Benjamin], placed no other rration in their country, by wliich means all Judea and Jerusalem, and the temple, continued to be a desert for seventy years" (Ant. X, 9:7). Although we cite these two passages to show that Josephus evidently understood the seventy years as a period of desolation. beginning with the burning of the temple arid destruction of Jerusalem at the dethronement of Zedekiah, we nevertheless I-ecognise that he is in general very unreliable in chi-onological matters, contradicting himself as he does in many places in his writings. + T h e following facts should be remembered ( I ) Ptoleniy's Canon places the 1st year of Nehuchadnezzar in the year 604 B.C. ( 2 ) The 1st year of Nehuchadnezzar was in the 4th year oi ~elio~akini-Jer.25: I. (3) Jerusalem was destroyed in the 19th year of Nebuchadnezzar-2 Kings 25:2, 8. (4) Jehoiakim and Xedekiah each reigned 11 years in Jerusalem-2 Chron. 36: 5,11. (5) The Jews returned to Jerusalem a t the end of the 70 years in l l l e 1st year of Cyrus, 536 B.c.,which is a generally accepted date -2 Chron. 36: 19-23. A11 who will seek to satisfactorily harmonise the above ,,Ill-onological records of the Scriptures, with the Canon's date 35
4.
CHRONOLOGICAL PERIO DS E XAMIi'JEL).
could be supposed that the desolation of 70 years began in the 3rd year of Jehoiakim, a s has been assumed t o be the meaning of Dan. 1: 1-4. It cannot be admitted that the 70 years desolation of Jerusalem a n d the land began in the 3rci'year of Jehoiakim, for according to the Scriptures desolation" implies "without a n inhabitant," a n d Jerusalem a n d the l a c d were not without inhabitants until after the dethronement of Zedekiah (See Ter. 4:7; 6:8; 9:ll; 26:9; 32:43; 33:10, i 2 ; a i s o ~ e " c h . 7: 5, 14). It is because oi deference to the Canon of Ptolemy thai Dan. I:]-4 is supposed by some to support the idea that the 70 years began in the 3rd year of Jehoiakim (But see preceding footnote). But this reading of Dan. 1 :I-4 is in direct conflict with all the historicai accounts of the captivities contained in the books of Kings, Chronicles, a n d Jeremiah. which we have already considered. W e cannot reject the combined prophetic a n d historical testimonies of these books simply on the strength of this doubtful reading of Dan. 1: I, more especially a s this text conflicts with Dan. 2:l. In reading over the 1st chapter of Daniel it would appear that the Hebrew children were t a k e n captive by Nebuchadnezzar in the 3rd year of Jehoiakim. They were trained in the learning a n d tongue of the Chaldeans for three years (verses 4, 5), a n d yet, according to Dan. 2:1, 25, they were brought into the presence of Nebuchadnezzar in or before his seroild year, though verse 18 of the 1st chapter shows for the 1st year of Nebuchadnezzar, will soon prove to himself the impossibility of the task. T h e dificulties of the problem are manifest by the fact that, while Ussher gives the date 588 B.C. f o r the destruction of Jerusalem at the dethronement of Zedekiah, the equally celebrated chronologer, Hales, places this destruction in the year 586 B.c., o r two years later than Ussher. Accepting the united testirnony of the sacred writers that Jerusalem and the land lay desolate for 70 years, the chronological data of the Scriptures are harn~onious. See diagram on page 32. 36
CHRONOLOGICAL PERIODS EXAAFINED. I liat
the three years had completely expired.
4. (See
Icr. 25:l.)
Because of this disagreement between Dan. I:], . ~ n d2:!, a n d because of the disagreement of both OF these texts with the chronological order of the c.aptivities narrated in the other books of the Scriptures, a number of commentators suggest that the 3rd year of Jehoiakim in Dan. 1 :l should be tmderstood a s meaning the 3rd year of his vassalage to Nebuchadnezzar, when he turned a n d rebelled , ~ n dthus brought thc king of Babylon against lerusalem (2 Kings 25:l); for it is certain that rehoiakiin was not talien captive t o Babylon. In Dan. 2:1 the number 2 has evidently arisen out of the number 12. A similar mistake is sccn by comparing 2 Icings 24:8, with 2 Cliron. 36:9, where the number 8 in Chronicles has ariser: out of the original number 18 preserved in Kings. T h e reading in the Variorum Bible for Dan. 2: 1 is tmr
The period of 536 years from the end of the 70 vears desolation of Jerusalem a n d the land of iudea, till the beginning of the year A.D. 1, rests llpon the testimony of secular history. After the end of the 70 years till the close of the (.,Inon of the Old Testament, the Scriptures, when ~rlarkingevents of historical importance, indicate 111 what year of the reigning Ge??;zle king such (.vents transpired; but a s the Scriptures do not ~c,c*ord the lengths of the reigns of those Gentile I, i ngs in that consecutive order in which they record I lrc reigns of the k i n g s of Judah, we must here rely Ill)on the pages of secular history. 37
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1
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I 1
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4.
CHRONOLOGICAL PERIODS EXAMINED.
CHRONOLOGICAL PERIODS EXAMINED.
As we should expect, seeing that God has here left us t o our own resources, it is a t this period of the world's history t h a t chronology rests upon the surest foundations, both because we have a t command several distinct eras which c a n b e compared, a n d also because we have the writings of many contemporary authors of different nations. Secular history from the end of the 70 years desolation of Jerusalem down to our day is, therefore, in marked contrast with regard to the reliability of its chronology t o t h a t of history previous to the 1st year of Cyrus; for in the earlier period secular chronology is more or less built upon speculations, and there is no unanimity of opinion. Were it not that God has specially provided, by means of his inspired writers, the necessary data to enable us to connect the reliable period of secular history with the chronological chain of the Bible, we would be absolutely unable to locatc our position on the stream of time. For this reason, if for no other, the reverent student of the Word of God will do well to keep close to the Bible chronology, placing his reliailcc upon the records of secular history only where they are not a t variance with those that a r e inspired, a n d where, a s in this instance of the 1st year of Cyrus, he is directly referred thereto. W e m a y rest assured that wherever our heavenly Father refers us to secular history, he has so overruled matter a s always to provide that the historical evidences necessary to enable us to fix our dates, have been preserved by trustworthy writers. I n 2 Chron. 36:19-23, a n d Ezra I : I - I i, we read that it was in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, that the Jews were permitted to return to Jerusalem. T h e overthrow of the Babylonian kingdom b y the Medes a n d Persians (Elam) had been foretold b y Isaiah more t h a n 180 years previous1y (Isa. 13: 1, 17-19; 21:2, 9), a s well a s b y Jeremiah (Jer. 51:ll). Belshazzar was the last of the Chaldean kings, a n d when he was slain a t the time of the capture of the
city of Babylon by Cyrus, "Darius the Mede took the kingdom" (Dan. 5:25-31). Darius the Mede has been identified in secular history a s Cyaxares 11, who was the uncle of Cyrus. Sometimes the reign of Cyrus the Persian is dated from his capture of Babylon in 538 B.C., but he was then merely acting under the authority of Darius a s general of the army. Thus, the Medish monarch, in connection with a Persian, brought the kingdom of Babylon to a n end according to the prophecies. So long a s a Mede s a t on the throne the Persians were second in importance, but on the accession of Cyrus, the Persians became predominant. T h i s transferance of the sovereign power from the Medes to the Persians was illustrated in Daniel's vision of the ram with the two horns (symbolical of two powers) one of which was higher than the other, a n d the higher (the Persian) came up last (See Dan. 8 :3, 20). T h e date when Cyrus became king is universally agreed to be 536 B.C. Immediately on gaining authority, Cyrus, in fulfilment of the prophecies concerning him (Isa. 44:28; 45: 1, 1 3 , issued a n edict which allowed the captive Jews to return to Jerusalem, a n d thus end its long seventy-year period of Desolation.
4.
38
The period of 1872 years, when added to the sum of the preceding periods, completes six millenniums from the date of the creation of Adam. But the Scriptures indicate t h a t Adam's fall a n d condemnation took place two years aftcr his creation, so that, dating from the Fall, 6000 years ended in 1874 A.D. T h e proofs of this statement a r e contained throughout the book. T h e foregoing chronological scheme, which we denominate Bible Chronology because i t is based upon the Scriptures alone (See list of Bible dates, Sec. 3), is corroborated by the time-measurements in the Great Pyramid of Gizeh in Egypt. 39
5.
T H E Y E A R , I T S BEGINNING A N D LENGTH.
I N the list of Bible dates (Sec. 3), the years are
reckoned to begin according to the present mode of calculating, namely, 1st January." This, however, is merely for convenience, for there are abundant evidences that, with early nations in the northern htmisphere, the universal rule was to begin the year in the Autumn, quarter of a year earlier than a t present.? There are evidences which show that previous to the date of the exodus of the Israelites fr-om Egypt, the Bible follows the then prevailing custom, a n d reckons the year to commence in Autumn. The date of the creation of Adam, given in the chroilological list a s 4128 B.C., really commenced in A u t u ~ ~ quarter ln of a year earlier, that is, 4128% years before 1st Jan. A.D. 1. Six chousand years from the creation of Adam, therefore, ended
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" T h e 1st of January was adopted as the commencement of the year by France in 1563 AD., by Scotland in 1600, and by England in I 752. i-Autumn in the northern is, of course, a t the same time Spring in the southeln, hemisphere. In his article on the "Primitive Y e a r " (quoted at length by Prof. C. Piazzi Smyth in Vol. I1 of "Life and Work"), Mr. R. G. Haliburton, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, clearly proves that the early nations regulated their year by the appearance of the Pleiades or Seven Stars. Their year began on the night when these stars were seen longest, z.e., when they were exactly on the meridian overhead at midnight; and this takes place in the Autumn in the northern hemisphere. Mr. Haliburton wrote that In his day (1863) the heathen people of Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, the Islands of the Pacific, etc., still observed the Plelades Year. Owing to the slow steady progression of the precessional cycle, the Pleiades now culminate on the meridian overhead about two months later than in the time of Noah.
T H E Y E A R , ITS BEGINNING AND LENGTH.
5.
the date 1872 A.D. in the Autumn, or 1871% vcars after 1st Jan. A.D. 1. (4128% + 1871%=6000). When we read in Gen. 7: 11 that the flood began in l l ~ e 17th d a y of the 2nd month of Noah's 600th \leal-, we are to understand that this year began in .Autumn. A t the Exodus from Egypt, when the Israelites \yere separated to God a t the passovei- in the 14th (lay of the month of Abib, the Lord said through I\/loses: "This month shall be unto you the begin~ ~ i nofg months: it shall be the jrst montli of the \/ear to you " (Exod. 12:2; Deut. 16:l). In this way llle Lord made a distinction between the year of l~isown people, and the year of the Gentiles; for llle passover in the month A b i b (or Niszn, a s it was .~fierwardsnamed-Esther 3:7) is in the Spring. .According to this comillandrnent of the Lord, the atio ion of Israei counted the number of the months OF their year from the Spring; their 7th month fell 111 Autumn and coincided with the beginning of ~ l l eyear of their Gentile neighbourse* In the chronological list of dates the year of the ICxodus is 1615 B.c., but a s this event occurred in Spring, quarter of a year later, the exact interval Sl.om the Exodus to 1st Jan. A.D. 1 was 1614% years. Similarly with the date of the Israelites' entrance into Canaan, given a s 1575 B.c., the Scriptures show (hat this took place a t the beginning of the Jewish vear in Spring (Lev. 23:lO; Josh. 4:19; 5:10), SO lllat the exact period from then till 1st Jan. A.D. 1 was 1574% years. T h e years of the reigns of the I,ings of Judah began in Spring (Saul, the first liiug of Israel, was cl-owned in the Spring-I Sam.
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I
This year of the Jews is known as the Ecclesiusficul year; but
Ill(: Scriptures indicate that the 7th month began what has been
11.11ned the Civil year, which pertained principally to the land ? I I I I Ito slaves. T h e 7th month of the Ecclesiastical year was the 1111~11encement of the "year of release" from slavery and debts; 1111. Snhhatical year during which the land lay fallow; and the 1:1,111dJubilee year of restoration (Lev. 25: 3-10.; Dent. 31 : 10). \ \ / I . shall have occasion to afterwards refer t o thls feature.
I
5.
TlIl,i YI;AR, ITS BEGINNING AND LENGTH.
11:12.-.15; 12:1-17. See also 2 Chron. 29:l-3, 1 30: 1 5, 15; 35:1-19); and, when a king t l ~ r o u (lent11 or any cause vacated the throne, the Y during when he ceased to reign was counted with the total years of his reign (2 Kings 24:18; 2-71, while the first year of the reign of his sue sor was reckorled a s beginning from the f0110 Spring. If this successor died or was deth before the following Spring, his short reig not taken account of in the chronological tot was included in the last year of the reign of h decessor ( 2 C h o n . 36: 9,lO). BY this arrang overlappirlg 01- counting a Year twice, was a ~h~ solar tropical year, on wllicli the sea seed-time, a n d harvest, etc., depend (Gen caIlnot be divided into an Its precise length, a s nearly a s can be de by astronomers, is 365 days 5 hours 48 mi seconds, or, when expressed decimal1 etc. days. -r.lle year was assumed b y many early have 12 of 30 d a y s each, or 360 ( s e e G ~ 7: 11, ~ 24; . 8 3, 4, where 5 mont to equal 150 days, i.e., 5 x 30). The mo Egypt show that this was the lellgth of that couiltry in the earliest times. A f t ~~~~~i~~~ added 5 days to their yea into accord with the seasons, but.when discovered that the n ~ o n t h sof their yea agree with the seasons (their year bei quarter of a day too short), they intro plex system Of cycle*sin an discrepancy. The Jewish nation also reckon their year, which is sometimes calle * In one sense a lunar month may be said to if, according t o the Jewish method, part of a d one; for the interval between two new moons Nevertheless, a lunar year of 12 Innations co over 354 days. 42
5. L.he Jewish year was lunar only in so f a r that its exact begillning was regulated by the first visible appearaIlce of the new mooll immediately preceding the harvest in the Spring. ~f within 15days from the first appearance of the new moon at the close of the twelfth month, it was judged that the crops would be sufficiently ripe to enable the priest t o offer a sheaf a s the firstfruits unto the Lord according to the jaw (Lev. 23: 5-1 1 ; 2 Sam. 2 1 :9), this was proclainled the first day of the first month (hence the name of the first lllonth, bib, i ~ "green , ears"). 15 If, on the othel- hand, the crops were not days of being ripe, the evening on wllicll the llext new moon became visible was declared the first da?. of t h e I l e w year.' BY this simple arrangement the Jewish year was automaticufly cot-rected (Lev. 23: 5-16; Deut. 16: 917 so that its aver%e length was really solar, iA.9 the Same length exactly as we now Observe it, although f o r convenience the Jews reckoned 12 months of 30 days each. T h e Jewish nation, therefore, was saved complicated astronomica1 calculations, such a s the Egyptian and other nations deemed necessary to fix the beginning a n d length their yearBut more t h a n convenience was aimed at in the adoption this simp1e, a n d automatically torrected, year of 360 days, for its recognitio~lin the THE Y E A R , ITS BEGINNING A N D LENGTH.
" T h e Jewish Mishna contains a n account of the method by which the nation of Israel fixed the of their months. I~ is claimed that this method derived its origin, by tradition, from the time of Moses, and continued in use as long as the Sanhedrim existed. On the 30th day of the month, watchmen were stationed on commanding heights round Jerusalem t o watch for the first appearance of the new moon. A s soon as the new moon's crescent was detected by any of these watchers, he immediately hastened to a certain house in the city, where he was examined I)y the president of the Sanhedrim. When a sufficient number of these eyewitnesses had been examined, and if their testimony was deemed satisfactory, the president formally declared the (lay ~h~ news was then spread all over the c.ountry by means of beacon fires on the hills, and by swift Inessengers to distant places. 43
5.
6.
T H E \'li,,ll<, 1 7 3 BEGINNING AND LENGTH.
HISTORICAL YEAR SYMBOLISED.
prophctlic. 1)ortions of the Scriptures proves it to be sjln~l)olic.ctl(Rev. 1 1 2 , 3 ; 12:6, 14; 13:5). A Jewish year, though in reality solar tropical in length, when used prophetically symbolised 360 solar tropical years of 365,242 etc. days each; and a prophetic month symbolised 30 solar tropical years. T h e solar tropical year is the year on which the dates of history are based, and it may therefore be named the l~~sto~,ical year.
Great Pyramid that each Pyramid in~-h,when used :IS a measure of time, represents either a solar day, or a solar year of 365.242 days. T h a t the Architect of the Great Pyramid intended each Pyramid inch in the time-measurements to represent a true solar year, is proved by the fact that the scientific propo~tionsof ihe building which he caused to be erected, demonstrate his knowledge of the exact lengrh of the true solar year. Three examples of [he Great Pyramid's memorialization of the :rue solar year are given in Vol. I, pars. 21 and 23. O n e of these three examples is in connection with the base size of the building, and the other two in connection with the length of the King's Charnber. T w o more exaniples, which are based u!,ot~ the length of the Ante-Chamber, will be given at the end of ille next section (Nos. 15 a n d 16)
6.
HISTORICALYEAR SYMBOLISED BY TI-nz PYRAMID INCH.
ALTHOUGH most modern measures of the Great Pyramid are expressed in British inches, this is inereiy for convenience, and for greater facility in comparing the results of different measurers. Prof. C. Piazzi Sinyth has proved conclusively, from several lines of argument, that the Pyramid's unit of linear measnre is exceedingly close to the British inch-unif, being only one-thousandth part of a n inch longer. H e has appropriately denominated this Pyramid unit the Pyvtrmid incll, 25 of which make a Pyvanzid cubit (See Vol. I , pars. 17- 26). A large number of the Pyramid's scientific features show that in the "lime-measurements" a Pyramid inch represents a year; consecluently all British measures must be converted into the corresponding number of Pyramid inch-units, in order to harmonise wit11 the Scriptural periods of years. This conversion of British, into Pyramid, inches is very simply acconlplished; for whatever be the total of British inches, if a deduction be made at the unifor:n rate of 1 for every 1000, the remainder is Pyramid inches. Thus, 1000 British inches equal 999 Pyramid inches. Just a s each day of the Jewish sj~mbolicalyear of 360 days, when used prophetically, represents a true solar year of 365,242 days, so we find in the
7.
SCIENTIFIC PROPORTIONSOF THE GREAT PYRAMID.
A L T H O U G H it is not the purpose of this work to enter into the calcuiations of the scientific features of the Great Pyramid, these having been fully dealt with b ~ r Prof. C. Pia.zzi S!nyth and oihers, :he foilowing statement of a few of the harmonious proportions of the building wiil prove helpful to a better appreciation of some of the featmes of our own branch of Pyramid study :The careful measuring of P r o f e s s ~ ~ C.. ~Piazci Smyth and Plinders Petr-ie demonstrate that the proportions of the Pyratilid's principal apartment, the King's Chamber, are very symmetr-ically arranged. Their figures show that: I. T h e breadth of the King's Chamber, equals half its length, 2. T h e height of the King's Chamber, equals half the diagonal of its floor. These measurements are so accurately pr-oportioned t o one nothe he^ that we cannot suppose them t o be the result of hapI~azardbuilding. They hear evidence of intentional design by ll~c Great Master Architect.
7. SCIENTIFIC PROPORTIOlVS OF GREAT PYRAMID. Prof. Smyth points out, further, that the measurements of the King's Chamber bear a certain proportionate relation to the exterior size of the whole Pyramid, and also t o the size of the earth. H e shows, also, that the dimensions of the peculiar little Ante-Chamber, through which one must pass to reach the King's Chamber, react in a proportionate way upon those of the King's Chamber on the one hand, and the whole building on the other. F o r instance: 3. T h e length of the granite portion of the Antc-Chamber floor, is equal to half the breadth of the King's Chamber. 4. Tlle length of the granite portion of the Ante-Chamber floor, multiplied by 5 ( 2 special P~varrtidnumber-Sec. 15), equals the solid clibic diagonal of the King's Chamber. 5. T h e length of the granite portion of the Ante-Chamber floor, multiplied by 50 (the number of masonry course the chamber stands upon), equals the length of the side of a square, the area of which equals the area of a triangle of tlie shape and size of the Pyramid's right vertical section. 6. T h e length of the King's Chamber, multiplied by 25 (a Pyramid cubit), equals an even 100 times the length of the Ante-Chamber's granite floor. 7, If the length of the granite portion of tlie Ante-Chamber floor be multiplied by a n even 100, and this length be talzen to express the diameter of a circle, the area of that circle will be found to equal the area of the square base of the Pyramid. 8. T h e height of the Ante-Chamber, multiplied by a n even 100, equals the base-side length, plus the vertical height, of the Pyramid. T h e King's Chamber may be said to have two heights, the first being the direct height from the floor to the ceiling, and the second the full height of the granite walls, which sink five inches below the level top surface 01the floor (See Vol. I, par. 498). 9. Twice the length of the Ante-Chamber, equal the mean, nearly, of the first and second heights of the King's Chamber. 10. The mean of the first and second heights of the King's Chamber, multiplied by 25 (the Pyramid cubit), equal the vertical height of the Pyramid. 11. T h e Ante-Chamber length, mnltiplied by 50 (its height in masonry courses above the base of the building), equals the vertical height of the Pyramid. Prof. Smyth's carcful calculations prove that the Pyramid cubit is the exact 10-millionth of the earth's semi-axis of rotztion; i.e., a n even I 0 million Pyramid cubits equal the direct distance from either pole to the centre of the earth. The connection between the Pyramid's granite chamber, and the earth, is shown by the following two methods:
46
SCIENTIFIC PROPORTIONS OF GREAT PYRAMID. 7. The exact relative proportions of the longest and shortest dimensions of the King's Chamber, scientifically prove the absolute length of the Pyramid cubit; for if I0 times the longest direct measure of the chamber, i.e., the solid cubic diagonal, be divided by the shortest direct measure, i.c., the breadth, tlie result equals exactly one Pyramid cubit of 25 Pyramid, or 25.025 British, inches. 13. The absolute length of the Pyramid imh is proved by the proportionate size of the King's Chamber with the actual size of the earth; for just as the Pyramid cubit is the even 10-millionth part of half the earth's polar axis or diameter, so we find that half the granite chamber contains almost exactly 10 millions of cubic Pyramid inches (206.066 x 235.5 r 412.132+ 2 = 10,000,082 cubic Pyramid inches). 12.
The connection of t!le Pyramid with the scientific number T (Pi = the ratio which the diameter of a circle bears to its circumference), and also with the exact number of solar days required for the earth to colnplete its circuit round the sun, is proved by a large number of the building's dimensions. Some of these w e have already noticed; we now draw attention to three others: 14. T h e Ante-Cha~nber length, multiplied by 25 (the Pyrarnid cubit), and again by T , equals the base-side length of tlie Pyramid. 15. The Ante-Chamber length, multiplied by i~ alone, equals the exact number of Pyramid inches as there are days in the solar tropical year, 365,242. 16. The length of the Ante-Chamber multiplied by 10, equals the vertical height of the lower surface of the 35th masonry course of the Pyramid above the socket base level; and if at this 35th course a direct measurement be taken f r o ~ nthe outside surface of the casing at the ~niddleof any of the four sides, horizontally in to the building's vertical axis, this horizontal measuremerlt in Pyramid inches will be found to equal 10 times the length of the solar tropical year in days, 365.242 x 10. The force of this last calculation is better understood when .litention is drawn to the particular prominence of the 35th ~ o u r s ewhich , is about 50 inches thick. From the base of tlie I'yramid upward the horizontal courses of masonry gradually cli~ninish.in thickness, until a t this 35th course they suddenly Illc.rease in size. T h e line of this sudden increase (which lies a little above the Entrance to the Pyramid), is conspicuously ~~oticable even at a great distance, and can be seen in our plioto,:I :~l)lis in Vol. I, (Plates CXIII and CXLIV,-See also the plate ~ I I [)age I 4 in this volunle). 47
7. SCIENTIFIC PROPORTIONS OF G R E A T P Y R A M I D .
I
T h e following are the dinlensions of the pyra: mid, the King's Chamber, and the Ante-Chamber, according to Prof. C. Piazzi Srnyth's publications, Prof. Smyth has converted his British-inch measures taken a t the Pyramid, into the corresponding nurnber of Pyramid inches:
Exrerior Dimensions o f the Great Pyramid:Vertical height of apex above mean socket level, Rase-side length, between corner soclrets, Diagonal length of hase, between corner sockets,
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-
5813.01 9131 .O5 12913.26
8. sages by roof-ling, and axial, measurements; a n d others are indicated b y direct measure~llentsfrom one point to another through the solid masonry a n d rock. T h e recognition of this latter nlethad of recording time-features, revealed the fact that the Pyramid corroborates a great many important prophetic periods of the Scriptures; a n d in no other way could these particular periods be represented. T h i s method is based upon the principle that, while the most direct measurement between two points (as A. a n d B. in diagram), one of which is below P Y R A M I D ' S M E T H O D S O F RECORDING TIME.
Dimensions o f the King's Chamber:-
B~eadth, - - - Height, filst, z.e., flool to ceiling, - Height, second, i.e., the gr'unlte walls alone, Length (double the breadth), Diagonal of end walls, - - - Diagonal of side walls, - . - Diagonal of floor (double the filst height), SolidDiagonal, -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
206.066, 230'388 23538& 412 132, 309.099 472' 156 460.777 515 165 I
Dimensions o f the Ante-Chamber :Length, north to south walls, Length of granite portion of the floor, Breadth between granite wainscots, Breadth between east and west walls above wainbcots, Height, floor to ceiling, - - Height of east wainscot above floor level, Height of west wainscot above floor level, -
THE PYRAMID'S METHODS O F
8. RECORDINGPER~ODS
OF TIME.
WHILE the maill Dispensational periods of the Bible are corroborated by corresponding inch-year measurements along the floor-lines of the passages, we find that chronological periods in general are indicaied in the Great Pyramid in a number of ways, all of which are in accord with the build own peculiai- scientific design, a n d in keeping the recognised symbolisms of its various p Thus, certain time-periods are indicated in the 48
I
I 8
-
\/!,?!~US ?ACTHODS USED IN THE FO:? ?JLPS';~IWG BETWEEN BWY l%'O
GREAT F Y R A M ! ~ PO!PJTS A,AIB
and to one side of the other, is a straight line from one to the other (figure 1 in diagram), yet, straightlined measurements between these two points m a y be symmetrically taken in three other ways (as figures 2, 3, 4, in diagram), thus increasing the possible number of corroborative time-features in the Pyramid.
T H E synzbolisnzs of the Pyramid are dealt with in
full detail in Vol. I of this work; it will be necessary to restate them here only in brief:Ik~scending Passage = The downward course of "This Present Evil World" to destruction. D
49
9.
SYMBOLISMS OF T H E GREAT PYRAMID. Subterranean Chamber, or Pzt = Destruction or Gehenna, that state of death from which there will be no awakening. First Ascendinn Passage =The Jewish Age; or the Law Dispensation during which the Jewish nation endeavoured to gain life , by the works of the Law. Well-Shaft = The Ransom-sacrifice of Jesus Christ; or Hades, that state of death from which an awakening is assured because of the Ransom-sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Grand Gallery = The Gospel Age, the Grace Dispensation during which the High-Calling to membership in the Body of Christ is offered to the faithful; and the Age when the Spirit-begotten New Creatures in Christ make their calllng and election sure. Ante-Chavzber = The "Holy " of the Tabernacle; the "School of Christ"; the Spirit-begotten condition of those who have presented their bodies a living sacrifice to God. King's Chamber = T h e "Most Holy" of the Tabernacle; the "Saiici-uary"; the Divine Spirit nature; the Divine reign of Christ. Queen's Chamber = The condition of Human Perfection possessed by Adam before his fall; and which the "man Christ Jesus" laid down as a Ransom-sacrifice on behalf of the world; and the condition of the world of mankind after the Millennial reign of Christ. Horizontal Passage leading to the Queen's Chamber = The complete period of the world's history from the time of Adam, to the end of the Millennia1 reign of Christ; also the New (Law) Covenant which will be made operative with the Jewish nation and the world after the completion of the Body of Christ, i.e., after the close of the Gospel Age. Granzte in the Great Pyramid = The Spirit Nature; the Divine Law; the Divine Will of God. Granite Plug = The Divine Law of God, which blocks the way to life even as the Granite Plug blocks the way up the First Ascending Passage. Gmtlite Leaf in the Ante-Chamber = The Divine Will of God, under which all who enter the "School of Christ" must bow submissively. Plane of Spirit Nature (Compare with the Chart of the Ages on page 50) is represented in the Gleat P y ~ a m i dby the level of the floor of the Ring's Chamber. Plane of Human Perfection is represented by the level of the floor of the Queen's Chamber, which is also the level of the summit of the Well-shaft. Plane of Htlnzan Depravity or Condemnation is represented by the level of the Subterranean Chamber or Pit. 52
1 0-
THED A T E S O F JESUS CHRIST'S BIRTH, BAPTISM,AND CRUCIFIXION.
THE Scriptures contain sufficient data to enable us accurately determine the year when Jesus was born, and also the dates of his baptism and crucilixioil. The present A.D. date, a s fixed in the 6th century by Dionysius Exiguus for the beginning of the Christian Era, is now generally recognised to be in ci-ror by those who have given the matter careful study. Ussher's scheme of chronology, given in the margin of many Bibles, places the date of Jesus' birth 4 years earlier than A.D. 1; but we believe that the true date was only 1% years earlier, i.e., in Autumn 2 B.C." The Scriptural data proves, also, that Christ was baptised in Autumn 29 A.D., and crucified in Spring 33 A.D. These dates are corroborated by symbolical time-measurenlents in the Great Pyramid. When John came preaching the baptism of repentance, all men were in expectation of the advent of the long-pron~isedMessiah, and reasoned within themselves whether or not John was the Christ (Luke 3:15); but John answered them, no, that Christ would come after him (John 1 :15-45). It was when Jesus was 30 years of age that he came forward to be baptised by John (Luke 3:2123), and from that time, being anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power, he began his ministry (Acts 1 0 :36-38).
Lo
" I t is well to notice that the now commonly accepted date for the birth of Jesus, i.e., 4 B.c., is based upon the supposition that lcing Herod the Great died in the year 4 B.C. If 4 B.C. was the true date of Herod's death, then undoubtedly, according to Matt. 2:16, Jesus must have been born in either 4 or 5 B.C. But there i\no ancient authority for this date for Herod's death, except a illistake of Josephus the Jewish historian, who placed the beginning of the 37 years of Herod's reign from his prospective appoint~ r ~ e by n t the Senate of Rome in 40 B.C., instead of from his actual .~ppointmentas king on the death of Antigonus in 37 B.C., (Ant. XVTI, 8: I). This error of Josephus is not followed by Eusebius nor by any of the early Christian writers.
53
BORN /N SPR/NC
LUKE I - 26-36
5 MONTHS BEFORE
BAPTf5M OF dE5U5 WHEN HE BECAME THE ME55fAH
i:
.t
END OF JLWISH
00
CRUC/FlXION OF JEJUJ CHRIST SPRING 33 A.D. /N THE M I D 5 T OF THE E ~ WEEX )
yo.
THE DATES OF JESUS CHRIST'S
of Jesus' own ministry, and (in verse 23) says: "Also Jesus himself [like John] was about thirty years old [when he] began [his ministry]." (The literal word for word rendering requires the insertion of the words in the brackets, in order to bring out the sense of the verse. T h e Greek word kai may be equally well translated "and" or "also.") Now, a s we have just seen, John's ministry, beginning in the 15th year of Tiberius, must have dated from sometime within the year commencing 19th August 28 A.D., and Jesus' ministry, therefore, 5 n ~ o n t h s later, must have dated from sometime within the year commencing 19th January 29 A.D. It can be more particularly shown, however, that it was in the middle of the Jewish year, i.e., in Autumn 29 A.D., that Jesus was baptised and his ministry began. Luke 1:5 states that John's father, Zacharias, was a priest of the course of Abia. O n referring to.1 Chi-on. 24:5-19 we find that the priests were divided into 24 courses, Abia being the 8th in order. During the 12 nlonths of the year, which of God began in according to the conlnlandme~~t Spring (Deut. 16:l; Exod. 12: 2-Sec. 5), each course in its order would require to serve in the temple for two weeks. (For a similar arrangement see I Kings 4: 7; also I Chron. 27 : 1-15.) This would make Zacharias' term of office expire a t the close of the 4th month. Luke 1:8-13 states that it was while Zacharias was "executing the priest's office in the order of his course," that an angel appeared and informed him that his wife would have a son whom he was to name John; and verses 23 and 24 go on to say: "And it came to pass that a s soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own home. And after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived and hid herself five months." T h e succeeding verses show that at this time, a t the commencement of the 6th month (i.e., a t the coln56
BIRTH, BAPTISM, AND CRUCIFIXION. 10. ~nencementof the 10th month from the beginning of that year), the annunciation was made to the virgin Mary; and that when "the d a y s were accomplished that she should be delivered" (or 9 months later), she "brought forth her first-born son," Jesus (Luke 2: 6, 7). According to the above Scriptural data Jcsus must have been born in Autumn of the year 2 B.C., 18 months (4 + 5 + 9 = 18) after the commencement of (be (Jewish) year in which the angel appeared to Zacharias a s he perfornled the priestly office in the order of his course; and he was baptised 30 years later, in Autumn 29 A.D., or 5 months after John the Baptist began his ministry in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Czesar (See diagram on page 54).
Although it is difficult to gather definitely from Lhe records of the Gospels alone what was the exact duration of Christ's ministry, tile inforn~ationfound in both the Old and New Testaments in this connection is sufficient to establish that period as 3% years. In the first three Gospels notes of time are not frequent; but the Gospel of John carefully enumerates seven notes of time from the baptism to the crucifixion of Christ. Three of these are direct I-eferences to p~zssovers, while a fourth passover appears to be referred to. These references are:1.
John 2: 13-"the
2.
,,
3. 4.
,, ,,
Jew's Passover was a t hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem!' 5 : 1-"there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem." 6:4-"the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh." 13: I-"before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of the world unto the Father."
The name of the feast mentioned in No. 2 is not specified, but it may safely be maintained to have I)cen a passover, otherwise the interval between the 1l:lssovers Nos. I and 3 would only be a year." But Some, in their endeavour to bend the testimony of the Gospel ~ ~ : ~ r m t ito v esupport s the theory of a one-year ministry, not only
57
I 0.
THE DATES OF JESUS CHRIST'S
one year is altogether too short a period for the many events, including the three separate tours through the cities of Galilee, which the other Gospels show to have occurred during that interval. W e believe that all the evidences warrant our counting the unnamed feast in John 5:l to be a passover; and in this case the duration of our Lord's ministry from his baptism in Autumn 29 A.D., till his death a t the 4th passover when he was slain a s the antitypical passover lamb, would be 3% years; and the date of the crucifixion Spring 33 A.D. This is the date adopted by Ussher (See Bible marginal date a t Matt. 27, and Luke 23). Of the foregoing facts b y which the dates of the birth, baptism, and crucifixion of our Lord have been deduced, the historical parts are specially helpful to the student of God's Word at this time. Secular history identifies the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius, and hence enables the dates of the commencement of John's ministry and the baptism of our Lord to be ascertained. This, together with the historical ltnowledge gained from the Scriptures of the age of Jesus a t his baptism, furnishes the date of his birth. Furthermore, as it is clear from the historical narratives in the Gospels that the duration of Christ's ministry was 3% years, ending a t the time of the Passover, the date of his crucifixion can be determined. A t the first Advent other evidences would be necessary to aid the student of the Scriptures of that period to identify i11 Jesus the long looked-for Messiah. Our Lord himself knew beforehand that in order to fulfil the type of the passover;-lamb he maintain that tne least in John 51:I was not a passover, but state that the words "the passover" in John 6 :4 should be omitted, thus reducing the number of passovers to two. But on no grounds can the omission of the reference to a passover in John 6:4 be defended as genuine; every known manuscript, whether of the original Greek, or of the versions, contains the phrase or its rendering. 55
!0. l rnust be slain Qn the 14th of Nisan (Matt. 26:2), and BIRTII, BAPTISM, AND CRUCIFIXION.
lhat a s the antitypical firstfruits unto God he would be raised on the third day (Luke 24:6, 7); but i t was not until after his resurrection, when he had recalled to the memory of his disciples these and other Scriptures, that they began to fully realise lhat he was indeed the Messiah. Luke, in chapter 24, verses 27,44-46, says : "beginning at Moses and a11 the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." "These are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding that they might understand Lhe scriptures. And he said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day.'" Among other prophecies concerning himself, our Lord would greatly convince his disciples by showing them how he had fulfilled the prophecy of the "70 weeks," by having been proclaimed the "Messiah," and having been "cut of" at the very times foretold by Daniel (9:24-27). He would no cloubt draw their attention to Daniel's prophecy: "from the going forth of the commandment to I-estore and to build Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and Lwo weeks," and point out that these 69 weeks had heen fulfilled symbolically, a day for a year (Ezek. 4:3-6). That from the time Nehemiah had ~eceivedhis commission and built the walls of ,lerusalem (Neh. 2:l-17), 69 times 7, or 483 years, had elapsed when he came forward to be baptised ill Jordan and there became the Messiah, or the " Anointed" (See John 1:41, margin). Continuing I he passage, which reads: "And after [the] three,core and two weeks, shall Messiah be cut off, but I I O ~ for himself ......And he shall confirm the (.ovenant with many for one week: and in the 59
7'1115 1)111'ES OP JESUS CHRIST'S 10. mielst of I llc week he shall cause the sacrifice and' obl;tlio~~ to cease," he would show them how this also had been fulfilled by himself. T h a t after nlinistering for three years and a half, he had been cut off in death exactly in the middle of the 70th or last week of years (See diagram, page 54). H e would then explain how his death was not for himself, but was a sacrificial death on behalf of the whole world, by means of which "everlasting righteousness" had been brought in, thus causing the typical sacrifices to cease (Heb. 10: 1-1 8).
A s the Jewish law Age ended, and the Gospel Age began, a t the first advent of Jesus Christ, it is confirmatory to find that the important dates of his birth, baptism and crucifixion are symmetrically indicated in the Great Pyramid by three connected points a t the upper end of the First Ascending Passage, where the Grand Gallery and Horizontal Passage begin. W e have already seen that in the symbolisms of the Pyramid, we have in the Descending Passage a graphic representation of mankind during the course of this " Present Evil World" hastening downward to the Pit of destruction; and in the upward branching First Ascending Passage, effectually blocked at its lower end by the Granite Plug, we have a true symbolic picture of the Israelites' strenuous but unavailing efforts to gain life by the works of the law during the Jewish Dispensation. Both Jew and Gentile fell short of the glory of God, and thus all alike were condemned to death, and none could by a n y means redeem his brother (Psa. 49: 7). Then came Jesus, crowned with glory and honour, that h e by the grace of God should taste death for every man (Heb. 2:9). In him was no sin; he was holy, harmless, undefiled and separa t e from sinners. H e was born into this world on 60
BIRTH, B-4 PTISM, AND CRUCIFIXION.
10.
higher plane than the condemned race which he came to save; and in him was life. Therefore, in the Great Pyramid's symbolical representations, Jesus was not born with the sons of Adam i n t h e miry Pit of depravity and death, but far above in the Queen's Chamber condition of perfect human life. While the condition of human perfection is particularly symbolised by the Queen's Chamber, we must recognise that the " Plane" of human perfection in general is represented by the level of the ./loor of the Queen's Chainber (See page 51). When the floor-line of the Queen's Chamber is produced northward it comes in contact with the inclined floor of the Firs: Ascending Passage. T h e fact that the Queen's Chamber floor-level is in this exact relative position to the upper end of the First Ascending Passage, makes it possible for the Pyramid to corroborate the Scriptural statement that Jesus, while born of a woman, was also born under the law; that is, as a perfect man Jesus is represented a s born on the level of the Queen's Chainber floor which symbolises the Plane of Human Perfection; and a s a Jew, subject to the law, he is represented a s born in the First Ascending Passage which symbolises the Jewish law Age. Thus, the point of contact on the floor of the F ~ r s tAscending Passage indicates the date of the birth of Jesus, 2 B.C.; and the n~easurements prove that the indication is exact. This is the Pyramid's method of showing the fulfilment of Isaiah's prophecy when, speaking"as a Jew to the For unto u s a Jewish people he proclaimed : child is born, unto u s a son is given " (Isa. 9 :6). ;L
From the measurements of Prof. C. Piazzi Smyth (which are practically confirmed by Prof. Flinders Petrie) we can calculate that the floor-level of the Queen's Chamber is from 14% to 15 (say 14'85) inches vertically below the upper terminal of the lloor of the First Ascending Passage. As the 61
10.
T H E DATES OF JESUS CHRIST'S
angle of the inclination of the passages is already determined to be 26" 18' 10", it is easy to find by the mathenlatical rules of trigonometry (See Appendix at end of volume) that the i~zclined distance from the point of contact spoken of above, up to the end of the passage floor is 33%
HORIZONTAL C-
inches, while the horizontal distance is 30 inches. That is to say, the point on the floor of the First Ascending Passage which we have seen to mark the date of Jesus' birth, is the starting-point of two time-measurements which indicate two aspects of the earthly life of Jesus. For 30 years Jesus lived a s a perfect m a n ; and then, on the invitation of God, he presented his hunlan life a s a sacrificial offering on behalf of the world, covenanting to die the "just for the unjust " ( I Pet. 3:18). Jesus synlbolised this offering bv
BIRTH, BAPTISM, AND CRUCIFIXION. 10. his baptism at Jordan, and God demonstrated his acceptance of the sacrifice by begetting his Son through the operation of the Holy Spirit to a higher plane of being, the Divine spirit nature. llenceforth the heavenly Father did not regard his Son a s in the flesh, but a s a New Creatzlre. This aspect of the earthly life of Jesus is represented by the horizontal measurement of 30 inches. It is appropriate that the date of Jesus' baptism and begettal to the spirit nature, should thus be indicated at the point on the Queen's Chamber floor-level which is in vertical line with the beginning of the Grand Gallery (See diagram); for, a s we have seen, the Grand Gallery symbolises the upward walk of the spirit-begotten, the condition of Jesus when, a t 30 years of age, he presented his perfect human body a living sacrifice. The measurement of 33% inches up the inclined floor-line of the First Ascending Passage represents the other aspect of Jesus' earthly life, namely, a s a Jew born under the law, and bound to observe it in every particular so long as he lived. Jesus fulfilled the law, and by his sacrificial death on the cross at 33% years of age he became a "curse " lor the Jews, a s it is written : "cursed is every one [hat hangeth on adtree" (Gal. 3 :lo, 13). "Nailing" he law to his cross (Col. 2:14) he there made an end of its exacting requirements to all who cxercised faith in him and accepted the highcalling of God in Christ Jesus (Rom. 10:4; John 1 : 11-13). This high-calling, which is so well 5ymbolised by the lofty Grand Gallery, was first cbxtended to the Jewish followers of Christ at I'entecost shortly after his resurrection from the clcad in Spring, 33 A.D. (;rlculaiions showing how the dates of the birtl~,bapilsm, and cuucilrxion of our- Lord Jesr~sChrist are illdicated in the Great Pjfvamid: I. Birth of the "man Jesus Christ" on the Plane of Human Perfection, Autumn, B.C. 2, - - B.C. 1% 67
10.
CHRIST'S BIRTH, BAPTISM, AND CRUCIFIXION.
-
-
11. Birth of Jesus as a perfect man subject to the - - - B.C. Law of Moses, Autumn, B.C. 2, Death of Jesus Christ on the cross, by which he was made a "curse" f o r the Jews, redeeming them from under the "curse of the law," Spring, A.D.33, - - - - A.D Years Inclined distance on the floor of the First Ascending Passage (which symbolises the Jewish law Age), between the horizontal line of the Queen's Chamber floor, and the vertical line of the north wall of the Grand Gallery,? - Inches
-
-
-
1%
32% 33%
-
33% -
* T h e Queen's Chamber floor-level is nearly 21" (say 20.85") below the Horizontal Passage floor, and the level of the Horizontal Passage floor is 6" above the upper tel-minal of the inclined floor of the First Ascending Passage. Therefore, the First Ascending Passage floor tenninal in 14.85"vertically above the level of the Queeu's Chamber floor. If we consider this vertical measurement of 14.85" as the perpendicular, and the floor-line of the First Ascending Passage w ~ t hits angle of inclination = 26" 18' 10") as the hypotenuse, of a right-angled jriangle, then the lengths of the base-line and hypotenuse can be computed by the rules of trigonometry. as below (See Appendix at end of volume). Cotangent, 2.0230994, multiplied by 14'85 ", = 30.043
".
t Cosecant, z.2567524, multiplied by 14.85".
1 1.
= 33:
512". i.e., 33f4 '.
T H E LAW DISPENSATION.
time-feature shows how the First Ascending Passage indicares the duration of the Law Dispensation, the exactly defined period during which the whole nation of Israel was subject to the Law. It had its beginning at the Exodcs from Egypt in Spring 1615 B.C. when the " Passover," a most impoltant featcre of the Law, was first observed (Exod. 12:40-43); a n d it ended in Spring 33 A.D. when Jesus Christ, the antitypical Passover Lamb,
THIS
64
11. was slain by the cruel and ignominious method of crucifixion, and " nailed it [the Law] to his cross " (I Cor. 5 : 7 ; Col. 2:14)-altogether a period of 1647 years. T h e First Ascendiilg Passage represents the exacting demands of the Mosaic Law in the L a w Dispensation, while the Grand Gallery, with its lofty height, suggests on the contrary the liberty of the Law of Christ, the perfect Law of liberty in this Gospel Dispensation. T h e one ended and the other began a t the death and re~urrectionof Christ. Accordingly, it is clear that in this time-feature the line where these two passages meet indicates the date of the crucifixion. T h i s time-measurement, therefole, like the one already considered (Sec. IO), confirms the claim that the north wall of thz Grand Gallery marks the date of the death and iesurrection of Jes~i.sChrist, 33 A.D." One would naturally expect lhat the date of the commencement of the Law Dispensatiorl would be indicated by the " Point of Intersection" where the First Ascending Passage leaves the Descending Passage; because it was at the time when the people ot Israel left Egypt (the m orld-symbolised by the downward passage) that the Law was made with them thiough Moses. But here a difficulty is encountered; for whereas the duration of the L a w Dispensation is 1647 years, the full length of the First Ascending Passage which symbolises that Dispensation is only /545British,or 1543% Pyramid, inches, z.e., 103% Pyramid inches too short. i- A t first sight it would seem a s if this Biblical period of THE LA W DISPENSATION.
Baptism of Jesus, and his begettal to the Plane of Spirit Nature, Autumn, A.D. 29, - - A.D. 28% Years 30 -, Horizontal distance from the floor of the First Ascending Passage, along the level of the produced line of the Queen's Chamber floor (which symbolises the Plane of Human Perfection), to the vertical linc of the north wall of the Grand - - - - - - Inches 30 Gallery,"
* I n all the principal time-features this is recognised; but we find that in some less important time-measurements, other dates in connection with the First Advent of Christ are likewise indicated by the line of demarkation between the First Ascending Passage and Grand Gallery. .I. We shall find, nevertheless, in other time-measurements to be afterwards described, that the lower end of the First Ascending Passage does indicate the date of the Exodus, as well as other prominent dates connected with the people of Israel. E 65
dl.
11.
THE LAW DISPENSATION.
THE LAW DISPENSATION.
time was not corroborated by the Great Pyramid. C. T. Russell, however, poiiits out that the length of the Granite Plug was evidently intended by the Pyramid's Great Architect io be used in estimating this time-measurement. T h e event which formed the beginning of this Law period was not the "Exodus" (though it did occur a t the same date a s the Exodus) but the ordinance of the "Passover," the first feature of the L a w , a n d a very important one (Exod. 12:l-28, 40-43). W h a t could be more appropriate a s the
this a chance coincidence, for, a s we shall show, other time-ineasurenients having a connection with the Divine L a w of God require the same method of calculating. A s C. T. Russell rightly says : " W e now know why that ' P l u g ' was so securely fixed that none had succeeded in displacing it. T h e Great Master--Builder had placed it there to stay, that we might hear its testimony to-day corroborating the Bible, a s to both its plan a n d its chronology." Calct~latio?zsslro7ering that the First Ascenrling Passage indicates the duration of the Lam Dispensation: Giving of the Law at the date of the Exodus, Spring,~.c.16/5, - - - ~.~.16/4% End of the Law when Christ "nailed it to his - - - - A.D. 32% cross," Spring, A.D. 33, Years 1647
-
Distance from the lower end of the Granite Plug, up the floor-line to the south end of the First - - - - Ascending Passage, Granite Plug length, - - - British inches
1470% 178 1648% minus 1% Pyramid inches 1647
-
1
1 I
starting-point for the length of the First Ascending Passage when considered in its particular symbolical representation of the L a w Dispensation, than the "Granite Piug " which in itself stands a s the symbol of the Divi~leLaw, a n d which effectually blocks this way that was " ordained to life9'? If, then, we take the length of the First Ascending Passage upward from the lower e n d of the Granite Plug, a n d to this add the length of the Plug itself, thus giving due weight to this important symbol of the Divine Law, we shall find that the total measurement in Pyramid inches exactly agrees with the period of years during which the Old Law Covenant was in force. Nor is 66
1 2.
THE GOSPEL AGE. C A L L AND
TRIALO F
THE
BODY" OF CHRIST.
"
THEGospel A g e is the continuation of the Jewish Age in point of tiine; yet there is great difference between them, even a s the Grand Gallery which symbolises the A g e of Grace, although in direct upward continuation of the First Ascending Passage which symbolises the A g e of Bondage, differs from it in iriost other respects. W e have already fully described the syn~bolismsby wliich ( I e Grand Gallery represents the upward walk oC 67
12.
THE GOSPEL AGE.
into the hadean condition. -x
THE GOSPEL AGE.
12.
THE G O S P E L AGE.
completion of the membership of the Body, and the colllpletion of their testing as to faithfulness unto death, a n d their exaltation with thcir Head, will come the conclusion of this Gospel Age. This, we believe, will coincide with the end of the "Times of the Gentiles," Autumn of the year I914 A.D. ( S c e No. 3 on page 24).
Calculations showi~zg-that the nor:// and sozrth mnlls of the Grand Gallery mark the dates of the beginni~yt z ~ ~ cPI^ l of the "Call " to sacvrjice, ~7ndthus attain to membership in tlrr Body of Clrrist: End of the Call, trial, and testing of the members of the Body of Christ, Autumn, A.D. 1914, - A.D. 1913% Death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, when the "Call" was first extended to those who had the "hearing ears" of faith, Spring, A.D. 33, - A.D. 32% Years 1881% -.Length of the Grand Gallery, from the north wall up the floor-line to the front of the Step, 1815% Measurement through the Step in upward continuation of the inclined floor, to the vertical line o f the south wall,* - - - 68 British infhes 18834 minus 134 Pyramid inches 1 8 8 1 ~
-
' Secant, I . 11540~6, mqjtiplied by 61" the horizontal length of the Step from north to south, = 68,045 (See Appendix.)
.
70
13.
THE LENGTH OF THE GRANDGALLERY GEOMETRICALLYPROVED.
THE conclusion arrived a t in the time-calculation of Section 12 just considered, is of so great consequence to those who are running for the prize of the "High-Calling" of God in Christ Jesus, that we desire to be certain that we have the correct figures for the length of the Grand Gallery which symbolises that high-calling; for the right interpretation of the Pyratnid's time-measurements depends upon accuracy in figures. nt we have adopted a s the T h e n ~ e a s u r e n ~ ewhich floor length of the Grand Gallery fro111the north wall, up to the front of the Step, is 1815% British inches. T h i s is the mean of the figures given in the published works of tlie two most careful, scientific n~easurerswho have ever carried on work a t the Great Pyramid (See page 2). T h e horizontal length of the top surface of the Step a t the head of the Grand Gallery, from its front edge t o the south wall. is 61 inches. Therefore the inclined extra length of the floor through the Step, is 68 iriches (See calculatioi~a t fool of page 70). T h i s means that the ~ o t n p l e t e length of the Grand Ga'lery from north to south walls, is /8/3$+68= 1883% British, or 1881% Pyramid, inches. The Gredl Pyramid, by its om n peculiar scientific 1-n thod of geometrical proportions, confirms this 'actual measured length of 1 8 8 1 ~Pyramid inches for the longest direcr dimension of this important passage. Just a s the- object of the high-calling of the Gospel Age is the prize of h e a ~ e n l yglory with Je.;ns Christ, 90 the purpose of the upward Grand Gallery is solely to galn access to the King's Chamber, the Pyiamid's symbol of the Most Holy." And just as the hope of gaining the heavenly condition reacts upon those who aspire to this prize of the high-calling (I John 3:2, 3), so 71
13.
1,liNGTH OF GRAND GALLERY
we find that the King's Chamber's exact proportions react in a mathematical way upon the symbolical Grand Gallery. Regarding the proportions of the King's Chamber, Prof. C. Piazzi Smyth has drawn attention to the fact that if the length of this Chamber (412.132 Pyramid inches) be taken a s the diameter of a circle, and if the area of this circle be thrown into a square shape, the length of each side of this square will be found to equal exactly 365,242 Pyramid inches. This, and the other examples which we have already noticed (page 47), show that the exact length of the year is monumentalized in the Pyramid, proving that the Great Architect intended that his mighty building should stand as a recorder of time, to be measured in true solar years of 365.242 solar days each (See page 42). Every visitor to the Pyramid who ascends the Grand Gallery to the King's Chamber, involuntarily acknowledges the existence of this constructional record of the solar year; for each time he traverses a distance equal to twice the length of the chamber which he desires to enter, in his climb up the steep slippery floor of the passage, he rises a verticul distance of exactly 365,242 Pyramid inches. That is t o say, if twice the length of the King's Chamber (412.132"~2) be marked off on the floor of the Grand Gallery, and a right-angled triangle be formed b y drawing a perpendicular and base line from the upper and lower extremities respectively of this measured portion of the floor, the upward angle of the passage is such, that the perpendicular will be found to measure the exact length in Pyramid inches as there are days in the solar tropical year. A s the King's Chamber and the Grand Gallery are thus mathematically related to each other, as well a s to the true length of the chronological solar year, it is more confirmatory of our belief in the Pyramid's intentional design when we find that this symbolical chamber, and its approaching pas" ? ,
13. sage, are additionally related in a geometrical way to the actual base size of the whole building which contains them. For if the breadth of the King's Chamber, 206.066", be marked off on the sloping floor of the Grand Gallery, and a right-angled triangle be formed in the manner described in the former calculation, it will bc found that the resultant length of the perpendicular of this triangle equals 91.31 Pyramid inches, which is the base size of the Pyramid divided by a n even 100 (See dimensions of Pyramid on page 48). T h e existence of these and many other wonderful proportionate correspondencies between the principal dimensions of the Pyramid, gives us confidence that the figures we have adopted for the length of the Grand Gallery are accurate; for aside from the results of actual measuring in the passage itself, its length is, by this anproved geometrical method, demonstrated to be /88/I/2 Pyramid inches in the following two ways: F i n t , when we multiply the breadth of the King's Chamber, 206.066", by the above mentioned perpeildicular of 91-31 inches, and divide the result by the Pyramid's arithmetical base-number 10, we get 1881% Pyramid inches. This shows the exact proportional relation which the Grand Gallery bears to the King's Chamber on the one hand, and to the whole Pyramid on the other. Seco~zd,when we multiply the number of days in the solar year, 365.242, by the length of the principal dimension of the King's Chamber, namely, its solid cubic diagonal, 5/5./65", and divide the result by a n even 100, we get /88/I/2 Pyramid inches. This, again, shows the intimate connection of the Grand Gallery with the King's Chamber, as well as with the true number of days in the solar lropical year." GEOMETRICALLY PROVED.
"These, and many other examples of the Great Pyramid's wonderful design, are the discoveries of Mr. James Simpson of Itdinburgh, Scotland, and are given in full by Prof. C.Piazzi Smyth in his 4th Edition of "Our Inheritance in the Great Pyramid."
14.
THEIMAGE OF THE BEAST.
WE have seen how the last great trial to be overcome by each individual follower o f Christ is symbolised by the Step at the head of the Grand Gallery (See Vol. I, par. 205). It will now be shown how the last great trial of the true Church a s a whole is aiso indicated by the Step. T h e length, and other characteristics of the Grand Gallery, prove that it represents the Gospel Age which began in Spring 33 A.D., and will not be completed till Autumn 1914 A.D., when, a t the end of the lease of the temporal power to the Gentiles, the Bride of Christ will have made herself ready (Sec. 12). Tlie pilgrimage of the true Church, her tirrie of development and testing, has been long and weary. But the period of waiting f o r her Lord's return is now at an end; and she bas entered upon her last great trial. What is this trial, and when did it begin? It began, according to the teaching of the Great Pyramid, in 1846 A.D.; for this is the date indicated by the front of the Step, when the floor of the Grand Gallery is measured upward from the north wall of the passage a t the usual rate of a Pyramid inch to a year. The event which coirstituted the beginning of the trial was the formation of the i'Evangelical Alliance." T o realise the signiiicance of this, it must be recognised that the Evangelical Alliance was the beginning of the great federation of the various Protestani denomination^,^‘ which in the Book of Revelation is named the image of the beast " (Rev. 13: 11-1 7). All such federations are forbidden (Isa. 8:12), for they impede the true Christian's progress. "Christendom " was united in the dark ages, with the result that terrible trials werc inflicted upon the Lord's people during that time; and the Scriptures indicate that the federative union which began in 1846 A.D. in the organisation of the Evangelical Alliance, will likewise, when 74
1
THE IMAGE OF THE BEAST.
II
" life " is given to it, bring great trials upon the present followers of the Lord, a s well as upon all who refuse to worship it. Referring to this federation in a n article on Daniel 3:14-28 in the Watclz Tower, 1899, pp. 170, 171, C. T. Russell shows that the great image set up b y Nebuchadnezzar in litcral Babylon, before which required t o bow the knee, is paralleled by this image of the beast" which is being set up in " Babylon the Great." H e writes:
id.
"Babylon the literal was in ruins long before the Apostle John on the Isle of Patmos was shown in prophetic vision the mystic or svmbolic Babylon which 'reigneth over the kings of the earth' to-day. Tlie provinces of Babylon to-day aI;e the various civilised nations-really 'liingdoms of this world ; but deluded into calling then~selvesand thinicing ihrmselves lringd o ~ n sof Christ-' ~hristendom.' And parallels to the king and the image [of Daniel) are also presented in Revelation-they are relip,ious systems symbolically described as 'the beast and his im;geJ (Rev. I 3 :15-18). Without at present examining the sy~nbolsin detail, we note the fact that worship of this svinbnlic beast and his image is t o be the great test or-trial upoh professing Christians in every province of symbolic Babylon in the end of this age: indeed, the testing is eveu now in progress. And we have the same inspired record as aut!~orityfor the statellleilt that only those who refuse to render worship t o those powerful influential religious systems (symbolised b y the beast and his image), will be counted worthy I)y the Lord as overcomers and be made his joint-heirs a s nlenlbers of his elect Church- see, Rev. 20: 4. " A s already pointed oul, the beast' represents not Roman Catholics (the people), but tpe Roman Catholic System, as a n institution: and the 'image represents not Protestanrs (the people), but the consolidation of Protestant systefns, as a n institution. W e have pointed out that the first step in the lorillatior~of this synlbolic image of Papacy was in A.D. 1846 in Ihe organisation of the Evangelical Alliance, and that the second h(ep must corrie shortly in an active lizlilrg- co-operation of I'rotesta~i'sas one system; and that this i ~ f u s i o nof life will ~rcsultfrom the Episcopal Churcll or Church of England joining 01 affiliating with other Protestants undcr some general arrangenlent similar to the Evangelical Alliance. "While the severest testings wil! follow the giving of life t o lllc consolidated image, i11 the near future, !et testing has already ~.ommencedwith many, for 'Churchianity is more and more ~lc.n~anding reverence and support, and those who absolutely 1vf11seto worship its image are already exposed to fiery trials;-
75
14.
THE IMAGE OF THE BEAST. social ostracism and financial boycotts ...... They (the various denon~inations)unite in warfare ngoinst all WILO do trot bow the knee to some such idol (who reverence and worship only Almighty God, and recognise his only begotten Son as the on131 Head and Lord of the true Church, whose names are only written in heaven-not on earthly rolls of membership)-See Heb. 12:23. "All who refuse to worship before any of these images are threatened with a fiery furnace of persecution, and the threat is generally carried out as thoroughly as circumstances will permit. In the 'dark ages,' when Papacy had a monoply of the 'church' business, it meant torture and the stake, as well as social ostracism. To-day, under a higher enlightment, and especially because of conlpetition for worshippers, matters are not carried to the same extreme, thank God! Yet in many instances there are evidences that the same spirit prevails, merely restrained by changed circun~stancesand lack of power. Still, as many are witnesses, there are methods of torture which serve to intimidate many who would scorn to bow the knee to a literal visible idol. Thousands to-day are ,worshipping at the various shrines of Christendom who in their hearts long to be free from the sectarian bondage of fear-who fain would serve the Lord God only, had they the courage. And there are some the world over who, with a courage not less than that of Shadrach, Meshach a i d Abed-nego, declare publicly that the Lord God alone shall have the worship and the service which they can render. None, perhaps, know better than the writer the various fiery experiences to which these faithful few are exposedboycotted socially, boycotted in business, slandered in every conceivable manner, and often by those of whom they had least expected it, who, according to the Lord's declaration, say 'All manner of evil against them falsely' (Matt. 5: 11, IZ)."
C. T. Russell, in again drawing attentjin more particularly to the formation of this image," writes: "During the past twenty-five years we have several times called attention to the Scriptures which speak of the Day of the Lord and declare that in it the 'heavens shall roll together like a scroll' (Isa. 34:4). W e have pointed out that this means a coming together of the extremes of Christianity, Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. Other Scriptures show us that the consolidation, federation and unification of Protestants is now in order. This is already well under way and constitutes in the symbolic book of Revelation the 'image of the beastJ-the symbolic beast itself represented by Papacy. .... "We have already pointed out a general organisation of the *image of the beast' effected in 1846, and are waiting for what in the symbol is referred to as the 'giving of life to the image.' ......Our expectations are that after the iederative influences
THE IMAGE O F THE BEAST.
14*.
already begun in Protestantism shall have knit the joints and members the more closely the one to the other, the entire federation of Protestants will receive some kind of Episcopal sanction, recognition, or ordination through the Episcopal system, and that henceforth Protestantism the world over will assume a more active and dogmatic influence in the civic and political affairs of Christendom, co-operating with Roman Catholicism as a sister institution"-Watch Tower, 1905, p. 99.
This important date, 1846 A D . , besides witnessing the beginning of the great church federation, witnessed also the beginning of another, but very different union, namely, the heart union of a company of the Lord's true children, who, because of their adherence to the true doctrinal teachings of the Scriptures, were separated from nominai Christians by this very act of clenoini~lational union. T h i s class constituted the "cleansed Sanctuary" referred to in Daniel's vision of the 2300 days which points to the date 1846 A.D. (It will be shown later how this period of 2300 days is indicated in the Great Pyramid.) Concerni~lgthe "Sanctuary " class, and the method by which it was set apart from Christendom in general, C. T. Russell says: "As though God would arrange that thereafter there should always be a class representing his Sanctuary cleansed, kept separate from the various sects, this very year, 1846, witnessed the organisation of Protestants, sects into one great system, called the 'Evangelical Alliance. ......This Evangelical Alliance thus separated, and has since [by its policy] kept separate from other Christians, a company of God's children-the Lord's cleansed Sanctuary-a Sanctuary of truth. And to this cleansed Sanctuary class other meek and laitllful children of God have been added daily ever since ; while from it have been eliminated such as lose the spirit of meekness and love of the truth. T o maintain their standing as the cleansed Sanctuary, against organised opposition and great numbers, becomes a severe test of courage and faith, which only afew seem able to endure: the majority follow the course of their predecessors ......If the rubbish and defiling abominations were entirely removed in 1846, the time since should be a season for the setting in order of the things which remain, and for the unfolding and developing of God's glorious plan-which truths should re-occupy the places vacated by the errors removed.
14.
THE IMAGE OF THE BEAST. ''This work of opening up the truth, and and a ~ ~ r e c l a t l nlts g beauty, is properly due now, and is being accomplished. We thank God for the privilege of being engaged wit11 others in this blessed work of bringing the golden vessels of the Lord's house (precious truths) baclc from the captii,ity of (s~mb?lic)Babylon the Great (Ezra. 1:7-11; 5:14; 6 : 51, and replacing them in the Sanctuary. .And in this great work we offer fraternal greetings t o all co-labourers and members of the Anointed Body. Blessed those servants wholn their Lord, when he has come, shall find giving meat in due t o the household" ("Studies in the Scriptures," v o l e 111, pp. IIg, Izo).
14. 1 of Evolution, Higher-Criticism, etc., the teaching that the death of Christ was a satisfaction to the i of the justice of God is foolishness. But to : the "little flock" w h o - k n o ~the Slle~he$'s voice, Christ is now and has always been the Power of ~ ~andd the, isdorn of God " (1 Car. 1:22-24), H e and is a sanctuary into which they can ti;d help in tinle of need. THE IMAGE OF THE BEAST.
1
Say ye not ' A confederacy,' to all them to whom this people confederacy'; neither fear ye their fear, nor be shall say, I afraid. Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be Your It is evident, then, that t w o unions, inaugurated alld let him be your dread. And heshall be f o r a s a f f c t f w y ; a t the same date but totally differillg in character, but for a strne of stunUing and for a rock of offence to both [the and spiritual] houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare a r e sylllbolised by the s t e p a t the head of t h e fleshly to the.inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them ~hal,? Grand G a l l e r ~ - ( ~the ) great deno~ninationalfeder- stunlble, and fall, and be brolcen, and be snared, and be taken ation, which claims to be acting in the interests of 1 (Isa. 8:12-15).
/
1
the Lord, but is really a stumbling block to the great mass of professing Christians, and ( 2 ) the i true heart union i n Christ of a small compally of the Lord's people, who, for the first time sillcc the ( days of the Apostles, have been privileged to stand cl-ansed from all defiling errors. Just a s in the days of Christ a t his first Advent, all the warring sets represented L:Y the Pharisees, Herodians, Sadducees, Lawyers, Chief Priests, Scribes, and Elders were united in their opposition to Christ and his teaching (See i\ilatt. 22:]5, 16, 23, 35; 2 6 ~ 3 41, , SO now, during the parallel period, all the warring sects of Christendom, whose llalne is legion, are united in their opposition to the ~ ~ and to all who proclain~his truth, namely, that the 0 1 1 1 ~way of salvation is by the "Ransom for all," a n d that any union which is no! based upon that foundation is unscriptural, and will, therefore, lead to evil. A t the first Advent the Jews required a .~iffll. They desired to wall< bJr sight a not by faith. Thus to them the teaching that faith in tile Rallsom-s$pifice of Christ would redeem then1 fronl the curse of the Law," was a stulllblingblock. S o now, at the end of the Gospel Age, to the Gentiles who " seek after wisdo~ll"in the form
T h e imparting of life, or vitality to the "image by some kind of Episcopal ~ a n c t i o n or ordination through the Anglican system, and. the sympathetic alliance and CO-operatio11of the illlage with the church of Rome which will seein to prolllise great things for Babylon, will be but the lifting up of the great millstone preparatory to its being violently and quickly cast into the sea, SYmbolical of anarchy (Rev. 18 21). The new union of church and state which is to take place, will in reality be a union of the classes against the inasses; it is the rising masses in revolution who, a s ~ ~ d agency, ' s are to hurl the Babylon systelll to utter ~ destruction ~ , jby the date 19/4-1915 A D . , indicatecj in this time-measurement by the south wall of the Grand Gallery.
1 of the beast"
78
~ a ~ c ! , ~ , ~mom,, i o l z s thi.i t;,e front of :he step in the dead of the ~ ~ - Gallery ~ , ~ inCkates d ~ I I Cdate 1846 A.D., ~ulrentlze "E~nr~gelical AUiance " was organised, and thr~sfornredt?r; beginning of the last great t7,ial of the true Cl~urchor "Sanctuary clnss: Organisation of the Evangelical Alliance, - A.D. 1845% Inauguration of the true Church after the resurrection of her Lord, Spring, A.D. 33, - - *.D. 32% Years 1813%
-
--
79
N l l l l l I I
Length 01 the Grant1 tiallcry 11 0111 1 IIV 1101 111 wall, up the floor lint to t l ~ cCro111 o l 1l1c Step, - - -
- -
-I
Pyramid inches 1813% A s the front of the Step marks the date, Autumn of the year
1846 A.D., the further upward measurement of 68 inches through the Step from this point (See note a t foot of page 70) will indicato the date 68 years later184534 plus 68 equal 19/3%, i.e., Autumn of the year 1914 A.D.
1 5.
THEFIFTHDAY A N D T H E NEW CREATION. NUMBER FIVE I N T H E KING'S CHAMBER.
THE" Holy " and "Most Holy " of the Tabernacle in the wilderness, which symbolise the spiritbegetting and the spirit-birth respectively of those who are called to share the heavenly condition with Jesus Christ, are represented in the Great Pyramid by the Ante-Chamber and the King's Chamber (See Vol. I., pars. 177, 178). The first to enter heaven, the "Most Holy," symbolised in the Pyramid b y the King's Chamber, was the Great King and Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. H e was the beginning of the "New Creation," the first t o attain to the Divine nature; for "he is the head of the body, the church; who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the pre-eminence" (Col. 1 :18). It was in Spring 33 A.D. that the Lord died and was resurrected (I Cor. 15:3, 4), and so opened up the " n e w and living w a y " to immortality; but the members of his "body" who have followed in his footsteps, and have been privileged to lay down their lives with him, being "baptised into his death" (Rom. 6:3), have remained in the sleep of death until the parallel date in the Gospel Age, viz.: Spring 1878 A.D. T h i s latter date, a s we shall 80
1
I N I l l / / I N 1( I / / ; / ,
17.
. ~ l l c ~ r w ~ ~scc, r t l sis appropriately indicated in the / \ ~ ~ l c . - C h m b ebut r ; it will now be shown how the clatc of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is indicated in the King's Chamber. Prof. C. Piazzi Smyth points out that the charac~eristicnumber of the Great Pyramid, and especially of the King's Chamber, i s j e , which he regards a s Lhe sacred number of the monument. (It is significant that this number five was abhorred by the Egyptians.") T h e Pyramid presents on its external aspect not only five corners, the chief of which is the top-stone, but also five surfaces, including the base. Inside it contains five main passages, counting the Well-shaftli as one; and five chambers, counting the little Recess" near the Pit a s one. There are five granite ceilings above the King's Chamber, and five " Chambers of Construction " T h e Pyramid cubit, also, is proved to contain exactly five times five Pyramid inches. That the number five is especially characteristic of the King's Chamber is apparent when we note that the stones which compose its walls, exactly one hundred in number, are built in five equal courses. T h e lowest of these five courses is sunk five inches below the floor level. Tlle floor of this chamber is situated on the 50th masonry course of the Pyramid; while that of the Queen's Chamber is on the 25th. In the latter chamber, the central line of the "Niche" is exactly five tir~lesfive inches, f.e., one Pyramid cubit, to the south of the central line of the east wall (See Vol. I, plates XIX, CLXI). Prof. Smyth specially mentions the existence of a "eferring t o the number five, and t o the Egyptians, wellknown hatred of it, Septimus Mark writes: "The number five is a t the foundation of much of the teaching connected with the Pyramid, as i t is indeed the first and most characteristic of the Pyramid numbers.. ....Sir Gardner Willrinson speaks of five as being the evil number in modern Egypt still .......When, therefore, the Israelites went out from their Egyptian bondage with a high hand.. ....and marshalled by five in a rank (Exod. 13: 18, margin), i t must have been especially galling t o their late masters." 1;
81
15. THE FIFTH DA Y AND THE NE w CREATION. "Boss." measuring five inches wide by one inch size of the earth and its distance from the sun (Set. thick, which has been carved out on the upper of 7). There is something in connection with the markings on the walls of this little chamber, the two stones which form the Granite Leaf in the Ante-Chamber (See Vol. I, plate CXIX). H e points well-named by Prof. Smyth the " micro-cosmic" out that the centre of this Boss is exactly five times chamber of the Pyramid, which in a manner five illclles (one Pyramid cubit) from the east edge suggests time-measurements. Each side wall is of the stone on which it appears. divided by vertical ribs or pilasters into folly spaces, the first of which is h a l f - w a ~ by Prof. Smyth believed that thel-e is some special the Granite Leaf. T h e end or south wall is divided significance in this nunlber five. H e suggested into jive spaces by four vertical grooves, which that the word means in ancient reach from the ceiling down to the top of the Egyptian language "division of In the to the King's Chamber (See Vol' ancient Coptic language, the nearest to the E ~ ~low ~Passage plate CXXI). tian language," F?ry means division, the salne a s ~n "Our Inheritance in the Great Pyramid," Prof. Peres in Daniel's interpretation of the handwriting s l n y t h says: " A s the doorway is only 42 inches on the wall; a n d met means ten. Puttirlg them high, a n d the dividing lines of the wall above it together, Fyl--met, we have the name given to this are apparently drawn down to the doorway's top! structure. For this reason, ten may be regarded a s a man of ordinary height standing in the Antethe Great Pyran-rid's ~at~i.7jlat2ccr/ base-nwmhcr; and Room alld looking southwards (the direction he its division five a s its sacred number. Cllevalier desires to go, in order to reach the King's Chamber), Bunsen in "Egypt's Place in History," Val. I, page cannot fail .....to see this space divided into jive. 477, Val. IV, page 107, gives the interpretation of as he must And when he bows his head very these two words separately, without thought of cornbiningthem forthe derivationof the ~ ~ ~ d " ~ ~ do ~ . ~ ..he ~ bends i d .his" head s u b m i s s i v e l ~under that symbol of division into $ve; a n d should remember, In the Ante-Chamber there are peculial- marl
NUMBER FIVE IN T H E KING'S CHAMBER. 15: occurred early in this fifth 1000-year day. A s the date of the Fall of Adam a t the beginning of the first 1000-year day was 4126% B.C., the fifth 1000year day must have begun at the date 126% B.C. (See No. 8, page 25). It was in Spring 33 A.D. that Jesus Christ rose fro111the dead. It theiefoi-e follows that 158% years must have elapsed from the commencea~entof the great "fifth d a y " when the Lord Jesus appeared a s the beginning of the flew Creation, for 126% B.C. plus 32% A.D. equal 158% gears. Now, the beginning oi the "fifth day" and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, seem to be respectively indicated in the Ante and King's Chambers, which, like the " Holy" and "Most Holy " of thc Tabernacle in the wilderness, are symbolically connected with the New Creation. A notable feature in the Ante-Chamber ) i s the first granilc floor-stone, ;made conspicuous through being raised quarter of a n inch above the general level of the floor (See Vol. I, plate CXIX). The floor of the King's Chamber is raised three-quarters of a11 inch above the floor of the Ante-Chamber. These raised portions of the floor are apparently intentional. T h e distance between them is 156% inches (See diagram, page 84). When the gr'and 3/4" of the raised portions are added, the total measurement is 157% British, or 157% Pyramid, inches. As Jesus Christ was raised to the Divine Spirit-Nature in Spring 33 A.D., the north wall of King's Chamber which symbolised the Divine Nature, can properly be claimed to indicate that date. T h e last inch of the south edge of the first granite floor-stone in the Ante-Chamber, therefore, marks the date 158% years earlier, that is, the first year of the fifth millennium. It is evident from the Scriptures that the heavenly beings, some time before the first Advent of our Lord, were aware that it was provided in the heavenly Father's plan that his beloved and only 85
15.
THI<1;ll;7'H D A Y A N D T H E NEW C R E A T I O N .
begottct~lSon should make himself of no reputation, ant1 take the form of a servant, in order t o be the Saviour of the world. T h e y might be pictured a s here in the Ante-Chamber, anxiously awaiting the due time. O n each side they would see the walls divided into four spaces, representative of the first four 1000-year "days." T h e first of these w a s Adam's day, in which God passed judgment upon the world; the space representing t h a t day is, therefore, blocked by the Granite Leaf, the symbol of the Divine Will (See Vol. I, pars. 190-193). I n front of thein on the south wall of the chamber, they would notice the division into five; a n d would t h a t they were approaching the great fifth day," in which the I,ord Jesus, the L a m b of God, was to die for the sin of the world. W h a t feeling of suspense the angelic host must have experienced a s that moinentous event drew near! Th; Apostle Peter tells us that the angels desired to look into" the hidden things concerning the sufferings of Christ, a n d the glory t h a t would follow ( I Pet. 1 :1 1, 12). In due time the great "fifth d a y " was ushered in, a n d the Son of God humbled hiinself a n d was make in the likeness of sinful flesh. W h a t joyous excitement there was among the heavenly host when they saw the Son of God lying a s a helpless babe in the manger a t Bethlehem! Luke gives a glimpse of it when he informs us that after the angel of the Lord had given the shepherds t h e good tidings of great joy, "Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, a n d saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, a n d on earth, peace, good-will toward men !"' (Luke 2: 13, 14). Their suspense must have been very great when, in obedience to the Father's will, Jesus humbled himself still further even t o the death of the cross; but no words can picture the joy there must have been in heaven when he was raised from the dead a n d highly exalted!
th in ember
86
T h e angels were then told to worship him (Heb. 1 :6, Diaglott). Calculations showitrg how the tzortk edge of' the poor of' the ICi~zg's Chamber indiccztes S p ~ i of # ~the year 33 A.D., the date when Jestrs Christ w a s restrrrected a s the begrn~liizgof' the New Creation, the f i s t to receive the Divine ltat~tresymbolised by the King's Cha~nber. Date of the Fall of Adam, - - - - B.C. 4126% Date o f the Resur~ectlon of Jesus Christ, - A.D. 32% 4158% Period of years from tile Fall of Adam, to the first year of the fifth 1000-year "day," 400 1 Years 157% Distance from south edge of raised granite floor-stone in the Ante-Chamber, to north edge of raised floor of the King's Chamber, 156% Floor raised in the two chambers respectively, r/4"+%",, - - - - - - I
-
British inches 157% minus $$ Pyramid inches 157%
16.
THE SECOND ADVENT.
WHENJesus Christ ascended to the Father forty days after his resurrection, the Scriptures declare that he " s a t down" a t the right h a n d of the majesty on high, waiting till his enemies should be made his footstool (Heb. 1 :3; 10:12, 13). T h e Apostle Peter, speaking t o the assembled people of the Jewish nation, said: " A n d he [Jehovah] shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must ?-etain until the times of restitution of all things" (Acts 3:20, 21). T h e return of our Lord was therefore fixed by Jehovah t o take place a t tfle beginning of the great Jubilee of earth, or the times of restitution." According t o the time-prophecies a n d parallel Dispensations, this second Advent of Jesus Christ began in Autumn 1874 A.D., exactly 1845 years after his first Advent when he came a s the Messiah 87
16.
16.
THE SECOND ADVENT.
T H E SECOND ADVENT.
a t Jordan (See No. 8, page 25). T h e prophet Daniel, who foretold the first Advent of Messiah (Dan. 9: 21-27), also foretold his second Advent in these words: " A t that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for t h e children of t h y people" (Dan. 12:1). Michael, or Christ, the great Prince of Israel, who "sat down" a t the righth a n d of Jehovah till the time when he should be "sent" to put into operation the work of restitution, was thus to " s t a n d u p " on behalf of his people a n d deliver them from bondage, a n d gather them into their own land. A t that time, also, according t o Daniel's prophecy, the resurrection was due t o begin, for " m a n y of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awalce" (Dan. 12:2), cvery man in his own order, Christ's members being the firstfruits (I Cor. 15:23; James 1: 18). It shall be shown later how the resurrection of the members of the "bodyn of Christ is indicated in the Pyramid. T h e prophet David, likewise, foretold of Christ's coming a s the great King (Psa. 132: 1 1 ; Luke 1:3133); and Moses of his coming a s the great Prophet (Deut. 18:15; Acts 3:20-22); but from the very beginning of the Jewish Age the people of IsraeI expectantly looked forward t o the coming of the world's Saviour under the name of Shiloh. W h e n on his death-bed, Jacob called t o him his twelve soils a n d gave utterance to a prophecy regarding each. T h e most inlportant was that which related t o Judah: " T h e sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a law-giver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; a n d unto him shall the gathering of the people b e " (Gen. 49:lO). Thus, from the time of Jacob's death onward, God's faithful people in both Jewish a n d Gospel Ages have been anxiously looking forward to the Advent of this great Peace-maker a n d Deliverer. H e did come, indeed, a t the end of the Jewish Age, but the purpose of this first Advent was not for the "gathering of the people." It was for the
preliminary work of purchasing the fallen race of mankind who had been condemned in Adam (Rom. 5 :I 2, 18), by paying the ransom or corresponding price for Adam, a man's life for a man's life. It will be remembered that after his crucifixion, Christ's disciples expressed disappointment a t the apparent frustration of all their hopes. They said: " W e trusted t h a t it had been he which should have redeemed Israel " (Luke 24 :21) ; a n d later, when they realised the fact of their loving Master's resurrection from thc dead, they asked of him anxiously: " W i l t thou a t this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1: 6). It was not until after they received the Holy Spirit that they understood how God, in his great Plan of the Ages, h a d arranged beforehand that a certain company, the " Ante-Chamber" class, must first be selected out of the world, polished and made worthy to b e associatcd with their Lord in delivering the people, before the kingdom of Israel could be restored. These, the prospective members of the Bride of Christ, have also been eagerly looking forward t o the promised coming of Shiloh; a n d now they know that he h a s arrived. T h e y do not see him with their natural eyes; they were expressly warned not t o expect t o see him in the flesh (Matt. 24:23-27). It is with the eyes of their understanding that they discern him; for the Lord was "put t o death in the flesh but quickened [brought to life] in the Spirit" ( I Pet. 3: 18, R.v.). H e is now a Spirit, not discernable by a n y but the spiritual, those begotten of the Holy Spirit. A s we read in I Cor. 15:45-"The first A d a m was made a living soul; the last A d a m was made a quickening [life-giving] spirit." T h e spirit-begotten, by their study of the time prophecies in the Bible, comparing spiritual things with spiritual (I Cor. 2: 13-1 5), can clearly see that the Lord h a s been present since Autumn / 8 7 4 ~ . ~ . , a that n d he will soon take t o himself his great power a n d reign (See " Studies in the Scriptures," Vol. 11, pp. 187-190).
88
89
J6.
7'118 SECOND ADVENT.
I Ilc. date of J e s u s ' r e s u r r e c t i o n , 3 3 ~ . ~when ., Jusl hc " S ; I Ldown" after having made his offering a s a s : ~tisfaction to justice, is i5dicated by the entrance of the King's Chamber or Sanctuary" j?ec. IS), so the date 1874 A.D. when he was due to stand u p " to assume kingly control, is indicated at(Fhe same place in the following way: Taking the Point of Intersection," where the First Ascending Passage leaves the Descending Passage, a s marking the date when the twelve sons of Jacob founded the twelve tribes of Israel (Gen. 49:28), thus setting
I
T H E SECOND .4 D V EN T.
16.
bundles ready to be burnt a s tares, i.c., to be manifested a s not truly Christians. Soon Satan will be completely bound, a n d the kingdoins of this world will be overthrown in the great time of trouble. T h e n Christ will take to himself his great power a n d begin his glorious reign of peace, and the whole groaning creation, the Jews first and afterwards the Gentiles, will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God, Calcwlatior~sshowi~zgthat the north wall or entrance of the Ifilzg's Chamber mnrks the date of the return of the LordJesus : Death of Jacob, when the looking forward t o the coming of Shiloh, the great Deliverer, began, - B.C. 1812% Spring, B.C.1813, ~ e t u r nof our Lord (See No. 8, page 25),Autumn, A.D. 1874. - - - - - A.D. 1873% Years 3686% ," Length of the First Ascending Passage, up from the "Point of Intersection," 1545 Length of the Grand Gallery, up t o the front of thestep,- - - - - - 1815% Distance from the north edge of the Step, in to 330 the north wall of the King's Chamber, British inches 3690% minus 3%
-
apart a people who looked forward to the coming of Shiloh according to promise, a n d ineasuring from this point up the floor of the First Ascending Passage a t the rate of a Pyramid inch to a year, then up the Grand Gallery to the front of the Step, a n d finally, omitting the riser, from the north edge of the Step to the north wall or entrance of the King's Chamber, it will be found that the King's Chamber indicates the date of the Second Advent of Jesus Christ, Autumn of the year 1874 A.D. Since Christ returned in 1874 he has been engaged a s Chief Reaper in the harvest work of gathering the wheat (the saints) into the garner.
-
-
Pyramid inches 3686%
1 7-
THE JEWISH " DOUBLE." THERESURRECTIONOF THE
IN Section 15 we noticed how Jesus Christ, the " head of the body which is the church " (Col. 1 :18), was " b o r n from the dead" a t the beginning of the fifth millennium. W e shall now see how the date of the birth of the Church is indicated in the Great
17.
T H E JEWISH
"
DOUBLE."
RESURRECTION OF T H E " B O D Y " OF CHRIST.
17.
withdrawn from the Fleshy house and given to the The election of the members oi Christ began Spiritual house, which is composed of those Jews after the death and resurrection of Jesus, and not and Gentiles who trusted not in their own righteousbefore; for Jesus himself, referring to John the ness but had faith toward God, and showed their Baptist, said that though there were none greater faith by denying themselves, taking up their cross born of woman, nevertheless the least in the daily a n d following in the footsteps of Jesus (See Kingdom of heaven would be greater than John "Studies i n the Scriptures," Vol. 11, page 246). (Matt. 1l:ll). This was because John the Baptist The Scriptural proof that the "double" of disdied before the inauguration of the Church a t favour t o the Fleshly house of Israel began at the Pentecost. Stephen the martyr mras the first memdeath of Christ is clear. It was five days before ber of the "body" to lay down his life; and his crucifixion that Jesus, weeping over Jerusalem, thenceforward throughout the Gospel Age one pronounced the sentence: "Behold, your house is member after another fell as lee^ in death. waiting. for their resurrection at the retirn of ~es;s ~ h r i z left unto you desolate" (Matt. 23:38). There is additionally the testimony of Zechariah (9:12)their "Head." "Even today do I declare that I will render double This is the class who, up to the time of their unto thee." The context of this prophecy sllows death, have all been taught of God in the "School that the "day " referred to, when the "double )' of Christ," represented in the Pyramid by the Antewas due to begin, was that on which our Lord rode Chamber (John 6:44:45). They might be termed into Jerusalem seated on an ass;-compare Zech. the "Ante-Chamber" class; and we think it proper 9:9 with Luke 19:28-44, and note the prophecy of to expect that the date of their resurrection, when the "shout," and our Lord's reference to it in the they were due to be ushered into the presence of 40th verse in Luke's gospel-thus particularly must their "Forerunner," should be indicated by the prophecy be fulfilled. extreme south end-wall of this chamber. On As Jacob's death occurred in Spring 1813 B.C. calculation it will be found that this is so. Our (Sec. 3 ) and Christ's death in Spring 33 AD., the s t ~ l d yof the time-prophecies in the Bible has total duration of the Jewish Age, the period of revealed the fact that the date of this important God's favour to the Fleshly house of Israel, was event was Spring 1878 A.D. exactly 1845 years. Accordingly, the " double " of According to Jeremiah (l6:I 8), Zechariah (9:9, disfavour, beginning in Spring of 33 A.D., lllust I2), and Isaiah (40:2, margin), the Gospel Age is have ended in 1878 A.D., 1845 years later. It was the "double" of the Jewish Age (See No. 6, page in that year, a t the famous Berlin Congvess of nations, 25), that is to say, the period during which the in which a Jew, Lord Beaconsfield, took the leading Jewish nation was cast off a s a people from God's part, that the condition of the Hebrews then refavour, exactly equalled in length the period when siding in Palestine was greatly ameliorated, and they enjoyed this favour. the door was opened for others to locate there and Each of these Ages began on the death of its bold real estate." A s an evidence of the rapidly founder. On the death of Jacob (Israel) the founder of the Fleshy house of Israel, the Patriarchal ' Since 1878 the number of Jews i n Palestirie has greatly inAge ended and the Jewish Age began (Gen. 49:2, creased. At that time the gates of Jerusalem were always closed a t dusk; and it was dangerous to be outside of the walls 28, 29); and on the death of Christ the fo~lnderof i n the night-time owirlg to robbers and wild animals. The the Spiritual house of Israel, God's favour was 92
93
RESURRECTION OF THE "BODY" OF CHRIST. / 7. (Sec. IO), SO the second Advent occurred 3% years prior to the resurrection of the Church o r "Body" of Christ, namely, in Autumn 1874 A.D.,*- a t the beginning of the " t i n ~ e s o frestitution of all things" (Acts 3 : 19-2 1). Seeing, therefore, that it is by the calculation of the "double" that the date of the resurrection of the mernbers of Christ's Body is made known, the south wall of the Ante-Chamber which marks this date should, properly, be the end of a timemeasurement indicating the 'double." T h e AnteChamber class are those who, through their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, fulfil the Divine L a w of God, a s the Apostle says: " T h a t the righteousness of the !a?# might be Juljiil~d i n 11s. who walk not after the flesh, [as did the Jews], but after the Spirit." that is, those who having been begotten to the spirit nature, mind the things of the Spirit (Rom. 8:4). NOW,a s the express symbol of the Law of God in the Great Pyramid is the Granite Plug, we could not suggest a more appropriate starting-point than this for the particular time-measurenlent now under consideration. Thus, a s in the former case where the Granite Plug req~liledto be recognisecl when calculating the time-period of the L a w Dispensation, during which the Fleshy Israelites endeavoured to gain life by the works of the L a w without faith (Sec. II), so here a!so, when dealing with the Spiritual Israelites who, without works, e.stnbllslz this L a l y through faith in Christ, during Fleshly Israel's double" of disfavour (Ron]. 3:28, 31), we require to take the Pyramid's s y ~ n b o of l the
T H E JEWISH " DOUBLE." 17. returiling favour to the Jews in Palestine, most of the houses in Jerusalem are inhabited a n d also owned by Jews. But each of these dates, 33 a n d 1878 A.D , was signalised by a n event of even greater importance than the loss and return of favour to Fleshly Israel. T h e first witnessed the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, the Head of the Christ, and the other the resurrection of the sleeping saints, the Body of Christ. T h e last inembers of the Church who are alive a n d remain on the earth d u r k g the short period since 1878 till the end of the harvest" of the Gospel Age in Autumn 1914 A.D. (See No. 2, page 24), carry out their vow of consecratioll uiito death; but, unlike those who died in the Lord prior to 1878, they will not have any interval of unconsciousness or sleep; the moment of their death will be the moment of their resurrection change. T h i s is the class referred to by Paul when he declared: "Behold, I show you a mystery [secret]; W e shall not all sleep [lie u~lconsciousin death], but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of a n eye, at the last trump" ( I Cor. 15: 5 1, 52). T h e last or seventh trump is the proclamation of the tidings of the Lord's return. John the Revelator also wrote of this class and called them biessed. Describing the time when the Gospel harvest would begin, he stated: "Blessed are the dead which die in the z; saith the Spirit, that Lord j; om h c ~ ~ c ~ f o r t lYea, they may rest from their labours, alld their works the following d o follow them" (Rev. 14:13.-See verses which describe the Gospel harvest). When :he sleeping saints were awakened from their death-condition in Sprirlg of 1878 A.D., they found the Lord Jesus present; for just a s the J5rst Advent of Jesus Christ was 3% years prior to his death resurrection, namely, in Autumn 29 A.D. houses standing outside the walled clty numbered only about 50 or 60; but now, in 1913, they are ~ncreaseda hundred-fold, numberin< Letr, een 5,000 and 6,000. The gates are now never closed.
,
94
I
+This aparzlle,n methodof reckoning is lllerely corroborative of many time-prophecies which point both directly and llldirectly to 1874 and 1914 A.D., as the respective dates for the begillning and end of the "Harvest" perio! at Christ's Second Advent, when he comes as "Chief Reaper, and when the destructiotl of No. 6, page this Present Evil World in due to take place.-Se 25. (For fullel infnrn~aticnconcerning the Parallel Ages, see " Studies in the Scriptures," Vol. 11, chap. 7.) 95
6 7.
THE JEWISH DOUBLE.^ Length of the First Ascending Passage, up from the lower end of the Granite Plug, Length of the Granite Plug, Length of the Grand Gallery, up to the front of thestep,- - - - Distance from the north edge of the Step, in to the south end-wall of the Ante-Chamber (See diagram, page 84, - - -
DOUBLE.^
THE JEWISH
Divine Law into account. Commencing at the lower or north end of the Granite Plug, and measuring up along the floors of the First Ascending Passage and Grand Gallery to the front of the Step7 then, omitting the riser, from the north edge of the Step in to the south end-wall of the Ante-
-
-
-
-
17. 1470% 178 1815% 229%
British inches 3693% minus 334
-
Pyramid inches 3690
1 8.
Chamber, it will be found, after adding to this measurement the length of the Granite Plug itself a s in Section 11, that the total number of Pyramid inches corresponds to the period of years of the Jewish Age and its "double." Calculations showiftg tli~ztthe extreme soutlz end-wall of the AnteChamber, tlze school of Christ," marks tlze date of the end of the "Doublr," Sprilzg, 1878 A.D., when those that slrpt ilt Chrzst arose; rind since which tinze all who die in tlze Lord are "chnnged iri a ?nonient" to the Dlvine Spirit Nature sy~nbolised by the Kilig's Chamber:
Death of Jacob, when favour t o the'Fleshly house of Israel began, Spring, B.C. 1813, - -
B.C. 18/23/4
I
End of the Jewish "Double" of disfavour, when the resurrection of Christ's Body was due to begin,Spring,A.~./878,A.~.1877I/4 -Years 3690
-
96
-
-
-
-i
T H E INAUGURATION O F T H E
NEW COVENANT. THE FIRSTRESURRECTION.
T H E Scriptures declare that of the Jewish nation only a remnant received the Lord Jesus and became his footstep followers (John 1: 11-13). Had the Lord not found this faithful remnant, the Apostle says that the nation would have been like Sodom and Gomorrah (Rorn. 9 : 2 9 ; Isa. 1:9). When Abraham interceded for Sodom, he was promised that if even ten righteous-men were found in the city, it would not on their account be blotted out. Because of the remnant of. Israel, therefore, which dernonstrated that the law-schoolmaster had been effective in preparing at least a few to receive the meek and lowly Jesus (Col. 3:24), the unbelieving majority were not cast off forever, but merely had "blindness in part" passed upon them, until God makes with them the New Covenant which he foretold by the prophet Jeremiah-"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah" (Jer. 31 :31; Rom. 11 :25-27). As the number of the remnant of Israel was far short of the foreordained 144,000 (Rev. 7: 1-8), God G
97
18. INAUGURATION OF THE NEW COVENANT. turned to the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name (Acts 13:44-48; 15:14); and throughout the Gospel Age the Gentiles have been filling up the membership in the Body of Christ. W h e n the " fulness of the Gentiles" has come in, not one more member will be required ( I Cor. 12: 12). T h e Jews will then have their blindness removed, and they will see that the walk of the high-calling to joint-heirship with Christ in the Spiritual Kingdom is forever closed. But the Lord will graciously reveal to them the other way of life, namely, the New Covenant opportunity for life on the Plane of Human Perfection. T h e New Covenant that God will make with the Jewish nation after the Christ, head and body, is complete, is represented in the Pyramid by the Horizontal Passage which leads to the Queen's Chamber, the Pyramid's express symbol of perfect human life. Like the First Ascending Passage which represents the Old Covenant, the Horizontal Passage is low, so that one has to bend considerably when walking in it. This corroborates the Scriptural teaching that the exacting requirements of the law, synlbolised by the low roof, will be operative in the Millennia1 reign of Christ (Rom. 2: 12, 16). T h e law was holy, just a n d good (Rom. 7 : 12): but the sacrifices, mediator a n d priesthood of the Old Covenant were incapable of bringing fallen men into harmony with God's righteous law. T h e New Covenant will be based upon better sacrifices, and will have a better mediator and a better ~ r i e s t h o o d ,and under it all mankind will attain to perfect life on the human plane (Heb. 8:6-13). ' The Jews k i l l pass directly from under the Old Law Covenant (for they are still undergoing the punishments of the curses contained in that Covenant, a s Christ became a n end of the law for righteousness only to those who believed-Rom. 10:4), into the New (Law) Covenant, i.e., in symbol, 98
18. from the First Ascending Passage, into the Horizontal Passage. After the Jewish nation all the Gentiles will come under the New Covenant arrangement, that they also may attain human perfection. Jesus said: " A n d I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me"; and again: "Marvel not a t this: for the hour is coming, in the which all thac are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth " (John 12:32; 5:28, 29). By the power that Christ will exert the Gentiles will be raised from the Descending Passage condition of death, to the Horizontal Passage condition of the New Covenant; for through the ransom-sacrifice of Christ (the Well-shaft) all mankind will be redeemed and placed upon that "highway of holiness." T h e prophet Isaiah said: "No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon ... . ..but the redeemed shall walk there " (Isa. 35:8-10). Satan, the "roaring lion " ( I Pet. 5:8), will not be allowed to deceive men during the time of the New Covenant, for he is to be bound and cast into the "bottomless pit," symbolised in the Pyramid by the Subterranean Chamber (Rev. 20:l-3); and all "ravenous beasts " represented by the grasping selfish institutions of the " Present Evil World " will be destroyed in the Pit. T h e more favourable condition of the New Covenant in contrast with the Old, is well illustrated in the Pyramid by the difference between the two passages which synlbolise these Covenants. Should one slip in the Ascending Passage he cannot prevent himse!f from falling; and a s the angle of the floor is very steep be immediately begins to slide backward. H e will then realise, a s did the Jews under the Oid Covenant, that this upward way although "ordained to life," is after all a way to death (Ron~.7:lO). Gathering impetus on that slippery floor, he will fall with terrible force against the upper end of the Granite Plug, T H E FIRST RESURRECTION.
1 1
99
18.
INAUGURATION OF THE NEW COVENANT.
THE FIRST RESURRECTION.
a n d be killed. By this effective method the Pyramid corroborates the declaration of the Scriptures: "For whosoever shall keep the whole law [in a n endeavour to rnerit life thereby], and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" (Jarnes 2:10). W h e n the Jews slipped, they fell and were condemned to death by the Divine Law, which is particularly syrnbolised by the Granite Plug. How different it is in the case of the Horizontal Passage; although one requires to bend very low when walking here, a s in the First Ascending Passage, showing therefore that he is under law, yet should he slip and fall he does not necessarily die. T h e passage being horizontal he does not slide backward. H e may be bruised, but raising himself to his feet, h e can continue on his way to the Queen's Chamber. There is hope under the New Covenant, and none need g o backward if he allows himself to be rightly exercised b y the rule and discipline of the righteous Judge. Profiting by the lesson of his fall and henceforth taking more heed to his steps, he may still progress toward the Queen's Chamber condition of human perfection. But should any when in the Horizontal Passage condition of the New Covenant rebel against the just law, and deliberately retrace his steps, he must fall into the Well-shaft, which although particularly symbolising the death and resurrection of Christ, also represents sheol or hades, the deathstate in general. This corroborates the Scriptural statement, that "all the wicked will be returned ~ 9:17, R.v.). T o be returned into into s h e 0 1 ~(Psa. sheol would be to come under a second condemnation to death; and from this second death there is no resurrection, for "Christ dieth no more." T h e drop in the floor at the Queen's Chamber end of the Horizontal Passage represents the final "little season" of trouble, owing to the testing and sifting consequent upon Satan being "let loose "
from the bottomless pit (Rev. 20:7-10). By this time men will be fully restored to the original perfect condition lost by Adam. T h e y will now be on the level of the Queen's Chamber floor, the Plane of Human Perfection, and will no longer be bent under the law, for the law is the measure of a perfect man's ability. Able to walk upright, like Adam wheil created by God (Eccl. 7:29), and having then acquired knowledge of good and evil, they will be fully prepared to resist the wiles of Satan when he seeks to deceive them. T h i s condition of mankind a t the end of Christ's reign is illustrated by the greater headroom at the Queen's Chamber end of the passa-ge. T h e height a t this part, however, is sufficient only for the man of average stature to walk upright, and should any become "heady," and in pride seek to raise himself above his fellows, he will " bruise" his head by knocking it against the roof, that is, the perfect law of God symbolised by the roof will condemn and destroy him along with Satan (Acts 3:22, 23). After the final test, when Satan and all who follow him are destroyed in the second death, the meek shall inherit the earthly kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world (Matt. 25:34). T h e y shall enjoy for ever that human perfection and liberty so well symbolised by the high seven-sided and vepztilated Queen's Chamber.
I00
18.
According to the Apostle's statement in Rom. 11: 25-27, the New Covenant cannot be put into operation until the "fulness of the Gentiles" has come in to complete the body of Christ; for every member of the " body" shares with the " h e a d " in the sacrifice, the blood of which, in the end of this Gospel Age, will be used in sealing with Israel the New Covenant. In other words, when the heavenly calling to become members in the body of Christ closes, the earthly calling of the New Covenant opens. I01
THE FIRST RESURRECTION.
18.
The Great Pyramid corroborates this important phase of the Lord's Plan; but to appreciate the symbolism fully, one must have clearly before h i s mental eyes the actual appearance of the lower end of the Grand Gallery. On each side of this passage there is a stone bench which runs the entire length of the floor (See reproduction of our photograph, page 102). These benches are called "Ramps," and measure about 21" high by about 20" wide. The distance between the Ramps is 3% feet, so that the widths of the floors of the Grand Gallery and First Ascending Passage are the same. The mouth of the Well is formed by a portion of the Ramp on the west side having been broken away; and the appearance of the masonry surrouncling this Wellmouth suggests the thought of the once covering Ramp-stone having been violently burst out from underneathl(See drawing, page 104). If the missing portion of the Ramp were restored the Well-shaft would be entirely concealed. The apparent bursting away of the Ramp-stone graphically suzgests the resurrection of Jesus Christ, when God burst the bonds of death" and raised his beloved Son from the death-state (Acts 2 :22-24). In addition to the breaking of the Ramp-stone at the head of the Well-shaft, a portion of the lower end of the Jloor of the Grand Gallery appears to have been forcibly removed. It looks as if the floor of the passage had originally extended upward in an unbroken line from the north wall, but that a n exposion had taken place which tore away about 17 feet at the lower end. Thus, t,wo violent explosions have taken place in the Great Pyramid; or, rather, the appearance of the lower end of the Grand Gallery gives that impression; for we believe the great Master-Builder purposely arranged the masonry of this past of the passage to suggest the thought of explosions for figurative purposes. If the missing portion of the floor of the Grand Gallery were restored, the Horizontal Passage
.18.
INAUGURATION OF THE' NEW COVENANT.
-leading to the Queen's Chamber would be entirely concealed, so that anyone emerging from the First Ascending Passage and continuing on his way up the Grand Gallery, would be totally unaware of the existence of the Horizontal Passage. This feature of the Pyramid's system symbolical-
ly confirms the Scriptural teaching that the faithful among the Jews passed directly from Moses into Christ. They partook of the high or heavenly calling to joint-heirship with Christ, and are represented as emerging from under the low roof of the First Ascending Passage, and walking with him upward along the floor of the Grand Gallery (which at this stage is understood to be unbroken and entire) to the King's Chamber condition of the 104
18. Divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4). The majority of the Jews, blinded because of their unbelief, are pictured as standing with bowed backs in the lowcLFirst Ascending Passage, while the Gentiles, who sometimes were far off, are made nigh by the blood [ransom-sacrifice] of Christ " (Eph. 2 :1 2, 1 3 , and are coming up, a s it were, through t&e Well-shaft and broken Ramp on to the floor, or walk," of the Grand Gallery, partaking with Christ Jesus in the heavenly calling. The present coildition of the people of Israel is in accordance with the curse pronounced against them by God-"Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway " (Ron]. 1 ]:lo). Soon the last member of the Body, having completed his course of trial and testing by laying down his life in sacrifice, will be raised to join his fellow-members who have preceded him since the beginning of the resurrection of the Body in 1878 A.D. The resurrection of the "Body" of Christ constitutes the second bursting of the bonds of death (Matt. 16: 18), immediately after which the New Covenant opportunity for human life will be made with the temporarily blinded Jews, as well as with the " residue" of the Gentiles (Acts 15:14-17). This second bursting of the bonds of death is syrnbolised by the apparent violent breaking away of the lower part of the Grand Gallery floor, wl~ichas <$ill be readily seen, while necessarily closing the walk " of this upward passage, reveals and opens, as a consequence, the Horizontal Passage leading to the Queen's Chamber (See drawing, page 102). Although the raising of the "Head" and "Body" of the Christ from the dead are far separate in point of time, they are regarded by God a s one resurrection. W e read in Rev. 20:6-"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." The Apostle Paul, THE FIRST RESURRECTION.
18-
INA UGURA TZON OF THE NE W COVENANT.
also, intimates that all those who are made conformable to Christ's death, shall know the power of His Resurrection (Phil. 3:8-14; Ram. fj:3-5). In the Calculation of Section 17 it was seen how the Year 1878 A.D. is the date for the beginning of the raising of the Body, since which all who "die in the Lord " are changed immediately to the spirit condition. In Section I2 we saw that the call, trial and testing of the Church or Body of Christ will be finished by 1914 A.D. The date 1914, therefore, i.5, the end of the "Times of the Gentiles" when Jerusalem" shall no longer be "trodden down of the Gentiles" but will experience the full return of the Lord's favour, nlay be taken as the time when the complete Body of Christ will have beer1 raised and joined to the Head; and then, havillg completed the First Resurrection through this "bursting of the bonds of death," the New Covenant will conle into force wit11 Israel and the world. It is certainly appropriate to find, a s will be shown in this time-measurement, that just a s the beginning of the Grand Gallery at the lower north end marks the date of the coullrnencement of the First Resurrection, when Jesus Christ the "Head was "born from the dead," so the further south e n d o f the broken portion of the Grand Gallery floor indicates the dates of the complet~on of the First Resurrection, when the birth of the "Body fl was due, namely, 1878-1914 A.D. A s the date of the resurrection of the Body is ascertained by means of the calculation of the Jewish "Double," the time-measurement now under consideration is based '' upon Section 17 which detnonstrates how the Double " is indicated in the Pyranlid. In the present time-feature, however, instead of carrying. the measurement of Pyramid inches from the lower end of the Granite Plug up through the Grand Gallery to the Ante-Chamber, we first measure off from the Granite Plug the reI06
T H E FIRST RESURRECTION.
'
, I
1 1 I
)
/
18.
quired number of inches to represent the period of the Jewish Age from the death of Jacob to the death of Christ, and then double this measurement upon itself. Viz.: Measuring upward from the lower end of the Granite Plug to the top of the First Ascending Passage, then horizontally southward to the cut off in thc Grand Gallery floor (See diagranl, page 108), and to this measurement adding the length of the Granite Plug itself (as in Section find that the total number of P ~ r a n l i d 17), We iIlches corresponds with the period of the Jewish Age. AS this Age began at the death of Jacob in 1813 ~ . c(See . Bible dates, Sec. 3), the cut-off in the Grand Gallery floor by this method indicates the date of Christ's resurrection, 33 A.D. z H a d there been sufficient faithful from among the Jewish nation to complete the full membership in Christ, then doubtless God would have so ordered his Plan that the First Resurrection wo~lldhave been complete by the end of the harvest" period of 40 years (i.e., Autumn 69 A.D.), and the New Covenant would have been immediately put info operation with the remainder of the nation. But the Lord foreknew that only a remnant would exercise the necessary faith to enable them to become nlembers in the Body of Christ, and he had lollg foretold of this by his prophets (Acts 15:13 -18). Instead, therefore, of immediately inaugurating the N~~ Covenant opportunity for life on the Plane of H u m a n Perfection, the Lord had previously decreed that the people of Israel must first undergo a dozd~le of their Age, during which period he would show then1 no favour (Jer 16:13-18). Accordingly, the measurement from the Granite plug up to the cut-off in the Grand Gallery floor requires tobe rvlpeatedord~l*bkd, while the Jewish nation in the low First Ascendare, figuratively, ing Passage, waiting till this double of disfavour is accomplished; after which the Lord will graciously turn away the blindness of that people and so 107
I
THE FIRST RESURRECTION. 18, i "Seed of Abraham," shall then begin to bless all all Isrncl shall be saved (Isa. 40 :1,2; Rom. 11 :25-27).
18.
INATJGUI\'ATION OF T H E IVE W COVENANT.
The cut-off in the floor of the Grand Gallery now indicates, by this method of doubling, the date 1878 A.D.; and the few years of waiting till the end of the Gospel Age "harvest" in 1914, when we believe that the last member in the Body will have entered into his inheritance and the New Covenant made operative (Rom. 8: 16-19), is indicated by the further
I
1
southward cut-off in the Grand Gallery floor (See diagram on page 110, and compare with drawing on page 102). In this way the two parts of the cut-off in the Grand Gallery floor mark the dates of the beginning and conlpletion of the resurrection of the Body of Christ, while the north wall of the Grand Gallery marks the resurrection of Jesus the Head (as already proved by other time-features). T h e whole of this broken portion of the lower end of the Grand Gallery, therefore, beautifully illustrates the First Resurrection in its entirety; or, to use another Scriptural figure, the complete birth of the great Antitypical Isaac (Gal. 4:28), who, as the Spiritual 108
I
'
I
the families of the earth with Restitution under the arrangement of the New Covenant of love (Gal. 3 :1 6, 29).
This time-measurement, furthermore, shows a direct syn~bolicalconnection between the "plug " of Zech. IO:4 (German translation) as Jesus Christ, and the material Granite Plug of the Great Pyramid; for as the first part of the floor cut-off in the Grand Gallery marks the date 1878 A.D. as demonstrated above, so the lower end of the Granite Plug must indicate the date 33 A.D. according to measurement. T h e 4th verse of Zech. 10 refers to Jesus Christ as the "corner-stone," and it has been abundantly proved that Jesus Christ is symbolised by the head corner-stone of the Great Pyramid (Eph. 2:20. See Vol. I). Now we see that other important part of the Great Pyramid's internal system, the Granite Plug, also referred to in Zech. 10:4, is identified with Jesus Christ; for it was at his resurrection in A.D. 33 that Jesus became the head corner-stone of God's great Antitypical Pyramid of Salvation; and it was a t the same date, also, that, having fulfilled the law in himself, he became the very embodyment of that law. Because of this all who are New Creatures in Christ Jesus fulfil the righteousness of the law, for he is "made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption " ( I Cor. 1:30). Calculations s h o w i n g p w the dates of the beginning and end of tire resuvrectron of the Body" of Chrzst, 1878--1914 A.D., are indicated by the two parts of the cut-off in the joor of the Grand , p l l e r y , thus symbolising the conrpletion of the " f i r s t Resurrection which began with the resurrectio~zof Jesus the " H e a d " : I . Beginning of the resurrection of the "Church A.D. 1878 of the firstborn," or the "Body" of Christ, Resurrection of Jesus, the "firstborn from the - - A.D. 32% dead," or the "Head " of the Christ,
-
-
*Years 1845% [See footnote on pages 110-111.1
109
18.
THE" FULNESS," AND
1
INAZI(;Llh':l7'1UNU P THE N E W COVENANT.
BY the time-calculation of Section 12 it is proved
PASSAGE
, Length of First Ascending Passage, from the lower end of the Granite Plug, . Length of the Granite Plug, - Horizontal distance from south end of First Ascending Passage? southward t o the first part of the cut-ox in the Grand Gallery floor,?
14703/4 178
-
'
lY9
British inches 1847% ,inus 2. *Pyramid inches
11. Completion of the
First Resurrection, Autumn, AD. 1914, - - Beginniug of the resurrection of the members in Christ's Body, Spring, A.D. 1878, -
-
Horizontal distance from the first, to the second, parts of the cut-off in the Grand Gallery floor,t
A.D. A.D.
1845x /g/33/4 1877%
--
Years
36%
Ins.
361.
-'The exact period of the Jewish "double" is 1845 years and therefore this .time-measurement indicates the year of the beginniug of thd resurrection of the I10
,
that the upper south wall of the Grand Gallery indicates Autumn of the year 1914 A.D., the date when we understand that the "fzrl~zess" of the Gentiles will have come in, i.e., the full number from among Gentile nations to complete the Christ (Rom. "1 1: 25; Eph. 1:22, 23). The date 1914 is the end of the "harvest" period of the Gospel Age, being exactly' pn~*allelin time to 69 A.D., when the Jewish Age harvest" ended (See No. 7, page 25). But the numerous time-prophecies point to I914 A.D. as being also the end of the "tinzes" of the Gentiles, i.e., the end of the period of "seven times," or 2520 years (Lev. 26:28), during which Jerusalem was to be in subjection to Gentile nations (See No. 3, page 24). This long period began when Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon finally destroyed Jerusalem in the year 606 B.C. (We shall afterwards deal more particularly with this Scriptural time-feature, in Sec. 23.) Thus it would appear that bo:h the fitlness, and the times, of the Gentiles, although distinct features in the Lord's Plan, terminate at the same date. Just as the length of the Grand Gallery corresponds with the period of 1881% years from the inauguration of the Church at the resurr~ction of Jesus Christ in Spring 33 A.D., till. the fulness of the Gentilesv in Autumn 1.914 A.D. (See Sec. 12), so we find that the long term of 2520 years of the "times of the Geiltiles" is similarly indicated by the full length of the Grand Gallery, when taken in conjuncBody of Cbrist, but not the exact season of the year, which is Spring-the "time of life " (Gen. 18: 14). +This measurement of 199'' is that published by Prof. C. Piazzi S111yth in "Life and Work," Val. 11. Our own measure came out a t an inch more. :The inclined distance between the two parts of the cut-off in the Grand Gallery floor is, by actual. measure~nent.4 0 % j t ' T h i s , by the calculations of trigonometry (See Append~x).gives a horizor~taldistanceof 36%'' ; for the C ~ s i n e of the passaxe angle, lllultiulied by 40%" (or 40.62 O ) , equal 36. 414 , or nractically 36% ".
111
19. " PULNESS," AND " TIMES," OF GENTILES. tion with its angle of inclination. That is to say, the anglc with which the passage inclines upward is so accurately set, that the horizontal distance between the north and south walls, when added to the vef,tical height between the lower and upper extremities of the floor, yields the exact number of Pyramid inches necessary to indicate the "Gentile times." Or we may state this correspondency in 1 another way: If we take a measurement from the I
FULNESS," AND TIMES," OP GENTILES. 19. Calculntions shming how the Pyra~rridillustrates the coincide7zce of the "firlizess a/ the Gentiles, wtth the completiorr of the "times" of the Gentiles: Period of the "Seven times" of the Genliles, Years 2520 (See No. 3, page 24), - - - Horizontal length of the Grand Gallery,* Vertical height of the Grand Gallery,?
-
-
--
1688% 834% -
British inches 252294 minus 2%
" T h e incli~ledfloor-length of the Grand Gallery is 1815% plus 68, = 1883% British inches (See footnc~te,page 70). T h e horizontal length is found by multiplying the Cosine o i the passage angle, by the inclined floor-length : ,8964648 X 1883.25" = 1688.267", o r 1688%".
t T h e aeriicol height is found by multiplying. the Sine of t,$e passage angle by the inclined flooi--1enxth: ,4431146 X 1883.25" = 834.495 , or 834%". (See Appendix.)
the time-measurements noticed so far, and in a number of others yet to be considered, the Great Pyramid clearly corroborates the duration and parallelisnl of the Jewish and Gospel Ages. The length of each of these Ages is prc,ved from the Scriptures to be exactly 1845 years, so t; at any date in the former has its parallel date in the latter 1845 years afterwards (See d i a g r ~ m ,page 114) It is important to recognise that time-parallels," to be ot any value, must correspond in everzts as well as in dates. In addition to those already indicated there are a number of striking parallels in the two Ages, which help to confirm our understanding of the times and seasons; Llley correspond so closely that we cannot doubt they were so arranged by our loving heavenly Father, that the faith of his consecrated children might be strengthened in Him, and in His great Plan of the Ages.
IN
1
beginning of the floor a t the north wall (where the First Ascending Passage ends) horizontally south- ' ward to a line dropped from the upper south wall of the Grand Gallery, then measure up this vertical line to the end of the floor, i.e., to the point where the floor would end if produced upward through the Step to the vertical line of the south wall (See page TO), we shall find that the total number of Pyramid inches is 2520. This time-measurement, taken in connection with 1 Sections 12 and 18, demonstrates the significance of our Lord's declaration at the close of the Jewish Age: "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfiiled" (Luke 21 :24). I I2
H
PARALLELS I N JE WISH AND GOSPEL AGES.
20.
In the year 606 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar laid the holy land desolate and took the Jewish king and nation captive to Babylon, where they remained till the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, who, after the overthrow of the Babylonian kingdom, released the Jews from bondage and at the same time issued a n edict allowing them to return to the site of Jerusalem to rebuild the temple ( 2 Chron. 36 :11-23. See Sec. 4). T h i s was in 536 B.C., 70 years after the beginning of the universal empire of Babylonia. Although Cyrus released the Jewish nation from the yoke of Babylon, this freedom was merely typical of the full liberty which Fleshly Israel shall experience a t the end of the " T i n ~ e sof the Gentiles," when the greater Cyrus, Christ, shall release it from the humiliating bondage of the kingdozls of this world, and from the oppression of the god of this world," Satan. This work of Christ will be the complete antitypical fulfilment of the work of Cyrus; but during the Gospel Age we can see a pa?-tml fulfilment in connection with Spiritual Israel, which was in bondage to the great apostate sxstern of Papacy, denominated in the Scriptures Babylon the Great," because its whole ritual is founded upon the iniquitous religious system of ancient Babylon (Rev. 17:3-6). T h e books of Ezra a n d Nehemiah give a history of the Jewish nation from after the end of its 70 years' bondage in Babylon; a n d from these records we learn that a distinct work of reformation was carried on a t that time in this Fleshly House of Israel. W h e n we refer to the pages of Church history, we find that, in the parallel period in the Gospel Age, a corresponding reformatory work was in progrcss in the Spiritual House. C. T. Russell clearly shows in Vol. I11 of "Studies in the Scriptures," pages 69-82, that " Babylon the Great " was fully set up in power in 539 A.D., having been gradually a n d stealthily assuming forin even since the days of the Apostles (2 Thess. 2:7). But in
20.
FURTHER TIME-PARALLELS I N THE
1309 A.D., exactly 1845 years after the fall of ancient Babylon, the power of antitypical Babylon the Great was broken; for in that year the Papal See was transferred from Rome to Avignon in the south of France. T h i s exodus of the centre of the Apostate C h ~ r c h ~ f r oRome, m its seat of power," is called in history T h e Babylonish captivity of the Papacy," owing to the fact that it remained in exile for a period of about 70 years, during which time it was under the dictation of the king of France. In corisequence of this humiliation a n d breaking of the power of Babylon ?he Great in 1309 AD., the true Church of God, the "Israelites indeed," who had been in bondage in this idolatrous system for 770 *Rev. 17:9. "There never has been any difficult:^ in the !;lind of any enlightetltd Protestant in identifying the woman 'sitting on seven mountains,' and having on her forehead the name written. 'Mystery, Babylon the Great,'with the R o m a ~ apostacy. i N? other city in tlie world lias ever bzen celebrated, as the city of Rome has, for its situation on seven Iiills. Pagan poets and orators, who had no tl~ougktof elucidating prophecy, have alike characterised i t as the 'seven-hilled city.' Propertius speaks of it as ' T h e lofty city on seven hills, which governs tlie whole world' (Lib. 111, Eleg. 9, p. 721). Its 'governing the whole world' is just the counterpart of the Divine statement--'whicii reigneth over the kings of the earth' (Rev. 17:18). Tc? call Rome ihe city 'of the seven hills' ilvas b!: its citizeils held to be as d e s c r i ~ t i v es s to call it by its own proper name. Hence Horace speriks of it by reference to its seven hills 3lone, when he addresses ' T h e gods, who have set their aRections on the seven hills' ( C L T ~ I I Seculala, IPIL Val. VII, p. 497). Martial, in like :nanner, sl eaks of ' T h e seven don~inatingmo~mtains'(Lib. IV, Ep. 64, p. 254). Now, while this characteristic of Rome has ever been well marlted and defined, i t has always been easy to show that the Church, which has its seat and headquarters on the seven hills oi Rome, mighr most appropriately be called 'Babylon,' inasmuch as i t is the chief seat of ido1:itry under the new Testament, as the ancient Babylon was the chief seat of Idolatry under the cld. I t has been known all along tlial Popery was baptised Paganism; but God is now making i t rnanife..t that the Paganism which Rome has baptised is, in all its essential elements, the very Paganism which prevailed in the ancient literal Babylon, when Jehovah opened before Cvrus the two-leaved gates of brass, aud c~xtin su~lderthe bal-s of iron" ("The T w o Babylons," by Rev. Alexander Hislop). I 16
20. years (1309 minus 539 = 770), were released; even a s the Fleshly Israelites had been similarly released after their 70 years' bondage in typical Babylon of old, lust a s after its subjection in Babylon for the typical period of 70 years, tlie ~ e w i s h nation was allowed to return to Jerusalem in order that other features of the Lord's great Plan might be worked out; so "Babylon the Great," which is to be finally destroyed a t the end of the Gospel Age, was allowed to i - e , q z i i l a large measure of its power after the end of its typical period of 70 years humiliation in Avignon. Nevertheless, t h e Reformation movement gained a decided footing in 1309 ,\.D.; a n d historiaris of the Middle Ages tell us that our study of the history of the Reformation must begin with Avignon. Up to that time the head of %pacy had sway over the world, being virtually king of Icings," and " lord of lords." Boniface VIII had been installed in office in 1295 A.D. H e was more arrogant than a n y previous pope; and it was h i s arrogaiice which led to Papacy's humiliation. W h e n the great apostate Church was at the s u n ~ m i t of its power, in the very middle of the Papal millennial reign (See No. 5, page 241, he issued the famous bull called "Unani Sanctam," in which he claimed not only temporal and spiritual authority, but further, that 110 man could get eternal salvation except by his sanction. T h e king of France, Philip the Fair, was sufficiently enlightened to see the emptiness of this nlonstro~is,claim, and he repudiated the bull a n d was in consequence excommunicated. Philip then d i d something which had never before been attempted during the period of Papal supreiilacyhe made the pope prisoner, just a s Napoleon did about five hundred years later. Boniface, being a n aged man, clied from the indignities and injuries received H i s successor died within a year. JECIVSH AND GOSPEL AGES.
117
20.
FURTHER TIME-PARALLELS I N THE
Finally, Clement V, who had sold himself to the king of France, was appointed; but he was afraid to live in Rome. Being the vassal of the French king he transferred the Papal See to Avignon in 1309 A.D., and there began the "Babylonish Captivity of the Papacy." Seven popes in succession ruled in Avignon till 1378 A.D.; and as they were all under the dominion of France, the other kingdoms of Britain, Germany, Switzerland, etc., refused to have the pope act a s their umpire and arbitrator a s formerly, knowing that his decisions would be the dictates of Philip. It is thus plainly evident that the universal power of "Babylon the Great" was broken in 1309 A.D.; and the captive Spiritual Israelites were allowed freedom to lay the foundations of the Reformed Church-the Spiritual Temple. But only the foundations of the Spiritual Temple of the Reformation were laid in 1309 A.D., just a s at the parallel date in the Jewish Age, 536 B.C., only the foundations of the House of the Lord were then laid. In both cases enemies stopped the work. It was not until 521-517 B.c." that the material temple was con~pletedin the Jewish Age; and in the parallel Gospel Age it was not until the corresponding years, 1324-1328 A.D., that the Spiritual Temple was built by Marsiglio, who is sometimes called "the morning star of the Reformation." W e shall leave the proofs that Marsiglio was in many respects a greater Reformer than any who "From Ezra 4:24; 6:15, we learn that buildlng operations upon the temple were resumed in the znd, and finished in the 6th, year of the reign of Darius Hystaspes king of Persia. Ussher's chronology gives 520 B.c. as the 2nd year of Darius; but Prof. Rawlinson points out ill his work "Five Great Monarchies," Vol. 111, pp. 404, 408, that while D a ~ i u smounted the throne on 1st January 521 B.c.,his secotzd year of reign, clccording to Jewish reckonilzg, began to count from Spring-time three months later; so that the 6th month of the 2nd year of Darius would still be in the year 521 B.C.(See Ezra 5: 2; Haggai I :14, 15). I 18
' 1
,
'
J E W I S H A N D GOSPEL AGES.
28.
succeeded him; till we are dealing with the Pyramid's indication of his outstanding date. For our present purpose we need only mention that Marsiglio was the author of a book, which, when we consider the grossly superstirious day in which it was written, is a truly wonderful production. In this publication, issued in 1324 A.D., he advocated Republicanism, contending that there should be no kings; and that there ought not to be a n y division between clergy and laity. That the Church should have nothing whatever to do with temporal affairs, and should own no property. He claimed that Saint Peter never had beeti in Rome, but that even if it could be proved he had been there, it was certain he had not founded the Papal Church; and in any case the holding of the "keys" merely constituted Peter the turn-key, and not the Judge. Christ was the Judge; and the people had the right of freedom of conscience. By these and many other telling points Marsiglio undoubtedly built the temple of the Reformation. He forged the bolts which were effectively used by succeeding Reformers. H i s great ambition was to establish Republicanism, but he realised that it could not hold in this early day, for the mass of the people had yet too much reverence for the Divine right of kings and clergy. Only the true Spiritual Israelites experienced their freedoin of conscience consequent upon the breaking of the power of Babylon the Great. Marsiglio recognised that the Church should be in subjection to the Gentile powers, and not lord over them, and therefore he aimed at pulling down the Papal supremacy. With this object in view he sought for some king whom he might appoint as Emperor of the West, in imitation of Charles the Great, who would be superior to the pope and thus make the s~cularpower supreme. In the year 1326 A.D., two years after the publication of his epochmaking book, he found what he wanted. King Louis of Bavaria was then quarreling with the pope II0
20. FURTHER TIME-PARALLELS IN T H E in Avignon, and Marsiglio took advantage of this quarrel, which was insignificant in itself, to forward his daring scheme. W i t h a band of enthusiastic followers he approached king Louis and explained his project. Louis was well pleased with the proposal, and accompanied the band to Rome. T h e people of Rome readily received the king, being angered a t the pope's residence in Avignon. S o long as the Papal See was in Avignon, Rome was neglected; the people of other countries, with their money, were now all diverted to Avignon where the pope held his court. T h e prospect of having the Papal See restored to Rome greatly pleased the inhabitants, and king Louis was received with acclamation. In the year 1328 A.D. Louis was crowned Emperor of the West. T h i s was the sumnlit of Marsiglio's reforming work; in that very year he died; and Louis, who was a man of little ability and full of superstition, being now deprived of his clever connsellor, abandoned his post a n d fled from Rome. T h e work of Marsiglio was thus finished in four years, just a s the work on the material temple in the Jewish Age was completed in about four years. B L ~a L s the temple, built in four years, was used for the purpose for which it was erected; so the four years' work of Marsiglio was used for its special purpose, namely, the organisation of the great Reformation of the Gospel Age. T h e temple being now ready it was necessary to replace in it the holy vessels, that the House of God nlight be used in accordance with the law. T h i s important phase of the Reformation in the Jewish Age was accomplished under the leadership of Ezra, who, in the 7th year of Artaxerxes, Spring of 468 B.C.," left Babylon a n d restored the vessels * Artaxerxes began to reign in the year 474 B.c. His 7th year would therefore be 468 B.C., and his 20th year 455 B.C.-See Section dealing with the indication of the ''70 weeks" period ,n the Great Pyramid. I20
JEWISH AND GOSPEL AGES. 20. W e read, also, that to the telnple (Ezra 7:6-). Ezra -was well inforined in the Law of the Lord, a n d that hc instl-ucted the people, who were from all the twelve tribes of Israel (Ezra 6:17; 8:25), a n d 1 did a great cleansing wotk among them. T h e parallei year in the Gospel Age is 1378 AD., a vciv prominent date in the history of the Chuich Reformation period. It was in 1378 A.D. that the gteat Reformer Wycliffe left Babylon the Great, and restored to the true Spiritual Temple class many precious truths a n d doct~lrleswhich had for long been inisappropriated and hidden in the idolatrous Papal system. On the 27th of March in the Spring-time of the year / 3 7 8 ~ . ~which ., was 1845 year nfter Ezr:~left Babylon with the vessels for t h e material temple, the pope in Avignon died; a n d i m n ~ e d ~ a r e there ly arose what is historically known a s the "Great Papal Schism." T h e people of Rome detelmined to put a n end to the Papal exile, a n d appointed a pope in Roine a s in kornler times. T h e 1 king of France, of course, did not want to lose his power over the Papacy, and he appointed another in Avignon, s o that there were now two popes in office. These popes naturally quarrelled, each I claiming that he only was the tlue vicar of Christ. T h e y called one another blas;~heinousnames, each I accusing the other of being the Antichrist (and in I this, a t least, both were correct). Wycliffe up to this time h a d been a Reformer 1 within the Church system; but when the Schism took place his eyes were opened to the true Babylonish character of the Papacy, and he came out , a s the great Doctrinal R e f o i m e ~ . Beginning a n English translation of the Bible, it was not long before he saw thai the doctrine of transubstantiation was false. T h i s error takes a w a y the true doctrine of the Ransom-sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. W h e n Wycliffe fully realised this he began t o instruct the Tenlple class, a n d pointed out to them the pure Scriptural teaching on this question. H e I21
20. FURTHER TIME-PAHA L L E L S IN THE showed them how Jesus Christ died for sin once a n d for all, and that therefore sacrifices of the Mass were not only unnecessary, but blasphemous. H e also drew attention to the errors of the adoration of the virgin Mary, of the worship of the dead saints, of the claim that penance would atone for sin, etc. By teaching the Temple class the truth Wycliffe's cleansing a n d reforming work was in exact torrespondence with the work of Ezra, the great Reformer of the Jewish Age. It was 13 years after Ezra left Babylon that the next phase of the Jewish Reformation took place. Nehemiah then received his commission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Neh. 2), a n d a t end of the 6th month of that year the walls were finished (Neh. 6:15), and there began the period of "69 weeks," or 483 years, to the coming of the Messiah (Dan. 9: 25). In this work of building the walls of Jerusalem Nehemiah buttressed up the national system of the Fleshly House of Israel. So, also, 13 years after Wycliffe left Babylon the Great, the Reformer John Huss of Bohemia received his commission to buttress the Reformation walls of Spiritual Jerusalem (Rev. 2 1 :2); for the work of Huss made the Reformation movement of the Gospel Age a national force, a n d thus helped to protect the true Spiritual Israelites. Though it was in the early years of the 15th century up till his martyrdom in 1415 A.D., that Huss attracted general notice, yet it was in 1391 A.D., exactly 1845 years after Nehemiah, that he might be said to have received his commission to rebuild the walls of Spiritual Jerusalem; for it was in that year that Huss became acquainted with the works of Wycliffe (See Blackie's Modern Cyclopedia, Val. IV., page 483). Prof. Lodge, in his Close ofthe Middle Ages, page 207, says: " T h e systematic teaching of Huss was for the most part derived from the great English teacher, John Wycliffe. ~t I22
JEWISH AND GOSPEL AGE3. 20. is important to remember that the Hussite movement had a secular a s well a s a n ecclesiastical side." And in B u r y t l s History of the Reformcztion, Before the end of the 14th page 9, we read: century Wycliffe had extended his line of attack to some of the special doctrines of the Western theology: but the movement which he began, though its effects were evanescent in his own country, became in the hands of more stimulating advocates [of whom Huss was th: leader] a genuine national force in Bohemia." Huss condemned Papacy'sworldliness,its right of secular possessions, ,and objected to the supremacy of the pope. T h e [Bible,according to him, ought to be the sole rule of Europe ill the Middle Ages, page 539, by a n d Schwill).
foregoing it is evident that there was a in the reform work of Nehemiah and Huss, and as both had a national a s well a s a religious aspect they each formed a good starting-point for t h e "70 weeks" mentioned b y Daniel (Dan. 9:24, 25. See diagram on page 114). This period of 70 weeks is stated a s 7 weeks, and 62 weeks, and 1 week. W e may not know the exact reason for this peculiar division, but we desire to draw attention to the fact that the 7 weeks, or 49 years, point to 405 B.c., about the time of Malachi the prophet, who did a reforming work b y exposing the abuses of his day. In the Gospel Age the 7 weeks bring us to the parallel date 1440 A.D., the time of the invention of printing, which did almost more than anything else to carry on the great work of the Reformation. Referring to this factor in the Reformation movement, Archbisliop Trench in Medieval Church History, page 423, says: "Then while abuses were never rifer, while the lives of the clergy were never fuller of scandal, while the Papal court was never more venal, nor could less endure the beating upon it of that fierce light which 123
20. FURTHER TIME-PARALLELS IN T H E leaves nothing hid,-the invention of printing (1440)muliiplied a thousandfold every voice which was raised to proclaiil~a n abuse or to denounce a corruption. And marching hand in hand with this wonderous invention there was the "Revival of Learning."
JEWISH AND GOSPEL AGES.
20.
the two parties a t the end of the Jewish Age continned after our Lord's first Advent until thc grcat trouble inthe year 70 A.D. destroyed the nation; so we still have the two main parties with us to-day, the one binding themselves more firmly in the traditions of the Fathers (these are the "tares"); while the other is going more a n d more into open Then followed the pel.iod of 62 weeks to the infidelity (these are the higher critics, evolutionists, c o ~ n i n gOF Jesus the Messiah in Autumn 29 A.D. etc.). In due time these shall all be "lIurned u p " T h i s period of the Jewish Age is S c r i ~ t l l r a 1 1a~ in the great time of trouble. T h e of the blank, for the historical canon of the Old Testament falling away from the spirit of the Reformation ends with Ezra and Nehemiah, and the prophetic was that, when our Lord czme again a t his secolld books with Malachi. Nevertheless we know that ~ d in 1874 ~ A.D.,~his own ~ received t him not; but toward the end of that period a distinct falling those few who have received hirn have had away in the spirit of the R e f o r m a t i o ~had ~ occurred,, the blessed privilege of becoming Sonsof God, a n d and that the Fleshly House of Israel had divided hope soon to be joined with Christ in the glorious broadly into two parties, one, the Pharisees, h0:d-' worlc of blessing a]] the families of the earth with ing to the traditions of the elders, and binding hulnan Restitution. themselves faster and faster in those traditions., T h e other party, the Saducees, were free-thinkers, doubting and criticising the Bible; they denied the ENTRANCEOF GREAT PYRAMID, resurrection, and began ro interfere more in the world's ooiitics. Thus when in "due time " the/ AND "BASEMENT-SHEET" OF ~ e s s i a h ~ c a mtoe his own, we read that his ow11 DESCENDINGPASSAGE. received him not (John 1: 11-13). T o the small remnant who did receive himll was given the THE present Entrance to the interior of the Great wonderful privilege of becoming Sons of God." Pyramid is very dilapidated, a n d it is clearly During the co~resgondingperiod of 62 weeks in apparent that a large portion of the n1asoni-y the Gospel Age, from 1440 to 1874 AD., a similar a t tllis part of the building has been removed. movement took place ill Nominal Spiritual Israel, According to the ancient geographer, Strabo, misnamed Christendom. A t first the good work of saw the Pyramid in its pristine beauty, the reform went on, but toward the encl the reforming Entrance was closed b y a pivoted stone door. spirit grew Iess, and during this interval two Referrillg to the Pyramids of Gizeh, he wrote: general parties were originated. One party held to ' I T h e Greater [Pyramid], a little way up one side, the Bible, saying that they believed every word of has a stone that may be taken out, which being it, though what they really held to was the tradi- raised up, there is a sloping passage to the foundations and creeds of the Dark Ages. The other tions"-i.g., to the Subterranean Chamber under party, the free-thinkers, begal? to criticise the Bibie, the foundation of the building. disbelieving great portionsof it,and dabblingin th(' Other early writers bear record that the outer politics of the kingdoms of this world. Even aa surfaces of the Pyralnid were smoothly finished off
3- 1
124
125
21.
ENTRANCE OF GREAT PYRAMID, AND
BASEMENT-SHEET" OF DESCENDING PASSAGE.
21.
this rubbish a t the middle of the north side, a n d was rewarded b y discovering several large, wellpreserved casing-stones in situ (See Vol. I, pars. 2 2 3 ~ ) . A s this remnant of casing furriishes the alignment a n d upward angle of the building's original smooth exterior surface on the north side, its situation on t h e Platform almost directly i n line with the Entrance above, is most advantageous {See reproduction of our photograph, page 126). Prof. Flinders Petrie was thus enabled with the aid of his scientific measuring instruments, to accurately deternline the former position of the ancient Entrance doorway, a n d also to compute the length of the now missing outer portion of the Descending Passage. Although it is apparent that a large section of the masonry of the Descending Passage has been removed, Prof. C. Piazzi Smyth was nevertheless of the opinion that the wide " basement-sheet," the central line of which forms the floor of the passage, did not extend further north than a t present.? T h e results of our own investigation of this part of the building seem to support Prof. Smyth's opinion; f o r a large number of important time-measurements require to be computed from the present floorbeginning of the passage. A t the same time it
with beautiful white, bevelled casing-stones. This casing h a s long since been torn off b y the Arabs for building mosques a n d houses, a n d the great mound of fragments which lies around the base was for many centuries the only visible evidence of the ~ i o b l emonument's former splendour. But in 1837, Col. Howard Vyse excavated down through 126
*See Vol. I, par. 337.-This "basement-sheet," as Prof. Smyth named it, is a large flat sheet of masonry extending a t an angle from the Entrance, down to the junction of the First Ascending Passage, where the natural rock begins. I t is 33 feet wide, and two and a half feet thick. Dowti the centre of this broad sheet of stone, and at a distance of three and a half feet apart, the walls of the Descending Passage are carefully laid; and placed across the top of these walls are immense roof-stones. If Prof. Sn~yth'ssuggestion be correct, that this wide "basement-sheet " did not originally extend further north than at present, then the Descending Passage must have continued out to the casing-stone surface with a narrower foundation for the floor, or by some other method of masonic construction; for it is cek tain that i t was always possible for visitors to enter the Descending Passage directly from the exterior, provided they knew of the exact location of the pivoted stone door, referred to by Strabo. 127
ENTRANCE, AND "BASEMENT-SHEET."
21.
would appear that the Architect also intended the original Entrance doorway tq' form part of the symbolism of this great stone Witness," for calculations demons;~ate that the doorway, and the north edge of the basement-sheet," bear a certain mathematical relation to each other. T h e implacemcnt of each was fixed by the Master-Builder according to his usual symmetric system of corresponding proportions, examples of which we have already noticed in Sections Nos. 7 and 13. Prof. Flinders Petrie reckoned the top level surface of the Platform as the base-line in all his measuremknts for heights and depths in the Pyramid. But this is not the only base-line employed by the Architect in the scientific design of his great buildjng, for the rock-level under the Platform, a n d the four corner-socket levels (See Vol. I, liar. 82), must also be recognised in connection with a number of the Pyramid's corroborative time-features, and geometric proportions.
The corner-socket levels are lower than the levelled natural rock under the Platform, and Prof. C. Piazzi Smyth shows that the scientific base-size of the Pyralnicl is founded upon these, and not upon either the levelled rock or Platform. H e writes: " Ever since John Taylor's happy indentification of the verse in Job 38:6 (aided by the marginal translation) with the building of the Great Pyramid in or upon the rock, the majority of explorers have been firm in maintaining that the actual and still socket-defined corners of the base, in the solid living foundxtional rock bearing the monument, are the ancient architect's intended fiducial points for defining the true size or full base measure of his grand work of all the ages" (" New Measures of the Great Pyramid," page 23). According to the careful calculations of the Rev. H. G. Wood, of Sharon, Pa., U.S.A., which are approved and printed in full by Prof. Snlyth in his I
I29
21.
ENTRANCE OF GREAT PYRAMIL), AND
publication entitled "New Measures of the Great Pyramid," the rtzeatz level of the four corner-socket floors is 29.77 British, or 29.74 Pyramid, inches below the level of the upper surface of the Platform. The Platform is fully illustrated by our photographs in Vol. I; but in par. 227 of that volume its thickness is erroneously stated to be between sixteen a n d seventeen inches. More particular subsequent measuring during 1912 enables us to correct this statement, and t o pronounce the true thickness of the Platforin to be 20% British, or 20.855 Pyramid, inches. T h i s Platform, with a section of the pavement which lies in front of it, was first discovered by Col. Howard Vyse; ant1 in his published work h e gives tbe thickness in round figures as 21 inches. A s we point out in par. 227 of Vol. I, the pavement is a distinct piece of masonry, and must not he confounded with the Platform, the front edge of which only projects 16.5 inches beyond the bottom edge of the casing-stones. H1though the top surface of the pavelnent is beautifully level a n d continuous with the Platform, the stones with which it is built vary considerably in thickness. T h e Platform stones, on the contrary, a r e of a uniform thickness throughout; the builders therely ,~ntur>al fore spent much time in ~ c c u r n t ~Ievelitzgthe rock preparatory to laying the Platforn~. A t present this piece of masonry can be seen only along the north side of the building; but there is no doubt whatever that it continues right round the Pyramid, for Prof. Flinders Petrie reports having discovered portions of it in several places when digging down through the mounds of debris on the other three sides. W e also, during our further excavations a n d examination of the building in 1912, found the existence of this Plati'or~nat the north-west corner. These three levels, namely ( I ) the upper surface of the Platform, ( 2 ) the levelled natural rock under the Platform, a n d (3) the mean level of the four 130
" BASEME'1VII'-SHEET " OF DESCENDING PASS-4GB, 21. ~ ~ r n e i - - s u ~f lkv rv ;~ ~a , a~~ . - r l , t o c ~4 - y 2 r h Ot 2r a n d to the doorway of the ancient Entrance, a n 8also tu the " basement-sheet " of the Descending Passage, by a connecting systein of harnlonious measuremeuts. T h e y are all required in the calculations of the time-features of the Pyramid. Prof. Flinders Petrie computed the direct vertical height of the lower north edge of the ancient a n d now missing doorway of the Entrance, above the level upper surface of the Platform, to be, a s nearly a s he could determine, 668.3 British inches. T h e theoretical height is only about j/4" inore than this, or when expressed accurately in Pyramid iuches the total vertical height is 667.894. T h e length of the missing outer portion of the Descending Passage we have already stated t o be 124% British inches (page 3). T h i s should be niore correctly stated in Pyranlid inches a s 124.378. W i t h these measurements, a n d with the known angles of the casingstone surface, ant1 Descending Passage (See Sec. 2), we can find the other measurements, with the harinonious correspondences based upon them, a s follow^; 1. While the vertical height of the lower north edge of the doorway of the ancient Entrance, above the upper surface of the Platform, is 6 6 7 8 9 4 Pyramid inches, the inclined height up the'face of the casing-stone covering of the building, ineasuring from the Platform level, is practically 8441'264 Pyramid inches.*
849.264 inches is equal to twice the length of the King's Chamber (See page 48), plus a Pyramid cubit: King's Chamber length, 412.132, multiplied by 2, = 824 ,264 One Pyramid cubit, of 25 Pyran~idinches, - = 25'000 Total Pyramid inches 849 ,264 ( a ) T h e irtclincd height of
--
, must first find See diagram, page 128. T o calculate this inclined h e i g l ~ t we the izorizoninl distance along the level of the Platform, from the front edge of t h e &ing-stones southward t o t h e point which is vertically or P erpendicularly i n T h i s we get by l.. i. n.e - wilh .. ...-t h e - iower north edge of the ancient doorway above. , u l t i p l y i ~ ~tgh e vertical heifht of 667,894 ir~ches,by 3 14lj926j3jg etc. (i.e., the 'T" angle of the casing), and rlivid~ngthe rzsilll by 4. The answer 1s 524. 56272 inches. As we now know t h e lel~gthsof :he t\vo shorter sides of a right-angled
131
21.
ENTRANCE OF GREAT PYRAMID, AND
.
( b ) Tile 7tcrtjcal hei ht of 667.894 i n r h ~ si s enllal to twice t h e =--z,I.~ UL r n % ~ l n g ' s Chamber (i.e., from floor to ceiling), plus the height of the Queen's Chamber, plus a Pyramid cubit: King's Chamber height, 230.388, multiplied by 2, = 460.776 Queen's Chamber height, north and south walls, = 182,118 One Pyramid cubit, of 25 Pyramid inches, - = 25.000
Total Pyramid inches 667.894
It will be noticed that these two heights of the ancient doorway above the upper surface of the Platform, distillctly indicate by the above characteristic Pyramid method the absolute length of the cubit used by the Architect, and appropriately named by Prof. C. Piazzi Smyth the "Sacred Pyramid Cubit" (Compare No. 12, page 47). 11. If t o the vertical height of 667894, we add the thickness of the Platform 20.855 inches, we shall obtain the vertical height of the ancient doorway above the levelled natural rock688.749 Pyramid inches. T h e inclined height from the rock level is, therefore, 875.782 Pyramid inches." This inclirred height of 875.782 inches is equal to twice the first height, plus the mean of the first and second heights, of the King's Chamber, plus the height of the Queen's Chamber: King's Chamber height, 230.388, multiplied by 2, 460.776 King's Chamber meaa height, i.e., the height which is midway between 230.388 and 235388 (See page 48), - - - - - 232 ,888 Queen's Chamber height, north and south walls, = 182. l I8 Total Pyramid inches 875,782
-
-
-
111. T h e north edge of the " basement-sheet" of the Descending Passage is 124.378 Pyramid inches from the lower north edge of thc doorway of the ancient Elltrance. The vei-tical height This between these two4points is, therefore, 5 5 114 inc11es:l. triangle : it is easy to calculate the length of the third side by the ilsual mathematical rule (based upon Euclid's well-known Propositiou 47 Book I ) name!y by squaring each of the known sides (multiplying each by itself), adding the& squares together and extracting the square-root o f the res~lltants u m . wliich io the present case;s 721248.4424. T h e square-root of this sum, 849.2634 Pyramid inches, is the i::cliired height desired. "Thi5 incliued height is colnputed by the n ~ e t h o dof calculations explained in the previous footnote-gage 131. t :I'his vertical height is found by multiplyi~?gthe Sine o f the passage angle, by the ~ n c l ~ n emeasurement d : .4431146 X 124.3i8" = 5 5 . 1 1 j " (See Appendix). 132
BASEMENT-SHEET " OF DESCENDING PASSAGE. 21. n:eans that the vertical height of the north edge of the "basement-sheet" is 612.780 Pyramid inches above the upper level surface of the Platform (for 667,!!4 minus 55.11: = 612.780). T h e inclined height of the basement-sheet above the Platform level, when taken along a line parallel to the casing-stone angle, is 779.183 Pyramid inches.* ( a ) The itzcliwed height of 779.183 inches is equal to thrice the length - of the Queen's Chamber, plus four Pyramid cubits: Queen's Chamber length, 226.394, multiplied by 3, = 679 ' 182 Four Pyramid cubits, of 25 Pyramid inches each, = 100.000
-
Total Pyramid inches 779 ' 182 ( b ) If we add to the vertical height of 612.780 inches, the extra
depth to the mean level of the four corner-socket floors, 29.740 Pyramid inches, we shall obtain the total vertical height of the "basement-sheet" above the mean cornersocket level = 642.520 Pyramid inches. This vavticnl height of 642.520 inches is equal to the length, plus the height, of the King's Chamber : King's Chamber length, - - - - - = 412.132 King's Chamber height (floor to ceiling), - = 230 '388 Total Pyramid inches 642.520
-
There are many other examples of this characteristic method, by which the Great Pyrarnid was made by the ancient Architect to prove its own principal dimensions (See Sec. Nos. 7 and 13). They demonstrate that the entire edifice, interior and exterior, was symmetrically designed according to exact proportions; and we believe that this orderl y arrangement was intended, that we might have every confidence in the time-features based upon the measurcments of the building. The following are the dimensions of the Queen's Chamber according to Prof. C. Piazzi Symth's publication, "Life and W o r k at the Great Pyramid," Vol. 11. Prof. Smyth points out that it is barely possible to obtain definite measurements of this chamber, owing to the thick salt incrustation on its walls, and to its rather uneven floor. H e therefore gives the maximum and minimum measure in each case. I t will be noticed that the dimensions we use in the foregoing calculations (Nos. I b, X T h i s inclined height is computed by the method of calculations explained i n 133 footnote on page 151.
21.
ENTIIANCh AND " BASEMENT-SHEET" and I11 a ) are the ineatz, nearly, of the two extreme dir~~et~sions given by Prof. Smyth. W e have converted the British measures into the corresponding number of Pyramid inches to aid comparison :
Dimensions o f the Queen's Chamber:Length, - - - Breadth, - - - Height, tiol.th and south walls, Height, to the gable ridge line of roof,
from 226.2i4 to 226.973 from205.3g5t0205.ig4 from 243.656 181 . 3 / 9 to 183. Oli from to 214.955
THE appiication of numerous corroborative timemeasurements connected with the Entrance of the Pyramid, will be better appreciated by the reader if we first detail the time-features of the diagrams entitled "Rest and Restitution," and "Dominion Parallels" (See Nos. 8 and 3 on page 24). T h e Apostle Paul explains that the Law was a !'shadow of good things to come." and that the experiences of the children of Israel "happened unto them a s types, a n d are written for our admonition on whom the ends of the Ages have come" (Heb. 10: I; I Cor. 10: 10, niargin). Now, times a d spasons constituted an important feature of the ordinances a n d experiences of the Jewish nation. In Exod. 20:8-11 we read: "Remenlber the sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh d a y is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt do no work.. . . ..for in six days the Lord made heaven a n d earth, the sea, a n d all that in them is, and vested the sewnth dny: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, arid hallowed it." Also from Lev. 25:l-5 we learn that the people of Israel were commanded to let the land rest every seventh year. According to the Apostle we must regard tire sabbath day, a n d the sabbath pear, a s types (Coi. 2: 16, 17). I34
22. REST AND RESTU'U7 IUIV. T h e seventh d a y of rest of the Great Jehovah began after he created man. F o r a short period A d a m had dominion over the earth under the sovereignty of his Creator; we therefore understand that God's rest would not begin till the Fail, when the whole world was abandoned to its fate because of the disobedience of its federal head Adam. From that time till the flood God permitted the angels, a n d after the flood he has permitted Satan, to exercise the controlling power over man. During the Millennia1 Age Christ will reign. Accordingly, it will not be until "the thousand years" are finished a n d God has resumed his sovereignty, that his great "Rest Day " will have ended. Thenceforward the condition will be a s i t was during the short period of innocence in the Garden of Eden, the perfect man will once more have dominion over the earth u n d e ~the sovereignty of his Creator. T h e harmony of the diagram we are now considering, a n d also of several other diagrams shown on pages 24 and 25, gives us reason to believe that the short period of innocence between the cr:-ation and fall of Adail1 was two years. A s the Bible dates show t h a t Adam was created in 4128 B.C., his fall took place is 4126 B.C. From then till 1874 A.D. (the date of our Lord's return) was six thousand years. O n e t h o u s a ~ ~years d more will bring u's to the time when Christ will deliver u p the Kingdom to the Father ( I Cor. 15:23-28). Thus, God's sabbath d a y comprises a period of seven thousand r e a r s in all. It is probable that the six preceding d a y s " during which God parsued his works of creation were likewise periods of seven thousand years-See diagram, page 136. Although God entered into his rest after he passed the sentence of death upon Adam, Jesus intimated that his Father had nevertheless been worliing-" My Father worketh hitherto, and I work" (John 5:17). T h i s does not seem in agreemen: with the statement that God was resting; but I35
REST AND RESTITUTION.
22
when we recall the occasion on which Jesus uttered these words the explanation is clear. Jesus had just cured a man who had been paralysed from his birth, and the Jews had rebuked him for working on the sabbath day. Jesus' answer shows that his cavillers had not rightly interpreted the Law, for works of mercy on the sabbath day do not violate , God's Law of Love. Quite to the contrary, love dictated these works. Hitherto the Father had been working during His rest day, in so restraining the wrath of man, and overruling the affairs of earth, that eventually the poor world's salvation from the n ~ i r yclay of sin and from the dreadful Pit of death might be accomplished! W h i c h of the Jews having a n ox or ass fall into a pit on the sabbath day, would not immediately draw it out? How much more, then, would the love of God dictate the rescue of his beloved Son from the grave on his greal sabbath day. T h e raising of ou:- Lord from the dead was the beginning of the ' "New Creation," and was the supreme evidence of God's mighty power (Eph. 1:18-23).
1
,
1
T h e Apostle in 2 Pet. 3:8 says: "Be not ignorant of this one thing, that one d a y is with the Lord as a thousan:!. years, and a thousand years a s one From this standpoint wc m a y regard the day." period of seven thousand years from th$'fall of Adam to the end of the Millennium a s a week," each " d a y " of which is a thousand years long. T h e first period of onc thousand years forms the Fiist Adam's "daj~," referred to by God when he said to Adam: " i n the day thou eatest thereof dying thou shalt die." Adan: died within his 1000year day (Gen. 2:17; 5:5)." T h e seventh period of one thousand years is the day" appointed by God during which the "Last Adgm " shall judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31; I Cor. 15:45, 47). Jesus said: ['The Son of rnan is Lord even of the sabbath d a y " (Matt. 12:8). T h i s is one of the I37
22.
REST AND RESTITUTIOA',
proofs that Christ's Second Advent was due to begin in 1874 A.D., for if he is "Lord of the sabbath" we would reasonably expect him to be present immediately his seventh 1000-year "day " began.
REST AlW RESTITUTION.
22.
T h e Israelites were commanded by G G to~ let the land rest every seventh year, counting frorn the time they entered Canaan, i.e., from the year 1575 B.C. (See Bible dates, Sec. 3). After seven of these cycles of seven years, or 49 in all, the next year, the 50th, was to be a special sabbath or rest year, called the jubilee. T h u s the 49th and 50th years were both sabbaths. In the former the land was to have its rest, and it1 the latter not only w a s the land to rest, but there was to be a rtststitution of' a/l thi~zgs (Lev. 25:8-10). God foretold through Nloses, however, that the Jewish nation would never properly observe these sabbath years (Lev. 26:34, 35); they were principally intended to serve a s types of a greater sabbath or jubilee year. In spite of their continued iniquity God w a s long-suffering with the Israelites. Many times it seemed a s if he would cause their overthl-ow, but it was not till 606 B.C. that he permitted the Gentiles to rerraove their crown, and carry them into captivity. T h e land then l a y desolate for seventy years to fulfil its T h e Lord thus sabbaths ( 2 Chron. 36:Ii-21). indicated that 70 jubilee years i n all should have been observed. For the long period of 969 years during which the people o f Israel were in possession of their land, they svei-e permitted by God to observe, if they would, their jubilee years; but when he overfhrew their kingdo111 by Nebuchadnezzar this privilege was taken out c?f their hands. Never therf?fter could the jubilee be kept by the Jews, for the times of the Geritiles" had now begu!!, and they were merelyserva~ztsin the land afterthe end of the 70years desolation(Neh.9:36,37). Thusthe typical jubilee years ceased in 626 KC., that is, 950 years after the nation entered Canaan under Joshua.
Jesus said: "Verily I say ~ l n t oyou, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise I pass from the la.w, till all be fulfilled" (Matt. 5:13). i T h e jubilee years tyipfied the great "Times of Restitution of .al! things," at the beginning of which, the Apostle Peter intimated, Jesus Christ was to be sent from heaven (Acts 3:19-21). A s the date of the Second Advent of Christ is 1874 A.D., there is apparently in this feature of the law a long interval between type and a1:titype. But according to the declaration of Jesus just quoted, it is no7 possible for any part of the law to cease uniil it is fulfilled in its antitype. It is c!eai-, therefol-e, i h a ~ the period of thr- "Times of Restitution" does not completely fulfil the jubilee type. Tile method hy which the Israelites were instructed to calculate the precise year when they were to sound the trumpet of jubilee, namely, the cycle of 7 tiines 7 years, is also a n important part of the type, a n d should have its corresponding aniitype. This is evidel~tly the Lord's arrangement, that just a s in the type the beginning of the jubilee year was fixed by squ~zrir~gthe small cycles of sabbath years ( 7 x 7), so in the antirype the cornniencement of the grand Jubilee is to be fixed by squaring the larger cycles of jubilee years (50x 50). Lev. 25:9 shows that the year of jubilee began in the seventh nlonth, which, according to the Jewish reckoning, fell in Ailtunln (Sec. 5). . It follows from this that the last typical jubilee ended in Autumn of 626 B.C. There the fulfilment of the type immediately began with the grand antitypical cycle of 50 x 50, or 2500 years, which leads up to the grand antitypical Jubilee of a thousand years-the Millenniun?. In this wonderful way our lleavenly Father pointed forward to the gloi.ious jubilee work of Restitution which will be under the control of I his dear S o n Jesus Christ; for 2500 years from 625% B.C. (Autumn of 626 B.c.) ends in Autumn 1875 A.D., i.~>., the first year of the seventh 1000-year period
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since the fall of Adam. T h e other time prophecies show that the precise time of our Lord's return was Autumn 1874. T h e antitypical cycle therefore overlaps the last Adam's " Day " by one year; but a s we shall see, the harmony of the diagranl (page 136) proves that even this feature was Divinely arranged. As in [he type it would 1-eqilire the whole jubilee year to I-estore to the people iheir land and other possessions, so in the antitypical times of restitution the whole thousancl years will be requiied to restore to man all that was lost by father Adam. T h e first fortnight in the type corresponds proportionately to the first forty years in the antitype. W e could not expect much work of restoration to be done in that short time; it would be a time rather of demanding rights a n d investigating claims. Because of inate selfishness angry disputings would be sure to follow the proclairlation of the jubilee, a n d many claims would require to be settled a t the gate. Thus the typical year of liberty would be inaugurated in much trouble; but eventually both rich a n d poor, who were pure in hcart, would agree that the Lord's arrangement was best, a n d would gladly acquiesce to the new conditions. T h e declaration of the Scriptures is, that the Millennia1 1-cign of Christ, the great Times of Restitution, will be inaugurated by a time of trouble such a s never was since there was a nation (Dan. 12:1, 4; Matt. 24: 2 1). T h e people have heard the " trumpet " of liberty a n d are learning to appreciate their freedom; they are demanding their rights to the land a n d other earthly possessions. T h e rich are clinging to their vested interests a n d are not likely to reliriquish their hold. W i t h huinair nature a s it is, force must be applied; the people, having began to taste the sweets of liberty, a n d finding their aspirations a n d desires for freedom and happiness frustrated, will break a w a y from all restraints, and anarchy must follow. T h u s violently will the 140
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Present Evil World be brought L O an end; but when the Lord, the Prince of Peac.ch, stills the tempest a n d begins to bestow restitution I)lcssings upon the poor fallen race; when the resur~cc.lion proceeds a n d severed families are reunited; w h e n good deeds are quickly rewarded a n d evil deeclx receive a certain a n d just punishment, then all men will recognise that they have now a loving and righteous Judge, and eventually evei-y k~reushall. bow, and every tongue shall contess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to, the glory of God the F a t h e r (Phil. 2~10,11). W h i l e the jubilee year with its preceding cycle typifies the great antitypical Jubilee of 1000 yeass with its preceding cycle of 2500 years, there is a still greater fulfilment. T h e period of seven thousatid years may, a s we h ~ v already e indicated, be taken a s representing a week of years," each " year" of which equals a thousand years. T h e Miilennial Day of the Lord is, therefore, also the seventh or sabbath "year." In the sanie way the six " d a y s " of creation preceding God's rest will each ;;present a week of similar gears." T h e seven weeks of years " will amount to 49 of these IOOo-year periods. Accordingly, the next 1000year period is the 50th of the whole series, a n d we have thus a n enormous cycle o t 49 "years," each of wliich is one thousand years long, followed b y a Jubilee which will be without end, a Grand Jubilee of Jubilees. F r o m this standpoint the Millenniunl is the sabbath year of the Lord, and followi~ig it is the Grand Jubilee - tw.3 great antitypical Rest-Years. In the first chapter of Genesis each of the six " d a y s " of creation aie divided into a n "everling " and a " morning." T h e great severrth " day(" of Jehovah may also be eclually divided into a n even i n g " and a " morning." T h e central point of this great 7000-year. d a y is the date Autunin 62; B.C., 141
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REST '1 . A 1 3 RESTITUTION.
i.e., the end of the 49th year of the last typical cycle, a n d the beginning of the last typical jubilee year (See diagram, page 136). T h i s ineails that there were two rest-years, a sabbath year and the last typical jubilee year, exactly in the centre of the seven-thousand-year d a y of God's Rest. In all the "evening" period of 3500 years there was not a single antitype, nothing but types and shadows. T h e " m o r n i n g " period, on the other hand, is the era of anritypes. In the beginiling of it there were s ~ i l types, l hut the first antitype, namely, the great antitypical cycle of 50x50 years, began a t the very comrnencement of this "morning " period. T h e f a c t that the last pair of typical rest-years occur in the exact centre of the whole 7000-year period, other symilletric chronological parallels are rendered possibie. T h e two years of rest in the Garden of Eden are followed by the First Adam's 1000-year day, the day of c o n d e m o a t i o ~ for ~ the world, the d a y of the loss of all things. Then, overlapping one year with the First Adam's day conies a large cycle of 2500 years. In the centre there are two typical rest-years marked off. These are followed b y a secoild large cycle of 2500 years which overlaps one year with the L a s t Adam's 1000-year "Day," the Day of Salvation for the world, when all that was lost in the First Adam's d a y of condemnation will be restored to mankilld by the Second Adam. W e are reminded here of the words spoken bv the prophet H a b a k k u k : " 0 Lord, revive thy work in the midst o i the years, in the inidst of the years make known; in w i . a ~ h1-ernember mercy" (Hab. 3:2). God's wrath or curse passed upon Adain and his descendants will not be re~lloveduiltii by the end of the seven thousal~dyears the iast eneiny, .the Adamic death, will be corllpletely destroyed ( I Cor. 15:25, 26). A t that time t!le restitution of man to perfection and to cominuniorl with God will be complete. In the exact centre of this wrath 142
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period of 7000 years, God revived his work by instituting the "Morning" of antitypes, and so in wrath rernenlbered mercy. In tile miilst of the wrath period, also, he caused his people Israel t o ol,serve the last pair of typical rest-years, and so made known to us his wondrous plan of providing iwo great antitypical rest-years a t the end. Not only, however, was the wonderful and merciful worli of the two great antitypical rest-years a t the end foreshadowed by the two typical rest-years in the centre of the wrath period, but it was also typified by the two rest-years in the Garden of Eden. In the first of these years Ada111was created perfect in mind and body. H e had perfect faculties; but he would require to learn how to use them properly. H e would also require to learn his environment, and thus gradually take possession of the doininion which God had given him (Gen. 1:26). Very soon, however, he began to feel a want; altllough the animals were obedient to Ada111 a n d useful in many ways, yet none of them was a companion meet for him (Gen. 2:20). God knew that chis would be so, but he judged it best that Ada111 should learn his need b y experience. Adam was sent into a deep sleep, and after a short season of trouble, God presented Eve to ltim. Though we can but faintly realise the mutual love of the perfect man and woinan, still we can understand that while the first year was a time of peace and enjoynjent to Adam, the second year must have been a time of nruch greater happiness. These two years typify certain aspects of the great rest-years at the end. Let us now consider the two rest-years in the centre of the 7000-year period. T h e firsc of these was a sabbath year, being the 49th of the last t-ypical cycle. During t h a t year the Israelires did no work on the land, and it w a s therefore a time of rest for the land, and of rest and refreshment for the children of Abraham, the childl-en of God. I43
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REST AND RESTITUTION.
T h e following year, the 50th, was a jubilee, the time of the restitution of all things, and a time of great rejoicing, especially for the poor and oppressed, and latterly for all who were pure in heart. But at the beginning of that year there must have been a season of trouble. These two years foreshadow additional aspects of the great antitypical rest-years. W e have already seen that the 1000-year period which began in Autuinn 1874 A.D. is the 49th from the beginning of the "days" of creation, and the 7th from the fall of Adam, and that, therefore, it may be regarded a s a great "sabbath year." In that "year," called the Millennia1 Age, men will gradually acquire perfect faculties, and through the exercise of these perfect faculties they will learn their environment, and thus will gradually take possession of the earthly kingdorrl which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world (Matt. 25:34). T h i s will be a time of rest for the children or seed of Abraham, who will nevertheless be working in raising fallen men from the pit of death. The work of these children of Abraham, spiritual and natural, will be dictated by love. By the end of the thousand years they will have restsred all men to perfection. Then will begin the 50th 1000-year period, the Grand Jubilee of Jubilees. This Jubilee of Jubilees, however, will not really be a thousand years long, but will last t o all eternity! At its commencement, j u s ~as at the beginning of Adam's second year, and a t the beginning of the typical jubilee, there will be a short season of trouble. T h e trouble may last, possibly, for 40 years (No. 3, on page 24), and will be owing to the loosing of Satan who had been bound during the preceding thousand year (Rev. 20:l-3). But when this final test of men's obedience to their Creator is past, and the disobeclien; are destroyed with Satan in the second death, all tne loyal will be calied the children of God and will
live on into the Ages of glory to follow. T h e mosl important feature of their rejoicing will be the restoration of perfect communion with God a n d with one another. God will have such confidence in men that he will grant them eternal life with con~pletedominion over the earth. " There will be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, nor will there be a n y more pain, for the former things will have passed away " (Rev. 2 1 :A).
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The Apostle Peter infor~usus in his first epistle (3:20, 21) t h a ~the flood, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, stand to each other in the relation of type and antitype: "When the patience of God was waiting in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were carried safely through the water. And inimersion [baptism], a n a~ztitjpeof this, now saves us."" It is evident that the Apostle is referring to the ?,eal immersion, of which the immersion into water is only a symbol - it is the real and not the sy~nbolicimmersion that saves us. The water of baptism symbolises the death-state. Accordingly, the destruction of the first "World of the ungodly" in water, ty2/$ed the death-state into which this "Present Evil World" is passing. T h e ark represents the Divine plan of salvation, and Christ a s the embodiment of that plan. Just as God was patient and long-suffering with the iniquity of men and angels while the ark of Noah was being prepared, s o he was patient and long-suffering with the iniquity of men and angels while his glorious plan of salvation was being prepared through the L a w and the Prophets (Luke 24:44). Again, just as the ark of Noah and the few who were in it were in the water, but were carried safely through it, so Christ *See Diaglott. The Greek word translated " representation " in the Diaglott is " antitype!' K
atlrittrpx,
and should have been rendered
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and the few who were in him have been in the death-state, but are carried safely through it; for we who are saved by baptism will share in the glorious resurrection of Christ (Rom. 6:3-5). W e now find that, not only was the flood typical of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but their commencements are chronologically parallel. T h e flood or ty pica1 baptism began 654 years after the beginning of the first cycle of 2500 years. The antitypical baptism of the Holy Spirit began with the baptism of Jesus in iluturr~n29 A.D. (Sec. 10); and there he became the Christ or the Anointed One, the Ark of God. This was 654 years after the beginning of the second cycle of 2500 years (625% B.C. plus 28% A.D. equal 654 years). T h e period of 1846 years from the beginning of the typical i:nmersion was followed by two typical rest-years; so a corresponding period of 1846 years from the beginning of the antitypical baptism is followed by the two great antitypical Rest-Years. Thus it is clear that God marked off the immersion of Noah's ark in the waters of the flood, chronologically as the type of the immersion of Christ, whd is the antitypical Ark, into death; for Christ's death began at, and was symbolised by, his water in1mersion a t Jordan.
,
I
WHENGod gave the Law to the descendants of Israel, he pron~isedthem blessings if they would obey, and cursings if they did not. They constantly disregarded the Law, and therefore every adversity threatened has come upqy them. Two of the severest of these were the seven times" of punishment, and the "desolation of the land,'' pronounced together by Moses in the book of Leviticus, 26:1443. The Scriptural connections show that these 146
23. punishments both began at the same date, namely, 606 B.C. T h a t tlie period of desolation was 70 years, beginning when Zedekiah was dethroned by Nebuchadnezzar, is proved by the evidences given in Section 4 (Compare, also, Dan. 9: 2, :11). In dethroning Zedekiah, Israel's last king, and laying waste Jerusalem and the land of Judea, the king of Babylon began the lease of power to the Gentiles. Although the Jews were allowed to return to their land after the 70 years desolation was accon~plished,they were still subject to gentile powers, because the long period of their seven times" of punishment (25'0 years) had to run its course. T h e Jews will not regai?' full national freedom until, a s Jesus said, the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled " (Luke 2 1: 24). T h e complete dominion of the Gentiles was illustrated in the vision of the great image, which the Lord caused Nebuchadnezzar to see in a dream (Dan. 2). This image's head was of fine gold, his breasts and arnis of silver, his belly and thighs of brass, his legs of iron, and his feet part of iron and k art of clay. Daniel, interpreting the dream, said: Thou [Nebuchadnezzar] a l t this head of gold. And after thee shall arise another ltingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear ru!e over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shali be strong as iron ......And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a ltingdom [Christ's], which shall never be destroyed . . . . .ILshall break in pieces and consume all these s , it shall stand for ever-." [Gentile] k i n g d o ~ l ~and Thus, the four Gentile kingdoms syll~bolisedby the image were really one, in the same sense as a man's body is one, aithough composed of many ineinbers ( I COI-. 12 :12). Nebuchadnezzar, the representative of the first of these kingdoms, was likened to the head; and as the head represents the whole body, so the Babylonian kingdom represented all the other Gentile kingdonis. The 70T H E DOMINION PARALLELS.
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year period of this kingdom's supremacy, also, represented the complete period of the Gentile dominion, z.e., the "Seven Times." Thc number 70 may be regarded as symbolic, being the product of two typical numbers, 7 a n d 10. Seven is the perfect number, especially in connection with time; and ten is the syrribol of numerical completeness, especially with regard to governments, e.g., the ten toes of the image, the ten horns of the beast, etc., which are symbolical figures used in the Scriptures to denote powerful governments. The "Seven Times" of punishment upon the Jewish people consisted in the removal of their crown, and their consequent unwilling subjection to the insane, beast-like Gentile ltingdoms (See Jer. 5 1: 7; Dan. 7; Ezek. 21:25-27). T o confirm this feature of his "Plan of the Ages," God visited a typical period of " seven times" of insanity upon Nebuchadnezzar, the first Gentile king (Dan. 4). Just as the "seven times" which passed over Nebuchadnezzar, the "head of gold," were seven literal years, so in the antitype the " Seven Times " which were to pass over the Gentile kingdoms, synlbolised by the great metalic image, were to be on a n antitypical scale. In the book of Revelation, 66 three times and a half" are shown in parallel texts to be equal to 42 months, and 1260 days, i.p., three and a half years (See Rev. 11:2, 3; 12:6, 14; 1d:5--compare with Dan. 7: 25; 12: 7). Scven times, or twice this amount, will therefore equal 2520 days. The typical man had 2520 literal days of unreason (Dan. 4:28-37); but the great antitypical "man " was to have unreason for 2520 symbolical days (See Sec. 5). The "madness" of the Gentile nations has consisted in their vainaorious pride in their own strength, and in thinking they could rule the world. When the Lord sets up his Kingdom, he will prove that only He can rule in righteousness. O n the completion of his "seven times" of
23. THE DOMINION PARALLELS. insanity, Nebuchadnezzar said: " A t the same t i ~ n e my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me ... ...and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me" (Dan. 4:36). This prefigures the changed attitude of the nations after their foreordained "Seven Times" of unreason, when the crises of the great time of trouble which is to terminate this Age is over. A s with Nebuchadnezzar, the understanding of the nations will return; and when they reflect on their former degraded condition, they will abhor themselves and turn and extol the King of heaven"All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee." Mankind will also have restored to them the original dominion over the earth lost by father Adam. A s the First Adam ??st his dominion gradually during his 1000-year d a y " of condemnation, so the restoration of this dominion will be gradually accomplished during the 1000-year " d a y " of the Last Adam. It is remarkable that the date 606 B.C. when the kingdom of God's typical people came to a n end, should be exactly midway between the great 1000year " d a y s " of the First and Second Adams (See diagram, page 148). T h e words of the Lord in Lev. 26:18-"I will punish you seven times more for your sins "-gain additional force through this symmetrical arrangement; for if the exact interval of 2520 years between the First Adam's "day," a n d the end of Israel's kingdom be denominated "Seven Times," then the period of Israel's punishment during the lease of Gentile rule is "Seven Times rnor~.'~ In a number of respects the first Seven Times foreshadowed the second. T h e overthrow of the kingdom of the Fleshly House a t the end of the first period in 606 B.C., prefigurcd the overthrow in 1914 A.D. of nominal Spiritual Israel's dominion, 150
THE DOMINIOlt' PARALLELS.
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which has been misnamed Christendom-Christ's kingdom. T h e @-year term of Jeremiah's prophetic activity a t the close of t$e typical kingdom," corresponds with the @-year harvest" period a t the end of the Gospel Age. A prominent feature in the prophetic utterances of this faithful servant of the Lord, was the destructio~lof Jerusalem a n d the temple, a n d the overthrow of the kingdom. So, during the present period of 40 years since 1874 A.D., the Lord's consecrated people have frequently drawn attention to the Scriptural indication of the approaching destruction of Christendom. T h e great passover celebration of Josiah, noticed in 2 Chron. 35:l-19, which was held in commemoration of the passing-over from death of the first-born of the Israelites in Egypt, corresponds with the great antitypical passing-over from death to the Spiritual condition of the Church of the first-born in 1878 A.D. (Sec. 17).
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T h e division of the kingdom of Israel into ten and two tribes a t the death of Solomon in 999 B.C. ( S e c . 3), which was 393 years before its complete destruction a t the end of the first LLSevenTimes," prefigured the division of Christendom into Catholicism a n d Protestantism in 1521 A.D., a s the result of the reformatory work of Martin Luther, 393 years before its foreordained destruction at the end of the second "Seven Times" (See diagram, page 148). T h e ten tribes had offered allegia~lceto Rehoboam on condition that he would deal more leniently with them than had his father Solomon; 'The word of the Lord came t o Jeremiah in the 13th year of of the reign of Josiah, ti11 the 11th year of Zedekiah (Jer.1: 1-3). T h e first year of Josiah bexan to count from the beginning of the Jewish year, Spring, 659 B.c., (See Bible dates, Sec. 3; also Sec. 5). T h e middle of Josiah's 13th year would be Autumn, 647 B.C. Jeremiah, therefore, began his career a s a prophet 646% years before A.n. I ; and 40 years from then end in the middle of Zedekiah's 11th year, 606% B.C., which is the exact beginiling of the "Seven Time.; of the Gentiles." 151
23. THE DOMINION PARALLELS. but his harsh answer-"My father put a heavy yoke upon you, I will put more to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I with scorpions "-drove them away ( 2 Chron. 10:l-15). In like manner the Protestant section of Christendom, represented b y the two tribes, lashed its adherents to obedience b y the dreadful alternative of "Everlasting Torment," in consequence of which the great majority of the people clung to the Catholic section with its comparatively milder whip of Purgatory. Roman Catholic writers, of course, claim that the Protestant section was represented by the ten tribes who broke a w a y from Judah a n d Benjamin, because they divided from the parent system. T h e y fail t o notice, however, that the schism in Israel, which was specially ordered of the Lord ( 2 Chron. 11:l-4), was the occasion of a great cleansing work, dividing from the ten tribes a remnant who had faith in, a n d respect for, the promises of God (I Kings 12: 23; 2 Chron. 11:13-I 6). It was the two tribes along with the faithful remnant of the other tribes, therefore, who were separated by God from the idolatrousmajority. T h e evidence that 1521 A.D. is the date when the division of Christendom into Catholicism a n d Protestantism occurred is clear. In June 1520 Luther received from Pope Leo X the first bull of excommunication, commanding him to confess his faults within sixty days, or be cast out of the church. Luther publicly burnt this bull, with the result that, in January 1521, a second bull was issued expelling him from the Romish Church. Blnckie's Modern Cyciopedin states with regard to this: "From this time Luther formally separated from the Roman Church, a n d many of the principal German nobles, the most eminent scholars, a n d the University of Witternberg, publicly declared in favour of the reformed doctrines a n d discipline. Luther's bold refusal to recant a t the diet of Worms (17th April, 1521) gave him increased power, while 152
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the Edict of Worms a n d the ban of the Emperor made his cause a political matter."
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T h e destruction of Christendom was also, in certain aspects, foreshadowed by the fall of the Babylonian Empire. T h e Lord foretold through Isaiah that Babylon would be overthrow, a n d the captive Israelites set free by one named Cyrus, who was thus called b y his name long before he was born (Isa. 44 a n d 45). T h e n;fne Cyrus means sun. Cyrus, king of Persia, was a sun " to the captives in Babylon, shedding light a n d warmth upon them in allowing them to regain freedotn a n d return t o their land. A s the 70-year period of the Babylonian kingdom was typical of thc complete Gentile dominion, the prophecy of Isaiah concerning the work of Cyrus applies in reality to Christ, who, a s the Great Sun of Righteousness, shall arise with "healing in his wings" (Mal. 4:2; Matt. 13:43), overthrowing, first, the lringdoms of this world denominated "Babylon the Great," a n d then setting a t liberty the captive Israelites,Spiritual a n d earthly. After Cyrus overthrew Babylon he became emperor of the world. In this he represented the Great Cyrus, who, after the downfall of Mystic Babylon (Rev. 17:5; 18:2), will become King of kings, a n d Lord of lords. T h e superiority of the Persian over the Median portion of the typical kingdom, was illustrated in Daniel's two symbolical visions of the various Gentile powers; in one the Medo-Persian kingdom was likened to a bear raised on one side; a n d in the other it was represented by a r a m with two horns, one of which was higher than the other (Dan. 7:5, 17; 8:3, 20). By this means God prefigured the fact that in the dual Kingdom of Christ, the Spiritual phase, t o which Christ belongs, will be so much higher than the earthly phase a s the heavens are higher than the earth. W e read that the laws of the Medes a n d Persians were unalterable (Dan. 6: 8). However 153
23.
T H E DOMINION PARALLELS.
true this inay have been of the typical MedoPersian empire, it will certainly be true of the time when "out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (Isa. 2:3). When we appreciate the fact that the short period of the Babylonian universal empire typified the whole period of the "Times of the Gentiles," a n d that the heathen monarch Cyrus with his conjoint kingdom prefigured the heavenly King, Christ, a n d his dual Kingdom, we can understand the significance of the three ribs in the mouth of the bear which symbolised the Medo-Persian empire (Dan. 7 :5). The mouth represents speech (Jer. 1 :9). T h e bear was, figuratively, uttering words regarding three "ribs." In the Scriptures a rib denotes a woman (Gen. 2: 22). This Medo-Persian power under Cyrus was, therefore, speaking concerning three women. W h o were they? In Palestine it is the custom for parents to select the bride for their son; the Bible intimates that the heavenly Father has been selecting a bride for His Son, Jesus Christ. T h e first to bc favoured with the proposal of the heavenly marriage was the Jewish nation, the Old Jerusalem. But when Jesus "came to his own," they would not receive him (John 1 :I 1). They saw no comeliness or beauty in him they could desire, and he was despised and rejected (Isa. 53:l-3). In consequence of this faithlessness the Jewish nation was cast off from being the bride of Christ; and God did visit the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name (Acts 15:14). But although the called-out company of the Gospel Age was originally expoused a s a "chaste virgin" to one husband, Christ, yet, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so the Nominal Church was corrupted by the "god of this world" from the simplicity that is in Christ ( 2 Cor. 11:2, 3). Tired of waiting for her Lord she apostatised from the faith, and in 539 A.D. " married " another, a n d thus I54
T H E DOfiiINION PARALLELS. 23. became an " adultress " and the "mother of harlots" (Rev. 17). W h e n Jesus Christ returned (in 1874) and the cry went forth: "Behold the bridegroom; go ye out to meet him " (Matt. 25:6), he was again despised and rejected. The third "rib " is the t ? w Church, composed of the faithful remnant of both Houses of Israel. This is the Church whom Christ loved, and forwhom he gave hiinself in sacrifice (Eph. 5 :25-27). Like her Lord she also has been despised and rejected; but in spite of every trial she has remained chaste and faithful throughout her long period of waiting, and will now soon become the holy city, the new Jerusalem," "the bride, the Lamb's wife " (Rev.2 1 :2, 9; 19: 7, 8). A s the second Eve she will, in the re-generation, become the "mother of all living" (Matt. 19:28).
The union of Christ, and the "Church of the firstborn" whose names are written in heaven (Heb. 12:23), was typified by the marriage of Isaac the seed of pronlise, and Rebecca. The improper union in 539 A.D. of the Apostate Church with her lord and head, the Pope, who clai~nedto be the vicar of Christ,* when the "desolating abomination" was set up in power and gave rise to the "Holy" Roman Empire, counte?fcifed the great and hoiy antitypical "marriage of the Latnb." It is interesting to notice that the date of the typical marriage of Isaac and Rebecca, 1981 B.C.,? corresponds with the date of the antitypical counterfeit in 539 A.D. (See diagram, page 148). As 539 A.D. began the 1260 syinbolical days of Papal power, so, a s we shall see, the date of Isaac's marriage, B.c., began a similar period of 1260 'days." T1981 h e prophet Daniel was iilforilled that 6
*See Vol. 11, "Studies in the Scriptures," by C. T. Russell, pp. 277-282.
t Gen. 15: 20-"And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebecca to wife." As Isaac was born 2020 B.C. (See Bible dates, Sec. 3), his 40th year would fall in 1981 B.C. I55
23.
THE DOMINION PARALLELS.
T H E D O M I L I O N PARALLELS.
23.
the period following the end of these "days" of take place. (2) [ ' l n those days," also, Hezekiah, the king a n d head of the Jewish nation, was "sick the crushing of the true church or "holy the Lord, by the Apostate Church, would be tile unto death." Hezekiah was then childless, and time of the end,w during which all the evil 1 had he died the line of the kings of Judah would have been broken." But the Lord delivered Hezesystelns of Satan's kingdom would be gradually consumed a n d finally destroyed (Dan. 7 :23,26; kiah from death; and in one night the great army of 12:4-9; 2 Thess. 2:7-9). Sennacherib was blotted out. Thus the typical In ~ 0 1 .111. of " Studies in the scriptures,~ kingdom was iniraculously saved from a time of Chapter 2, C. T Russell proves conc~usivelyfrom trouble which must shortly have overwhelmed it. Both of these events prefigured ill a manner the historical fulfilment of prophecy that the "time of the is a period of 115 beginning a t I Christendom's threathened destruction and sickthe date 1799 A.D. Tile event in that year, however, ness unto death" at the time of the French which fixed the prophetic end of ~ ~ t i ~ hRevolution. ~ i ~ t Just ~ ~ a s the downfall of Jerusalem occurred 125 years after the deliverance of the dominion, was not in itself. of great historical Jewish kingdom from the Assyrians, and Hezeimportance; but in 1789, ten years earliel-, an everit kiah's miraculous recovery, SO, 125 ears after the of outstanding prolninence took place which more French Revolution, we expect the final downfall than a n y other led to loss of power, of nominal Spiritual Jerusaleln and all the kingdoms name]y, the French Revolution. so terrible was of this world (Rev- 11:13-15)the trouble in 1789 A.D., it seemed as if the foretold destruction of this "Present Evil World1' was then W e read that Hezekiah, after the Lord had vindicated himself on behalf of his people, gave about to be fulfilled (Dan. 12: 1; Matt. 24:21). ~~t way to vainglory when he received ambassadors "Christendom" recovered froln this death-blow in from Babylon (2 Kings 20:12-19; 2 ~ h r o n 32:31). . a wonderful way; and although Papacy was sllorn SO, also, after its marvellous recovery from the of its temporal authority b y Napoleon in 1799-1 800 France again affiliated with Mystic A.D., the ~ ~ ~indicate - that i this ~ was t only ~ the~ Revolution, ~ ~ Babylon the Great. W e read, further, that ~ e z e k i a h begillning the e n d (Dan. 7: 19'27); for its utter led aqueducts into Jerusalem, that the inhabitants $estruction is not due till the completion of the SevenTimes" of the ~ ~ ~(for t papacy i l is ~in ~ niight have an abundant supply of refreshing water ( 2 Chron. 32:30). Water is the Scriptural symbol itself one of the great Gentile powers). of truth; this act of Hezekiah v~ouldtherefore seem T h e date 721 B.C. a t the end of the period of 1260 4 1 days" i n tile first "seven ~ i ~ like ~ the ~ tor, ~ to7 typify the abundant slreanl of the "water of responding date 1799 A.D. i n the secolld seven life " flowing through the numerous Bible Societies, which were founded at the end of the Papal Times," is not sig~lalisedby any particular feature in connection with Fleshly Israel; but ten years oppression of 1260 " days " ( s e e ~ o l 111, . "studies previously, in 731 B.C., the Scriptures record two i n the Scriptures," pp. 51)prominent events. (I) In 731 B.C.l which **he accounts of Sennacherib~sinvasion and Hereltiah's sickwith the year of the French Revolution,Sennacherib, are contained in z Kingr chapters 18 and 19; 2 Chron., the Assyrian king, besieged Jerusalem with a great chapter 32. Sennacherib came against Jerusalem in the 14th year of Hezekiah. Hezekiah began t o reign 745 B.C. (See Bible dates, army; a n d it seellled a s if the destruction of the Sec. 3); his 14th year would therefore end in Spring, 731 B.C. typical kingdom of the Jews was then about to I57
zf
/
..,
s03
23.
23.
T H E DOiMINION PA4RALLELS.
T H E DOMINION PARALLELS.
T h e momentous events of the year 731 B.C. in addition to being recorded in the books of Kings a n d Chronicles, are also recounted in full detail in four chapters in the book of Isaiah, the 36th to the 39th inclusive. These four chapters are inserted between two great Millen?lial chapters; chapter 35 prophesies the glad Millennial D a y when "the desert shall rejoice a n d blossom a s the rose," a n d "the ransomed of the Lord shall return," etc.; while the 40th chapter begins with the words ot Millennial hope: "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem." T h i s peculiar arrangement in Isaiah's writings would be unaccountable, were it not that we now perceive that the events which happened to Fleshly Israel in 731 BC., prefigured the events of 1789 A.D. a t the beginning of the "time of the end," z e., the beginning of the d a y of the Lord's upreparation" for his glorious Millennial Kingdom. Thus, in the 35th chapter, Isaiah describes the future restitution work of the PvIillenniun~,then in the next four chapters he, while apparently detailing events which occurred far back in his own day, is really giving us a pictorial account of the French Revolution. H e is thus speaking of the commencement of the "time of the end" of this Present Evil World, a n d the beginning of t h e Lord's preparation for the new Dispensation,-the time, therefore, when I his words in the 40th chapter are now due to be proclaimed: "Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, a n d cry unto her, that her appointed time is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned," that 1 the time of her recovery is drawing nigh. T h i s time-parallel demonstrates t h a t there is a \ connecting link between the 39th a n d 40th chapters of Isaiah, a n d is a n evidence that the Higher Critics i err when they claim that the latter part of this book from the 40th chapter onward, was not written till after the 70 years exile.
There is another feature in connection with Hezekiah which this time-parallel seems to throw light upon, namely, the meaning of the sign of the sun-dial of Ahaz (Isa. 38:7, 8, 22). 'The French Revolution, which, a s we have seen, was typified in part by the sickness of Hezekiah, broke out ten years before the c o n ~ n ~ e n c e m e noft the "time of the end." May it not be that the sign of the sun-dial given to Hezekiah was intended a s a prophecy of this, the ten degrees (or steps-R.v.) representing the ten years? W e suggest that the sign indicated, syn~bolically, that just a s the shadow 011 the sun-dia!, on account of Hezekiah's repentance, was set back ten steps, so the French Revolution was set back ten years; i,e., that after this foreknown upheaval in Christendom would break out, ten years would ':till require to elapse before the beginning of the time of the end."
I
I
THEreader will agree that Prof. C. Piazzi Syrnth's
opinion regarding the " basement-sheet " of the Descending Passage, that its present north-beginning was designed by the ancient Architect to forin an integral part of the Pyramid's symbolical system, receives strong support by the mathematical calculations presented in Section 21. W e are not surprised, therefore, to find that the important date of the flood is accurately indicated a t this part of the Pyramid; for the Descending Passage appropriately represents the downward course of the " Present Evil World " which began when the " Old 'World " was destroyed by the waters of the deluge, a n d which will end in the fiery trouble symbolised by the Subterranean Chamber or Pit (2 Pet. 3 :6, 7). Prof. C. Piazzi Smyth was the first to express the 159
24.
1
THE FLOOD, AND CHRIST'S BAPTISM.
belief t h a t the Entrance Passage must, by some method, commemorate the deluge; a n d in Vol. 111. of his "Life a n d W o r k " he shows b y astronomical calculations, that the coincidence of certain signs of the Zodiac ( a Draconis a n d Aquarius) on the meridional line of the passage, points in a general way to the time of the flood. Prof. Smyth confessed, however, that owing to the widely divergent opinions of accredited chronological authorities (whose findings he quotes), he was unable to decide on the exact date of the flood, a n d that his views must thus be taken a s approximate only. W e have stated the grou-nds for our confidence in the authenticity of the original Hebrew text of the old Testament (Sec. 4); and from this we are enabled to fix the date a s 2472 B.C. (Sec. 3). It might be asked: How is it possible to satisfactorily prove that the Entrance of the Pyramid was intended to indicate the flood-date? W e hold that the wonderful fitness of the symbolical features of the Pyramid, a n d the exact harmonious corelationship of all the time-measurements, are sufficient proofs of intention; even a s we recognise that the beautiful harmony of the numerous time a n d other features of the Scriptures, is a n evidence of pre-arrangement on the part of its Divine Author. When we find, therefore, that the comof the Descending Passage mencement of the (or that part of the roof which is directly a n d squarely opposite the north-beginning of the " basement-sheet ") indicates the date of the flood in a number of important time-measurements, we are assured that this indication was specially designed by the great Master-Builder. In Section 22 we drew attention to the chronological parallel between the flood a n d Christ's baptism, which, according to the Apostle Peter (I Pet. 2:20, 21) are related to one another a s type a n d antitype (See page 145). The parallel periods in this Scriptural time-feature (diagram, page 136) do not
THE FLOOD, AND CHRIST'S BAPTISM.
I
1
1 1
I
)roof
I60
j
I
I I
24.
appear to be indicated in the Great P y r a n ~ i d but ; the complete period of years between the beginning of the typical flood, and the beginning of the antitypical outpouring of the Holy Spirit, is corroborated by a corresponding Pyramid time-measurement. W e have already proved that the date of ,Christ's baptism is indicated by that point on the level of the Queen's Chamber floor (the Plane of Human Perfection) which is vertically in line with the Grand Gallery north wall. If we measure northward from this point horizontally to the floor of tile First Ascending- Passage (See diagram, page 62), then down the inclined floor-line to the "Point of Intersection," and from thence upward toward the Entrance of the Pyramid, we shall find that the point on the floor of the Descending Passage which is vertically in line with the roofcommencement, indicates the date of the beginning of the flood, 2473 B.C. (Compare diagram, page 136). Thus the Pyramid, like the Scriptures, indicates a connection between the flood, and the immersion with the Holy S p i r i t T h e anointing of Jesus in 29 A.D. was the beginning of the antitypical baptism of the Holy Spirit, which will ultimately "submergeJ' the whole world, a s the Apostle intimated when he quoted Joel: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my spirit upoil all flesh" (Acts 2:16-18). The fact that the date of Jesus' baptism is indicated at the comn~encementsof the Grand Gallery and Horizontal Passage, well illustrates Joel's prophecy and the Apostle's application of it, namely, that in "those d a y s " of the Gospel Age, sylubolised by the Grand Gallery, the Lord's " servants and handrr~aidells"would have the Holy Spirit poured upon them ; and that "afterwards," when the " fulness of ihe Gentiles"" had come in to cotilplete the Bride of Christ, the sons of daughters" of the Second Adain during the time of thc New Covenant (synlbolised by the Horizontal T
161
24.
THE FLOOD, AND CHRIST'S BAPTISM. Calculations showing how tlie dates of the ji'ood, and the comnlenccment of its Spiritual Antitype when Jesus was baptised with the Holy Spirit, are rtrdicated ifr direct connection with each other in the Great Pyramid, as they are in the Scriptures:
Date of commencement of the flood (See diagram, - - - - B.C. 2473 page 136), Date of Christ's baptism, Autumn, A.D. 29, - A.D. 2834
-
-
Years 2501% Horizontal distance on the level of the Queen's Chamber floor, from the vertical line of the Grand Gallery north wall, to the floor of the First Ascending Passage (See calculation on - - - - - - page 641, Length of First Ascending Passage, downward from the level of the Queen's Chamber floor (1545-33%),- - - - - Length of Descending Passage, from the "Point of Intersection," upward to the vertical line of the roof-commencement (986% - 23%)" -
-.
30
1511% 962%
British inches 2504% minus 2% Pyramid inches 2501% 'See diagl.am on page 162. T h e right-angled height of the roof above the floor of the Descending Passage is between 47" and 48" or say 47.6". Geometrically, the angle a t the roof between the kertic?! line of the rooicommencement. and the line of the square north edge of the basement-sheet," is the same as the downward angle of the passage, viz.: 26" 18' 10". To get the .floor,-distance h e t w ~ e n the vertical line of the roof-commencement, and the north edge of the basement-sheet," multiply the tallgent of this angle by the height of the passage : Tangent, .4942911, multiplied by 47.6", = 23.528", i.e., 23% , (See Appendix).
Passage to the Queen's Chamber), would also have God's Holy Spirit poured upon them. T h i s time-measul.ement, therefore, which connects the beginning of the Descending Passage with the beginning of the Horizo1;)al Passage, contrasts Noah, the father of the Present Evil World," with Christ, the "Everlasting F a t h e r " of the " W o r l d to come: wherein dwelleth righteousness." 162
WHILEthe I-ooS-commencement of the Descending Passage indicates the date of the flood, which inaugurated the " Present Evil World " (Sec. 24), Adam's " d a y " of condemnation, in which the world was started on its downward course to destruction, is indicated by the floor--commencement, i.e., the north edge of the " basement-sheet." As we proceed with our consideration of the 163
25.
FIRST ADAIIZ'S 1 0 0 0 - Y E A R
"
0.4 Y."
Pyramid's symbolical time-measurements, we shall find that these two indications are consistently recognised throughout. W h e n God pronounced the sentence of condemnation against Adam, saying : "In the d a y that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die" (Getl. 2:17), we must not understand that the " d a y " referred to was one of 24 hours, for according to the record of Adam's death, he had lived for 930 years. T h e harmony of the time-parallels given in Sections 22 and 23 warrants our claim that this " d a y " of condetnnation was a thousand years long (2 Pet. 3:8). In consequence of Adam's disobedience against the Divine command, the whole race of mankind have been born in sin, and are condemned to die, a s the Apostle says : " by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin : and so death passed upon all men" (Rom. 5:12). In the syinbolism of the Great Pyramid, the human race is represented a s labouring down the steep Descending Passage on the way to the Pit of destruction, because of the condemnation passed upon their federal head on that " d a y " in which he sinned. T h e date of the end of this 1000-year " d a y " is, therefore, 2ppropriately indicated by the north edge of the basement-sheet " in a number of time-measurenlents. T o understand the application of the present tirne-measurement, we must remember that, had Adam not disobeyecl his Creator, the Bible would not have required to be written, nor the corroborating Pyramid to be built; for the Bible is a record of God's plan for man's redemption. I n symbol, Adam and Eve are represented a s standing on the solid rock enjoying the full uninterrupted light of heaven, having nothing between them and their Maker. Immediately after the transgression they were cast out of this light and entered the darkness of sin and death, represented by the clai-k Descending Passage in the interior of the Pyramid. I 64
FIRST ADAM'S 1 0 0 0 - Y E A R
"
DAY."
25'
Toward the end of the " d a y " of condemnation Adam died; a n d his children, born in degradation a n d powerless to retrace their steps, had perforce to continue on the downward way.. T h e lower they descended the darker became their path, until there was barely sufficient illun~inationto remind them of the great light and freedom once enjoyed by father Adam. When they passed the bend a t the lower end of the passage, they lost even that little trace of light, and were compelled to go on in complete darkness till they fell into the Pit of death. T h e Entrance t o the downward passa* -F age is situated a considerable distance above the rock-base of the building. T h i s distance was not arbitrarily fixed by the Architect,as we have noticec! in Section 21, but was so arranged, that the period of Adam's 1000-year " d a y n is exactly indicated in the following way: b y the measurement from the levelled rock-base up the inclined face of the casing to the ancient Entrance, then down the now nlissing portion of the Descending Passage to the north edge of the " basement-sheet." Calc~ilationsshomir~g how the Great Pyramid itzdicates the First Adam's 1000-jear "day " of condentnatiot~,in which he was driven out from the light and freedom of God's favour, and thus started the whole human fantily on the downward course lo death, symbolised by the Descending Passage: Date of Adam's transgi-ession, two years after his creation,- - - - - - B.C. 4126% Date of the end of Adam's "day" of condemnation, B.C. 3126% Years 1000
250
FIRST ADAM'S 1 0 0 0 - Y E A R "DAY." Inclined distance from the levelled rock-base of the Pyramid, up the face of the casing to the ancientEntrance," - - - Distance from the ancient Entrance, down to the north edge ~f the " basement-sheet,"
-
-
-
ADAM'S FALL FROM PERFECTION.
(nearly) to the direct vertical height of the Queen's Chamber floor-level above the mean socket floorlevel of the Pyramid, 876 British inches." T h i s indicates, approximately, a connectiqn between the Entrance where the downward course- begins, and the level of the Queen's Chamber floor, symbolical of the Plane of Human Perfection on which Adam stood before his fall.
876%
124%
British inches 1001 minus I
-
Pyramid inches 1000
*See Section 21, calculalion No. 11 (page 1321, where this inclined distance is proved to be 875.782 Pyramid inches, that is, 876% British inches.
26.
I
ADAM'S FALLFROM PERFECTION.
IN the time-measurement just detailed (Set. 25),
Adam in his perfect state was represented a s standing on the levelled rock, outside of the Pyramid. In the nature the perfect
3 *In Section 21 calculation No. I11 b (page 1331, the vertical height of the north edge of the " basement-sheet " above the mean socket floor-level is proved to be 642. 520 Pyramid inches (See diagram, page 1281, which is, practically, 643% British iucl~es. T o calculate the extra vertical height up to tl~eQaeen'sChamber floor-level, we require to find what extra inclined length would need to be added to the Descending Passage in order to continue it upward to the floor-level of the Queen's Chamber. his we can easily find hypubtracting from the First Ascending Pzssage length of 1 5 1 t z inches (i.e., the d~stancefrom the "Point of Intersecliou up to the line of the Queen's Chamber floor-level, 1 5 4 5 ~ 3 3 % ~ 151154) the length of the upper reach of the Descending Passage. 986% ~nches. I ~ I I minus ~ " 986%'' = 5 2 5 j ( 1 1 ' . That is to say 525% British inches is the extra length required to be added to the ~ e s c e n d i n iPassage, in qyder to continue jl upward at the angle of 26" 18' 10" from the north edge of the basement-sheet, to the level of the Queen's Chamber floor. T o get the desired verlicol height of the Queen's Chamber floor-level allove the north edge of the " basenlent sheet," moltiply ;he sine of t l y passage angle by 525% inches: Sine, '4431146, multiplied 5 4 % = 232.745 , l.r., 132?,i Bri!isll inches. Therefore, the total vertical I~eighloT (he Queen's Chantber flout-lcvcl, above the mean socket floor-level, is ~ equal to 643%" plus 232%'' = 876 B ~ i t i s linches.
27. I
I
which Adam enjoyed before his transgression, is particularly syrnbolised by the Queen's Chamber, while the "Plane of Human PerfectionHinthe general sense is represented by the level of the QueenYs Chamber floor (See diagram, page 51). Now we shall find, when considering the Pyramid's torroboration of other phases of this feature of the Plan of God, that Adam is represented a s created perfect on the Queen's Chamber floor-level. In the meantime we draw attention to the fact that, the inclined distance from the lelrelled rock up to the ancient Entrance, 876% British inches, is equal I 66
26.
1 : j
I
THE FIRSTADAM.
IN his 5th Edition of "Our Inherita~ice in the Great Pyramid," page 296, Prof. C. Piazzi Sinyth draws attention to the four "angular" stones which lie conspicuously above the Entrance of the P y r a ~ n i d (See Vol. I, plates XXXI and LXXX). H e de~nonstratesthat their purpose was evidently to monumentalise the a (Pi) angle of the sides of the building, viz.: 51' 51' 14.3" (Sec. 2), but he does not suggest a reason why this dominant angle of the Pyral~lidshould be particularly indicated at the Entrance. W e suggest the following a s being a possible s y ~ b o l i c a lreason: T h e great angular" stones preserve, by their inclillatioll toward each other, the scientific a angle of the Pyramid's four sides. They thus seem to 167
27.
THE FIRST ADAM.
T H E FIRST ADAM.
(Compare Chart of the Ages, page 50). In the Scriptures, Jesus Christ is likened to the head corner-stone of a pyramid, of which the great stone Pyramid in Egypt is a symbol (Psa. 118:22; It is therefore Matt. 2 1 :42. See Vol. I, pars. 71-). quite in accord with the Scriptures, and with the Pyramid's corroborative symbolisms, to liken Adam, who in certain aspects was a type of Christ, to a small perfect pyramid standing on the level of the Queen's Chamber floor, imn~ediatelyabove the Entrance to the passage down which he afterwards is represented as falling in consequence of
FRONT ELEVATION (f ooh'~~vcSoorti] OF THE ANGLE STONES AND PRESENTLY DILAPIDATED MASONRY OVER THE O N E AND SOLE
ORlGlNAL ENTRANCE PASSAGE INTO THE G R E A T PYRAMiD ~ R O M 4
PHOTOGRAPH
BY
PlAZZl
SMYTH
say, in figurative language, that a t one time a perfect Pyramid stood here a t the Entrance of the Descending Passage. A s the apex of the inside angle formed between the two sets of inclined stones is in line, nearly, with the level of the Queen's Chamber floor (See diagram, page 169), this perfect pyramid would represent Adam, who was created on the Plane of Human Perfection I 68
his disobedience. Now, tile direct vertical distance between the north edge of the " basement-sheet " of the Descending Passage, and the level of the Queen's Chamber floor, is exactly lIz5th of the complete vertical height of the whole Pyramid." W e have seen that, in his fallen state, Adam is represented at the end of his 1000-year " day " of condemnation, standing a t the north edge of the " basement-sheet." Thus, the little pyramid, now reckoned a s having fallen like Adam from the Queen's Chamber floor-level down to the "base* This vertical height is proved, in the calculation given in the footnote on page 167,to be 232% British inches, which is 232% Pyramid inches. The ancient vertical height of the Great Pyramid is 5813 Pyramid jnches (See page 48). A twenty-fifth part of 5813" equals 232%
.
27.
28.
THE FIRST ADAM,
THE SECOND ADAM'S 1000-YEAR DAY."
ment-sheet," its apex just touching the line above which syinbolises the Plane of I-luman Perfection, represents Adam at the full end of his 1000-year "day " losing all hold upon his at one time perfect human state, a n d falling into the Descending Passage condition of death (See diagram, page 169). The fact that Adam is represented b y a pyramid which is exactly '/Z5th the size of the Great Pyramid, may explain the reason for the Queen's Chamber being situated on the 25th masonry course of the building. This seems to be the Pyramid's method of corroborating the Scriptural declaration, that Adam was made in the image of his Creatol-, and that he was the earthly type of the Spiritual Adam, Christ, who is symbolised by the whole Great Pyramid. A s the pyramid representing Adain is '/Z5th the size of the whole Pyramid, it follows that the dimensions of the latter in cubits is exactlj~reproduceti in inches in the little model; for a cubit equals 25 inches. The number of inches in the base-length of the little pyramid is 365242, i.e., the same as tlie number of days in the solar year. The foregoing symbolical represeiitatio~lof Adam is supported by a number of time-nleasurements.
W E read that "deatli reigned fro111 Adain to Aloses" (Ron]. 5:14); and that the law of Moses, although "ordaii~edto life," was found after all to be a way to death, owing to the weakness of the flesh (R0111. 7:10). When, however, Jesus Christ came at the end of the Law Dispensation and abolished death, and brought life and irnn~orlalityto light through the Gospel (2 Tim. 1: lo), the opportunity to "pass from death unto life" was then offered to all who
would exercise the necessary faith (John 5:24). But although the resurrection power has been working in the footstep followers of Christ (Rom. 6:4), the time of their reul, in contradistinction to their reckoned, resurrection from the dead, when death shall have no more dominion over them, was unalterably fixed by God according to his set times and seasons. Thus, the Scriptural timefeatures show that, since the " d a y n when the First Adam brought death into the world, none could hope to pass from death unto life in the actu~zi sense, till the inauguration of the Second Adam's 1000-year " d a y " of regeneration. W e have seen in Section 18 that very early in this glorious "day," namely, in 1878 A.D., 3% I years after the return of the Second Adam, the members of the "Bride" class who fell asleep during the Gospel Age have received their resurrection change, and are now with their Lord waiting till the full number of the elect company are " caught up together" with them (I Thess. 4: 15-1 7). After this the general resurrection will begin, for Christ must reign till he has put all enemies under his feet, and the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death (I Coi-. 15: 22-26). The year 1878 A.D.. therefore, was in the purposes of God the extreme tiinelimit for the absolute power of death over the world; for when "this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shafl be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.'" The Great Pyramid corroborates this Scriptural teaching by means of its synlbolisn~s and inchyear measures, by the longest possible symmetrical measurement between the outside Entrance, a n d the lower mouth of the Well-shaft. W e have demonstrated that the north edge of the DescendI ing Passage "basement-sheet" marks the end of the First Adam's 1000-year "day" of condemnation (Sec. 25); and it has also been proved that the 1 Well-shaft syinbolises the ransom sacrifice of our
170
171
,
1 1
Lord Jesus Christ, by which illeans alotze a n y can escape the Descending Passage condition of condemnation to death brought upon the world through Adam's sin. T h e measurement from the north edge of the "basement sheet," first vertically down to the level of the bottom of the Well-shaft, t h e n horizontally southward to the centre of the opening of the Well, exactly agrees with the long
THE SEGOiYU ADAM'S 1000-Y E A R " D A Y . " 28. Vertical distance from the north edge of the "basement-sheet," down to the level of the Well-opening, i . ~ .at. the level of that point on the Descending Passage floor which is in line with the north edge of the Well-opening in the west wall of the passage,) - - - 1651% Thence horizontally to the exact centre of the 3357 Well-opening (See first diagram, Sec. 35),t British inches 5008;g rnintrs 5 -
-
Pyl-airlid inches 5003% * T h e inclined length of the Descending Passage, from the north ed-e o i the "basement-sllee,t:" down to the north edge of the Well-opening, is :86j/q" 3037%" - 296% , thgt js 3727%". Sine ,4431146, nlultl~iredby 3727 . 2 j N , = 1651.598", i.s., i651%".
+
t T o find this horizontal distance, nlultiply the cosinc of the passage angle by 3 7 ~ 7 %(Compare ~ previous note) ; and to the result add haif the width o i the We!l-opening. T h e Well-openilig, which appears on the west wall of t h e passage, is 31%" squal:e, according to our deductions based upon,our nleasurenlenis taken at the Pyramld in I p g (See further in Section 35). Half of this is ~ j 625". . Cosine 8964648, multiplied by,3727.z5 ' I , = * I . 348". And 3341.348", plus 15.625 , = 3356.973'3'i.e., 3357".
-
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period of years during which the downward course of death has held absolute sway over the world, from the end of the First Adam's 1000-year "day" of cursing, till 1878 A.D., wllen the death-state first began to be "swallowed up in victory" with the raising of the followers of Christ, early in the Second Adam's glorious 1000-year "day"of blessing. Calculations showerlt~ghoro the long perrod from ilze end o f the First Ad(zn6's ~ 0 0 0 - y e a r"day" of condemnatton, it11 the h i e of [he First Resurrection from the Desce~~ding Pmsage conditfon o f death in the begznniitg of !he Second .4dam's 1000 gertr "day," is iizdicated in the &eat Pyra~ttid: End of First Adam's 1000-year "day," - B.C. 3126% Date of the First Resurrection in the Second Adam's 1000-year "day," Spring, A.D. 1878, - A.D. 1877%
-
Years 5003%
I N Sections 17 and 18 we noticed the Scriptura1 teaching respecting those who rose from the dead they entered into the Spiritual in 1878 A.D.-that condition (I Cor. 15:44); while the reinnant of the consecrated who are "alive a n d remain" during Christ's parousirr, or presence-period since that date, are "changed in a moment, in the twinkling of a n eye." to their heavenly state, when they lay aside thelr "earthly tabernacle " in death (I Cor. 15:5153; 2 Cor. 5: 1-4; I Thess. 4: 15-1 7). T h e Spirit-begottcn class cannot be raised to the human condition, for this they covenanted to sacrifice that they might become partakers first in Christ's sufferings, a n d afterwards in his nlorv. - Though they have been in the world, they were not i?f it, even as their Master was not of the world. ---
29.
THE GENERAL RESURRECTION.
\
Christ did not pray to the Father that his disciples should be taken out of the world, but that they should be kept from the evil thereof (John 17: 14-18). While in the Descending Passage condition of the world, where they have been " judged according to men in the flesh," they have, as new creatures in Christ Jesus, been walking by faith in the Grand Gallery condition, and have "lived according to God in the spirit" (I Pet. 4:6). W e know that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God ( I Cor. 15 :50), and therefore all those who, during the Gospel Age, have trusted in the efficacy of the ransom-sacrifice of their Redeemer, and have hoped for joint-heirspip with him in the heavenly Kingdom, must be born of the spirit" (John 3:5-8). This is the First Resurrection; consequently it is impossible for the world to come forth from the grave till later. Even the faithful Ancient Worthies of the time previous to the payment of the rtnsonl- I sacrifice of Christ, who died in hope of a better I resurrection" than the residue of mankind, cannot receive the fulfilnient of their hope till after the last ~nemberof the "Church of the firstborn" is joined to his Lord and fellow-members; for the Scriptures say that "they, without us [the Church class], shall not be made perfect " (Heb. 11 :35-40). After the Spirit-begotten class have been g l o ~ i fied, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the holy prophets will then be awakened from death to the perfect human nature. They will be made "princes in all the earth" (Psa. 45:16), the earthly and visible representatives of the invisible Spiritual Kingdom. These Ancient Worthies will be the very first to directly gain human restitution, which was secured for the world by the ransom-sacrifice I of Jesus Christ. The Scriptures do not appear to give direct , information as to the date when the Ancient 1 Worthies shall obtain their reward, but we may reasonably infer that it will be shortly after the com-
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I74
THE GENERAL RESURRECTION.
29.
plete Body of the Christ has been resurrected (See Roni. ll:15, 25-29; Psa. 53:6). Our thought is that their "better resurrection" will take place in 1915 A.D., toward the end of the "time of Jacob's trouble" (Jer. 30:7-1 I), when the Lord will use them to manifest the full return of his favour to his ancient covenant people (See Vol. IV of "Studies in the Scripture," pp. 624-629). This date seems to be prophetically hidden in the Lord's answer when Abraham asked whereby he should know that he woi~lclinherit the land of promise: " T a k e me a n heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon " (Gen. 15: 7-18). Reclconing a year each for the dove and pigeon, the ages of the animals offered by Abraham aggregated 11 years. If we regard these years a s prophetically indicating the time which must elapse before God's covenant with Abraham could be fulfilled, we get the date 1915 A.D.; for eleven Sec. 5) prophetic years (of 360 days each-See equal 3960 years; and 2045 B.C., the date of Abraham's covenant (Sec. 3), fro111 3960 years, gives 1915 A.D. (See Watch Tower for 1907, page 79). T h e Great Pyramid corroborates this date for the beginning of the general resurrection to human life by the following time-n~easuremel~t: We observed i n the previous Section (No. 28) that the lower opening of the Well-shaft, which symbolises the ransom-sacrifice of Jesus Christ, marks the date when the Church, the firstfruits unto God, were loosed from the prison-house of death, 1878 A.D. (Jas. 2:18). W e now find that the date 1915 A.D., when we understand that the perfect human life which Jesus Christ sacrificed will first directly reach the world (See Matt. 20:28; John 6:51), is also indicated at the lower opening of the Well-shaft. For if we talce a vertical n~easurement from the Queen's Chamber floor-level, which symbolises the Plane of Human Perfection, directly I75
HE OLD WORLD.
29.
T H E G E N E R A L RESC~RRECTION.
down to the floor of the Descending Passage at the north edge of the Well-opening (See diagram, page 172), we shall find that the total number of Pyramid inches corresponds with the period of years from 33 A.D. when the perfect man Jesus Christ gave his flesh for the life of the world, till I915 A.D. when the Ancient Worthies, t h e very first to receive human restitution, will be released from the bonds of death and be raised directly t o the P l a n e of Human Perfection. Calculdtions showilrg how the year in which the human life-rights sacrijked by Jesus Christ were.firsl due to be directly exte?z'fedto tlze world, is indicated i?z the Great Pyramid: Resurrection of the Ancient Worthies, say Autumn, A.D. 1915, - - - A.D. /9/43/4 Date when the "man Christ Jesus" laid down his human life-rights on behalf of the world, Spring, A.D. 33, - - - - - - A.D. 32,g
-
-
Years 1882% Vertical distance from the Queen's Chamber floorlevel (the Plane of Human Perfection), down to the floor of the Descending Passage at the north edge of the Well-opening (See first - - - British inches 1884% diagram, Sec. 35),* minus 1%
Pyramid inches /882>2/ * T o get this vertical distance, multiply the total inclined floor-length of the passages, between the Queen's Chamber floor-level and the north edge of the Well-opening, by the sine of the passage anq?e: (1545 - 33%) f (3037%- 296%) = 4252% , which 1s the $dined floor-length by 4 2 5 2 5 ", = 1884.344 , I.e., 1884% /'. required. Slne .4431146,mult~pl~ed
THE period froni Adam's creation, till the flood "dried up," is proved by the genealogies in Genesis to have been 1656 years (Sec. 4). T w o years of t!lis period were spent by Adan1 a n d Eve in a state of iri~locence before the fzll (Sec. 2 2 ) , and tllus the exact duration of the World that was," or the T 76
30.
('World of the ungodly," was 1654 years (2 Pet.
2:5: 3:5, 6).
w e have seen how Adam's 1000-year " day " of condenmation is indicated b y a m e a s u ~ e n ~ e n t carried up the casing-stone surface of the Pyramid, from the levelled base-rock to the ancient Entrance, a n d from thence down the Descending Passage to the north edge of the " basement-sheet " ( S e c . 25). T h e period now under consideration is 654 years longer, a n d the date of t h e end of it, i.e., the date of the flood, is already proved to be marked b y a point o n the Descending Passage floor (the vertical line of the roof-beginning) which is only 23% inches further down (See diagram, page 162). How, then, is it possible for the duration of the O l d World to be indicated? It i s evident that if the ' already found flood date-mark is to be retained in this time-measurement, t h e date of the commencement of t h e period of 1654 years of the Old World must be sought for a t some other point distant from the lower edge of t h e outer casing. T h i s point is found to be on the same level a s the foot of t h e casing, i.e., t h e upper level surface of the Platform, a n d exactly in t h e vertical line of the flood date-mark on the Descending Passage floor. 1n.other words, beginning from that point on the Platform level which i s vertically in line with the flood date-mark on the Descending Passage floor (Sec. 24), a n d measuring horizontally northward along the surface of the Platform to the lower front edge of the casing-stones, then up t h e inclined face of the casing to t h e ancient Entrance, a n d from thence down the Descending Passage floor to the point already proved a s marking the date of the flood, we shall find t h a t t h e total number of Pyramid inches agrees with the period of years of the Old World (See diagram, page 178). It is in this peculiar way t h a t the Great Pyramid corroborates the Scriptural records regarding the duration of the first "heavens a n d earth." O n consideration it M
I77
THE OLD WORLD.
I
will be recognised that this particular time-measurement could not be more convincingly indicated by any other method. It proves that all of 5. *F the Pyramid on the north side of the vertical line of the Descending Passage roof - beginning, relates to the First Dispensation, while all on the south side relates to the Second D i s p e n s a t i o n or present "heavens and earth." The vertical line may therefore be appropriately denominated the "floodline," dividing the old " World of the ungodly," from the " Present Evil World " (See Diagram, page 51).
1
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Calculations showing Izow the period of the " Old World " is indicated i n the Great Pyramid: Beginning of the old "World of the ungodly," - - B.C. 4126% from the fall of Adam, End of the Old World, which perished in the flood, - - - - - B.C.2472%
-
-
-
-
-
-
Years -Horizontal distance along the top surface of the Platform, from the vertical line of the Descending passage roof-beginning, northward t o the - front edge of the casing-stones," Inclined distance up the face of the casing, from the Platform level t o the ancient Entrance,t Length of the missing outer portion of the Descending Passage floor, - Distance from the north edge of the "basementsheet," down the Descending Passage floor t o the vertical line of the roof-beginning,% - -
-
-
-
1654 ~~-~
657% 850 124% 23% -
British inches 1655% mlnus 1% Pyramid inches
1654
*See footnote on page 131 where the horizontal distance from the front edge of the casing-stones, to the'vertical line of the ancient Entrance doorway, is
178
THE DATE OF THE GREAT PYRAMIDS ERECTION.
31
VISITORSwho enter the Great Pyramid in the night-time may see the north star shining down the Descending Passage. This star did not always occupy its present place, for owing to the precession of the equinoxes the constellations slowly change their apparent positions in the heavens. T h e celebrated astronomer Sir John Herschel, who had this phenomenon drawn to his attention by Col. Howard Vyse, calc~llatedthat the polar star at the time of the building of the Pyramid was a Draconis, the Dragon star. According to Sir John the date when this star could best be seen from the lower extremity of the Descending Passage," was 21 60 B.C., for in that year a Draconis, when at its "For the benefit of those who have not had their attention drawn t o this matter, we may state that the line of the Descending Passage is not directed upward t o the very pole of the heavens, but t o a point which is 3 " 42' below it. A s the total length of the passage, from the outer surface of the original casing-stones, is 4148% British inches, and the height from roof t o floor under four feet, it follows that the angle of view which one may obtain of the he$vens from the lower end of the passage, does not exceed 1% . Hence any star nearer than 3 , o r further away than 4 5 4 O from the celestial pole, cannot be seen from the lower extremity of the Descending Passage. The present north star, Polaris, which is the final star in the tail of the constellation called the Little Bear (a U r s z Minoris), is about 1%" from the celestial pole, and therefore cannot be observed from very far down in the passage. And even when a star is a t the particular distance of 3" 42' from the pole, it will only shine down the axis of the Descending Passage when at its lower culmination, i.e., when it is passing u~zderthe celestial pole on its apparent daily journey round this central point of the heavens. r,l-oved to be 524-562 Pyramid, or 525 British inches. T o this add the further I\r,rizontal distance between the vertical line'of the ancient doorway, and t h e vertical line of t h e Descending Passage roof-beginning. T o find this additional l~ocizontal distance, mulliplx the inclined flooi- distalice between these two 11oints (124% 23Mn = 148 -Compare footnote, page 1631, by t h e cosine of t h e I'assage angle: Cosine .8g 648, multiplied by 148,;. = 132.676", i.e., 132%". And 132$", plus 525 ", = 657% }See footnote o n page 131, where this inclined distance is proved to be 849264 I'yramid, o r 850 British, inches. 1 See footnote o n page 163.
"+
.
I79
31. DATE O F T H GREAT ~ P I - ' R A ! ~ I D ' SERECTION. lower culmination i n its apparent daily circuit round the celestial pole, was in the direct line of the particular angle of the Descending Passage. Sir John Herschel claimed that the coincidence of this particular star with the angle of the downward passage in the Great Pyramid, was the ancient Architect's mcthod of ~nemorialisingto all futurr a g e s the date of the erection o i his great monument. Prof. C. Piazzi Smyth, who readily admitted a scientific or synlbolic significance in every feature of the Great Pyramid, reasoned that, a s the Descending Passage pointed to the inferior lower, a n d not to the superior upper, culmination of the circumpolar star a Draconis, it must have been because a t that date (which he calculated to be, not 2160, but 2/70 B.c.) a much more important star was then crossing the meridian of the Pyramid above the pole. And pursuing his reasoning in harmony with certain symbolisms connected with the scven overlappings of the sides of the Grand Gallery, he claimed, further, that this important star must have crossed the meridian t o the south of the zenith of the Pyramid, and i n the direction of the ascending Grand Gallery. H e demonstrated t h a t there was just such a notable star crossing the meridian in the lequired position above t h e pole, a t the same moment when a Draconis could be observed from the Descending Passage crossing the meridian below the pole. T h e name of this star is Alcyone of the renouned group of seven stars called the Pleiades, which are specially mentioned in the Scriptures (Job. 38:31-See margin). In " Our Inheritance," 5th Edition, page 263, Prof. Smyth writes : " W h e n they, the Pleiades, crossed the meridian a t midnight above the Pole to the south, a t the same instant that u Draconis was crossing below the Pole t o the north, a n d a t the particular distance from the Pole indicated by the Entrance Passage,-then i n the Autumn season of the northern hemisphere of that one year (2170B.C.), 180
DATE OF T H E GREAT PYKAfWID'S ERECTION.
31.
the meridian of the equinoctial point of the heavens coincided with the Pleiades. T h a t Autumn night, therefore, of that particular year, was not only, it1 the primeval fashion, the beginning of the year [Compare footnote on page 401, but that year was, with the Pleiades to lead it out in that significant manner, the beginning of the first humanly noted example of a period of the precession of the equinoxes, a cycle destined not to repeat itself, in that manner, until 25,827 years shall have come a n d gcme" (See also Vol. 1,'pars. 24 a n d 25). It is well to notice that Prof. Smyth did not consider the year 2/70 B.C. to be absolutely fixed a s the date of the building of the Great Pyramid. He admitted that it is difficult to compute the very year when the Pleiades a n d a Draconis were in the required positions relative to the P y r a m i d ; a n d the year 2170 B.C. he always regarded a s more the average, rather t h a n the absolute date. In his larger publication, " Life a n d Work,'' Vol. 111, page 283, after giving a table of various computations ranging from 2000 B.C. to 2300 B.C., he wrote : " H a v i n g thus exhibited without favour all the widest variations in results, of which the case seems well-nigh capable, we may lse pretty certain that the true date will ultimately prove t o be contained within them; a n d will b r found, if not actually 2170 B.c., at least closer thereto t!lan the beginning or end of the duration of the Great Pyramid's building c a n be to its middle date." Later, in the 3rd Edition of his " Our Inheritance," page 444, when reviewing the mztter of the buildi n g date, Prof. Smyth wrote: though I did, no doubt, years a g o mentally conclude a n d publish 2170 B.C. t o be most probably t h e year intended to be memorialised a s the foundation year, b y the architect of the Great Pyramid, it was no ridged deduction of scientific exactitude." Still later, in his 4th Edition of the same publication, hage 388, he refers to a certain astronomical table prepared 181
3I.
DATE OF T H E G R E A T PYRAMID'S ERECTION.
b y Dr. Briinnow, Astronomer-Royal for Ireland, in which the date 2248 B.C. instead of 2170 B.C. is given a s t h e year when the particular stars, a n d the equinoctial point, were in the necessary positions on the meridian of the Pyramid. This table was re-calculated by R. A. Proctor of Cambridge University, who h a d his own theories regarding the purpose of the Great Pyramid. Although Prof. Smyth did not agree with these theories, he nevertheless recognised R. A. Proctor's ability a s a n astronomer. Referring to the latter's publication on the Pyramid, Prof. Smyth wrote: " I am happy to point out that its author does one good thing toward the end of his essay, on his own sound knowledge of modern practical astronomy a n d its methods of calculation. This good thing is, that he computes the date for t h e Pleiades stars being in the [desired] position described in No. 4 of Dr. Briinnow's list, and says that he finds it, not 2248 B.C. but more nearly 2140 B.C. T o which I can only say for the reasons pointed out....-.very probably." This year 2140 B.C., pronounced by Prof. C. Piazzi Smyth, after further careful consideration, to be very probably the correct date of the Great Pyramid's erection, because of the astronomical coincidence of the notable stars, a Draconis a n d Alcyone of the Pleiades, with the angle of the Descending Passage, and with the meridian of the building, is corroborated b y the Pyramid itself, by means of its characteristic use of a n inch-year measurement along its time-passages. Prof. C. Piazzi Smyth, when measuring in t h e upper built part of the Descending Passage during the year 1865, carefully noted on each side wall two vertical joints in the masonry, the two joints on the east wall being opposite the corresponding two on t h e west wall. Although these joints are conspicu8us because running in a different direction to t h e other joints, all of which are at right182
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D A T E OF T H E G R E A T PYRAMID'S ERECTION.
31.
angles to the incline of the passage, they do not appear to have a n y special significance in themselves. Their purpose seems to be to direct attention to a very peculiar feature i n the passage: immediately below them there is, on each side wall, a n d opposite to one another, a scored line, drawn from roof to floor exactly a t right-angles to the incline of the passage. These scored lines, which may still be seen b y all who visit the Pyramid, because of the firmness a n d truth with which they were drawn by the ancient workman, reminded Prof. Smyth of a similar scored line on the floor of one of the corner socket foundations of the Pyramid. Writing later about the scored l i n ~ s in the Descending Passage, Prof. Srllyth s a i d : I looked a t them with still more interest afterwards, when there appeared good reason to consider them the work of the very same hand that laid out in forethought, Prometheun manner, the entire proportions of the whole Great Pyramid. For when Messrs. Aiton and Inglis excavated and (with my assistance in finding its site) laid bare the southwest socket of the Great Pyramid in April, 1865,there, upon the fair white flattened face of the said socket-rock, while three sides were formed by raised edges of rock, the fourth and outer side was defined siinply by a line; but a line ruled apparently by the very same hand and selfsame tool which had also drawn these other truthful lines in the entrance passage " (" Our Inberitance," 3rd. Ed., page 435). T h e scored lines on the walls of the Descending Passage, therefore, suggest a connection with the foundation of the building, because of the similarity in their appearance to the line drawn on the foundation corner socket floor. Their existence appears to be for chronological purposes, in order to furnish a n additional proof of the great monument's erection. And so we find, when we apply the usual Pyramid inch to a year, that the scored 183
31.
DATE OF THE G R E A PYRAMID'S ~ ERECTIO
\I.
lines indicate the date 2/40 B.C., already independently computed by the latest and most modern method of astroilomical calculations a s being the probable year of the foundation of the structure. W h e n we measure from the north wall of the Grand Gallery a s indicating the date 33 A.D. (as in Sections 10, 11, 12, etc.), backward down the floor-line of the First Ascending Passage to the "Point of Interseciion," and from thence u p rhe fioor-line of the Descending Passage to the scored lines, we find t h a t the total number of Pyramid inches exactly equals the period of years from Spring 33 A.D., back to A u t u n ~ n2/40 B.C. T h a t we have correctly interpre:ed the ancient architect's purpose when he caused these strange lines to be drawn on the wails of the Descending Passage, namely, to mark the year when the foundation of his mighty building was laid, is further supported by the facc that the lines themselves a t tl:at very date pointed directly upward to the Pleiades, just a s the Descending Passage in the same manner pointed to Draconis." R. A. Proctor calculated that in the year 2/40 B.c., the Pleiades, when on the meridian o f , the Great Pyramid, were a t an altitude of 63%" above the southern horizon (See his publication, " T h e Great Pyramid," page 146). T h e scored lilies are drawn a t right-angles to the incline of the passage; and a s the passage *When drawing attention to the wonderful celestial coincidences with the meridional line of the Great Pyramid, Prof. C. Piazzi Smyth is very ca~efulthat his readers shall not make the mistake of supposing that the Grand Gallerv pointed directly to the Pleiades, in the same way that the Descending Passage pointed to a Draconis. W e are to understand, rather, that the vertical plane of the Grand Gallery was, during the period in question, in the direction of the meridian of the Pleiades. Alcyone was at that date, 2/40 B.C., very nearly an equatorial star, and had the Grand Gallery been constructed to point directly to it, the angle of the passage's inclination would require to have been nearly 63%" instead of 26" 18' 10". A s it is, the direction of the Grand Gallery points upward to a position in the heavens about 34" below the celestial equator.
184
31. descends southward a t the inclination of 26" 18' I O U , or 26%", it follows that the lines on the walls point upward a t a n angle of 63%" above the D A T E OF T H E G R E A T PYRAM1L)'S EREC7'10N.
southern horizon, and therefore directly toward the Pleiades, for 90" minus 26%" = 63%".
Cnlculations slzowing how the Gveat Pyvnmid covvobo~nrtesthe astuonomically pvoved date, 2/40 B.C., for its building found~ztion: Date for the foundation of the Great Pyramid, as fixe? by astronomical calculations, Autumn, B.C.2/40, - B.C. 2139% Date indicated by !he north wall of the Grand Gallery in the Great Pyramid (See Sec. lo), Spring,~.~.33, - - - - - AD. 3214 Years 2171% Length of the First Ascending Passage, from the north wall of the Grand Gallery, northward to - the "Point of Intersection," Distance from the "Point of Intersection," up the floor-line of the Descending Passage to the "scoredlines"onthewalls,* - -
1545 628%
British inches 2173% minus 2%
-
Pyramid inches 2!7/%
'This distance is, acconling to Prof. C.Piazzi Smyth, 628.6", while a c c o r d i y ". Our own measurement came out at 628 .$5 to P ~ o fF. l l n d e ~ sPetrie it is 629 In thaabove calculation we adopt the mean of these three measures, 628.77 , o r 628%
.
.
185
THE PRESENT E V I L W O R L D .
1
I
32,
with the "key of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand " (Rev. 20: 1-3), Satan, the "strong Inan of the house," is resisting, but his opposition CORROBORATIVE testimony regarding tkf Scripwill prove unavailing, and by the time appointed tural indication of the date when this Present he will be fully bound and cast into the "bottomless Evil World" will end (Gal. 1:4), is contained in the pit" (Matt. 12:25-29). Then all the nations whom Great Pyramid by a number of time-measurements, he deceived by blinding deceptio~is,shall be libersome of which we have noticed. In addition to these, the Pyramid also confirms our understanding 1 ated from the prison-house of death, through the way of escape which Christ's ransom-sacrifice of the exact duration of the present "heavens and provided, symbolised in the Pyramid by the earth" which, as the Apostle Peter informs us, Well-shaft. began after the old "heavens and earth " perished The duration of this Present Evil World, and in the flood, and will end in "fire " (2 Pet. 3:5-12). But after the fiery destruction of this present order I the short period of its dissolution, 1874 to 1914 A.D. ~f things, we, according to promise, look for a new 1 (See No. 2 on page 24), are indicated in the Great Pyramid by the following time-measurement: T h e heavens and earth" wherein dwelleth righteousi vertical line of the roof-commencement of the ness, and during which Satan, who is the " god of this world," will be bound that he may deceive the 1 Descending Passage marks the date of the flood, nations no more till the righteous reign of Christ is , which is the beginning of this Present Evil World (Secs. 24 and 30). Starting from this point, and finished (2 Pet. 3:13; 2 Cor. 4:4; Rev. 20:l-3). 1 measuring down the floor-line of the passage, then In the Great Pyramid this Present Evil World is along the Small Horizontal Passage to the extremity represented by the Descending Passage, while the of the floor (which juts into the Pit five inches), we great fire of trouble which will terminate Satan's find this terminal indicates 1874 A.D. But if our rule is symbolised by the Subterranean Chamber or measurement be produced downward in continuPit (See Vol. I, pars. 144-159, where a full description ation of the angle of the Descending Passage, to of the Descending Passage and Pit, and their symthe point which is vertically underneath the floorbolical significance, is set forth). Although, as terminal of the Small Horizontal Passage, the date we believe, the Scriptures point to 19/4-15 A.D. a s 1914 A.D. is here indicated. the time when the "kingdoms of this world" will be finally destroyed, they show that the preparation Calculations showing how the conrplete duration of this Present Evil for this destruction began in 1874 A.D., the date of World, and the short period of its dissolution, 1874 to 1914 A.D., is our Lord's return. The period of 40 years between i indicated in the Great Pyrurnzd: 1874-1914 A.D. is called God's "day of wrath," and I' I. Date of the commencement of the flood, when d a y of vengeance " (Rev. 6 :15-1 7 ; Zeph. 1 :14-1 8. the Old World came to an end (Compare See "Studies in the Scriptures," Vol. IV, pp. 542-550). - - - - B.C. 2473 diagram on page 136), During this period the Lord has been assembling Return of our Lord, and beginning of the binding the nations to pour upoil them his fierce anger and of Satan, and God's "day of wrath" upon the fiery indignation (Zeph. 3:8). T h e date 19/4-/5 nations, Autumn, A.D. 1874, - - - A.D. 1873% A.D. will be the crisis of the " day of wrath." The binding of the "god of this world" began Years 4346% in 1874 AD., when Christ descended from heaven I
-
32.
I
T H E PRESENT E V I L WORLD.
I
32.
T H E PRESENT E V I L WORLD. Length of Descending Passage (as in Calculation I), Additional produced length of the Descending Passage floor, to the vertical line of the south terminal of the Small Horizontal Passage floor,* - - - -
-
-
4000x
391 I/4
British inches 4391% minus 4?4
I
-
Pyramid inches 4387
*To find this length, multiply t h e length of the Small Horizontal Passage floor, by the secant of the Descending Passare p g l e : I . 1154926 x 350.75" = 391.259 , i.e.. 3 9 1 % (See ~ Appendix).
Length of the Descending Passage, from the vertical line of the roof-commencement (See diagram on page I62), down the floor-line to the lower terminal (962% -t3037%), - Length of Small Horizontal Passage leading to thepit, - - -
4000%
I
350% .
British inches 4351
-
Pyramid inches 43463i "Inus
11. Date of the flood (as in Calculation I), Complete binding of Satan, and the end of this Present Evil World in the great time of trouble,
B.C.
2473.
-4.D.1914
-
-
Yeal-s 4387 I 88
I
I
1 1
/
T o confirm our faith in this tirne-feature of the Scriptures, the Divine Architect providect another corroborative time-measurement in the Great Pyramid, which demonstrates that the Pit, the symbol of destruction, indicates the period of the " d a y of vengeance," 1874 to 1914 A.D., when the destruction of this Present Evil World is due (Isa. 63:4). In several time-measurements we have noticed that the north wall of the Grand Gallery marks the date of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Spring, 33 A.D., (Sec. 10,etc.). Starting froill here, and measuring in Pyramid inch-years northward down the floor-line of the First Ascending Passage, we find that the "Point of Intersection " indicates the date, Autumn, 1512 B.C. T a k i n g this definite point a s the commencement of our time-measurement, and measuring down the Descending Passage to the lower exlremity of the floor, a n d from thence, ,rirst, along the Small Horizontal Passage to the Pit, a n d second, down the produced floor-line of t h e Descending Passage to the vertical line of the Small Horizontal Passage floor-end (as in the previous calculation--See diagram, page 188, we find that these two terminals indicate, respectively, the dates 1874 and 1914 A.D. 189
32.
32.
THE PRESENT EVIL WORLD. Length of Descending Passage, down from the "Point of Intersection" to the lower extremity - - - of the floor, Length of the Small Horisontal Passage, to its floor-terminal in the Pit,
T H E PRESENT EVIL WORLD.
-
-
-
-
-
-
3037% 35034
British inches 3388% minus 3g Pyramid inches 3385
IV. Date indicated by the "Point of Intersection" Autumn, B.C. 1512,
-
-
-
B.C.
1511%
Crisis of the "day of wrath," when the "prince of the power of the air" is fully bound, and the - A.D. 1914 "kingdoms of this world" are destroyed, Years 3425% Length of Descending Passage, down from the "Point of Intersection" to the lower extremity - - ofthefloor, Additional produced length of the Descending Passage floor, to the vertical line of the south terminal of the Small Horizontal Passage - floor, (See note, page 189),
-
Calculatio~zsshowing that the vertical line of the Small Horizontal P~~ssagefloor-termztznl in the Pit, indicates the period of God's " day of vengeance" agail~stthis Present Evil World, and against the "prince of this world," Satan : Length of the First Ascending Passage, northward from the north wall of the Grand Gallery, in Pyramid inches, each inch representing a year, Years 1543% Date of Christ's death and resurrection, indicated by the north wall of the Grand Gallery, Spring, A.D.33, - - - - - - - A.D. 32%
-
:.
-
"Point of Intersection" indicates the date,
B.C.
-
1
-
-
-
3037%
391% British inches 3428% minus 3%
-
Pyramid inches 3425%
33. ENDO F T H E SECOND DISPENSATION.
151i%
ACCORDING to the Scriptures, the end . of the I
111. Date indicated by the "Point of Inter- B.C. 15/lf/4 section," Autumn, B.C. 1512, Christs return, when the period of God's wrath upon the kingdom's of this world began, - A.D. 1873% Autumn, A.D. 1874,
-
-
-
-
-
Years 3385
present reign of evil is also the end of opportunity to attain joint-heirship with Christ in his glorious reign of righteousness. The Apostle says: "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him"; but when evil is no longer permitted, suffering for Christ's sake will not be possible ( 2 Tim. 2:12). We are told that in His days the righteous shall flourish, 191
33.
E N D OF TTTE SECOND DISPENSATION.
while evil doers shall be punished-the very reverse o l what now obtains (Psa. 72:7; 37:9). Hence the end of the Second Dispensation is as clearly defined in the purposes of God, a s was the end of the First, when the flood swept away the old " world of the ungodly " ( 2 Pet. 2:5). W e have our Lord's authoritative statement, that the sudderziress
I
I I
I
I
i
1
I
1
whicli characterised the destruction of the First Dispensation, will likewise attend the destruction of the Second (Luke 17:26-30; I Thess. 5:2, 3; Rev. 18:lO). In the Great Pyramid, the end of the First Dispensatioil is maikcd by the vertical line of the roof-cornmencement of the Descending Passage (Sec. 30). W e find that the abrupt termination of , the Second Dispensation is also marked by a 192
EA'l)OI;'THESECONDDISPENSATION.
33.
vertical line. The south wall of the Grand Gallery, and the floor-terminal of the Small Horizontal Passage in the Pit, are practically in vertical alignment with each other. The line of the Grand Gallery south wall, which indicates the date 1914 A.D. (Sec. IZ), is half a n inch north of the end of the Small Horizontal Passage floor (See diagram, page 201). This vertical line, therefore, corroborates our interpretation of the Scriptural teaching, that when the Descending Passage condition of the Present Evil World ends in the Pit of Destruction, so the Grand Gallery opportunities for fellowship in Christ's sufferings close. Thus, while the previous time-measurements (Sec. 32) show that the floor-end of the Small Horizontal Passage in the Pit indicates the date 1874 A.D., when the dissolution of the kingdoms of this world began, the present' time-measurement allows us to regard the north wall of the Pit as, in the general sense, also indicating the clate 19/4-15 A.D., and thus enables other time-features of the Plan of God to be corroborated by the Pyramid (See diagrams on pages 50 and 51). Calctrlations showing that the sotrth ze~allof the Grand Gallery, is verticnlly lialf all inch to the north of the joor-terminal of the Small Horizontal Passage. As the Grand Gallery south wall indicates the date 1914 A.D. (.qec- ~2), the poor-tad of the Smnll Horizontal Passage, half an inch fttrther to the south, will indicate 1915 A.D.: Length of the Ascending Passages, to the line of the south wall of Grand Gallery (See diagram, 3428% page TO), 1545+ 1815% i68, Length of the Descending Passage, from the "Point of Intersection,"down to the junctionof the Small Horizontal Passageleading to the Pit, 3037%
-
Differcncc in lengths of Ascending over Desccndingpassages,
390%
Horizontal length of this inclined difference,* Length of floor of the Small Horizontal Passage,
350% 350% -
-
-
- - - -
-
*Cosine, .8964648. multiplied by 390. 7SN.=350. 293". or 350%" (See Appendix). N
193
--
---,
34.
THE SECOND DEATH.
THE SECOND DEATH.
WHILEthe Subterranean Chamber symbolises the "Bottomless Pit," where Satan is to lie bound for a thousand years, it also symbolises the "lake of fire a n d brimstone," which is the second death (Rev. 21:8). After the 1000-y ear reign of Christ, when the Adamic death will have been destroyed through the process of resurrection (I Cor. 15:25, 26; Hosea 13:14), Satan is to be loosed from the Bottomless Pit for a "little season." H e will go out and again seek to deceive the nations, the number of whom will then be a s the sand of the sea-shore for multitude (Rev. 20:7-10). T h i s "little season" will be the "harvest" period of the Millennia1 Age, when all the righteous will demonstrate their loyalty to God by ,resisting the wiles of the a d versary, and when all not in heart-harmony with the righteous Judge will be destroyed in the second death. During the judgments of that d a y which God h a s appointed, some will prove incorrigible even after a hundred years trial, and will suffer the curse of the second death (Isa. 65:20); while others will yield only "feigned obedience" till the end of the thousand years, when the final test will reveal their true character (Psa. 18:44, margin). None shall be permitted to live who do not love the Lord with all their heart, soul and mind, and their neighbour a s themselves. T h e origin of the symbolical "lake of fire and brimstone " is shown in Jer. 19:5,6, where we read: "They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind. Therefore, behold, t h e days come, saith the Lord, that this place shall no more be called 'Tophet,' nor 'The valley of the son of Hinnom,' but ' T h e valley of slaughter."' The name "Towhet" given t o the valley of the son of
j' 1
i I
34.
Hinnom, or Gehenna* a s it is called in the Greek New Testament, is evidently derived from the same root a s loph, which in Isa. 30:32 is translated " tabrets," i.e., drums (See Strong's Concordance). By the noise of tabrets or drums the priests of Baal sought to drown the cries of the little ones who were being offered in sacrifice to the terrible Moloch. Because of this abomination the Lord cursed the valley of H i n n o n ~ ,and in harmony with this curse Jesus used this valley a s a figure to symbolise the " l a k e of fire and brimstone," the second death, into which Satan and all who follow him shall be cast at the end of the Millennia1 reign of Christ. T h i s just retribution upon Satan, the instigator of the cruel worship of Moloch, seems to be foretold in Isa. 30:27-33 under cover of the Assyrian king. T h e passage reads: "Behold, the name of the Lord cometh fi-on1 afar, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full or indignation, and his tongue a s a devouring fire ... ...For through the voice [truth] of the Lord shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod ......for Tophet [the valley of Hinnom, or Gehenna] is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and larger: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it." In this connection we may mention that, just a s Gehenna, which runs along the south side of Jerusalem, is used in the Scriptures a s a symbol of the second death from which there will be no resurrection, so the valley of Jehoshaphat or Kedron, which runs along the east side of the city, I S used a s a s y ~ n b o lof the first or Adamic death, trom which a resurrection is assured because of the ransom-sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It is for this * "Gehenna" is the Greek form of the Hebrew "Gay Hinnom."
A gay is a deep gorge o r ravlne, and should not be translated by llre English word " valley."
34.
T H E SECOND DEATH.
I
T H E SECOND DEATH.
reason that the Jews, even at this day, desire above all things to be buried in the valley of Jehoshaphat, for they believe that the resurrection and final judgment will take place here (See Joel 3: 1, 2, 12-1 4). T h i s explains why the valley is now filled with tombstones. T h e cemeteries cover the slope of the Mount of Olives over all that Part which lies opposite the temple-area (See Vol. I, plate XCIV). T h e valley of Jehoshaphat is evidently the "valley of dry bones" referred to by Ezekiel (chapter 37), and it is no doubt because of this prophecy that the Jews firmly believe that the resurrection will take place here. If the second death is symbolised in the Great Pyramid by the Pit, it might properly be asked if it in any way indicates the great judgment day during which the second death will be operative. W e believe tllal the purpose of the mysterious little blind passage, which runs for a considerable distance horizontally southward from the Pit, was intended by the ancient Architect to be used in connectioil with this time-feature. T h e doorway of the little southward passage i s exactly opposite the doorway of the passage by which access is gained to the Pit, the east walls of the two passages running in the same line a s the east of the chamber (See T h e floor of the southward passage, however, is, by measul-enlent, 37% inches lower than the floor of other.* The bore Of the southward passage is very small, measuring only 29 inches in height and , width (See Vol. I, plate LX). The appearance of the subterranean Chamber gives the inlpression of its being a rock- /
34.
cut tomb, except for its uneven floor. W e know that the Subterranean Chambers of the other pyramids were intended to serve a s sepulchres, for in each of them a large stone sarcophagus has usually been found. W e had the opportunity in 1912 of examining a number of r o c k - ~ u ttombs in the "valley of the dead bodies" near Jerusalem. In many of these, the sepulchral apartment lies behind the first rock-cut chamber, which was apparently used a s a vestibule. Leading inward from the back wall of this first chamber is a low narrow passage, through which we had to creep on hands a n d knees in order to reach the sepulchre. T h e doorways of these low passages very much resemble the doorway of the little south blind passage in the rock-cut chamber of the Great Pyramid. Our thought is, that this blind passage is intended to carry on the symbolism of the Pit, so as to fill
~
*Prof. Flinders Petrie's measure is (uncertainly) 39 inches. W e adhere to our own figures, however, as we took this measurement very carefully. Measuring in this Subterranean Chamber is difficult, owing t o the darkness of the place, the uneasy floor, and the somewhat rough nature of the wall surfaces (See VOI. I, par. 302).
,
i
out the of Pyramid inches necessary to agree with the complete period of years during which the second death will be operative, i.e., from 1915 to 2915 A.D. The rough uneven blind terminus of the passage conveys the same thought as the broken unfinished floor of the Pit, nalmely, endlessness. For just as t h e irregular floor of the one suggests a bottomless chamber, so the rough end of the other suggests an endkss passage. Thus, although the second d y t h will cease to be operative by the close of the little season" (Rev. 21:4) at the end of the thousand years, yet those who enter this way will never return; they shall have "everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, 197
34.
1
THE SECOND DEATH.
and from the glory of his power" (2 Thess. 1:8, 9). "The Lord preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will hc destroy," ~zot preserve in torment, nor in a n y condition whatsoever (Psa. 145 :20). Calculations showing hmv theperiod dz~ri71g which the second deatlz wzlC be operarive, is zndi~utedin the Gtent Pyrantid:
,
Duration of Christ's reign of righteous judgment (~Pet.3:7-9), - Years 1000
- - -
-
Distance from the floor-terminal of the Small Horizontal Passage, which indicates the date 1915 A.D. (See Sec. 33), horizontally to the south wall of the Pit (325% minus 5), Vertical distance from the floor-level of the Small Horizontal Passage, down to the level of the floor of the little south blind passage, Length of little south blind passage, -
320%
37% 643
British inches 1001 minns I Pyramid inches 1000
-
1
/ PASSAGE, AND
PIT.
MINUTE measurements of the lower rock-cut portions of the Great Pyramid are difficult to obtain, owing partly to the exfoliation which, during 40 centuries, has gradually destroyed the greater portion of the original surfaces of the walls, floors, and ceilings. T h e slightest touch will sometimes cause thin pieces of the surface to flake off. T o obtain accurate measurements, allowance must, therefore, be made for this dilapidation. There is still sufficient evidence that the walls, roof and floor of the Descending Passage were finished off smoothly by the ancieni workn~en. rg8
MEASUREMENTS OF LOWER WELL-OPENING.
35.
The Lower Mouth o f the Well-shaft is in the west wall of the Descending Passage. It is hardly possible to decide what was its original shape (See Vol. I, pars. 312-316; also plate CLII). For definite measuring it is necessary to assume a regular outline for the opening, within the limits of the present indications. W e therefore mapped out the exact contour of the opening, avoiding the greater irregularites of the outer edge. From this contour we judged the probable original shape and dimensions of the mouth." As these dimenions were afterwards found to harmonise all the timemeasurements connected with this lower opening of the Well-shaft, we believe we have closely approximated the intention of the Pyramid's great Designer. T o insure accuracy in our measurements of the Well-opening, we drew, with the aid of a plummet, two vertical lines on the west wall of the Descending Passage, one on each side of the opening. Above the opening we drew a horizontal line, using a spirit-level. The horizontal distance between the two vertical lines we fixed a t 40 inches (See diagram, page 200). W e used these a s our reference lines in all our measurements to and from the Well-opening. T h e distance from the lower vertical reference line, down t o the flat lower end of the Descending Passage, is, along the floor, 2561/2, and along the roof, 2781/2, British inches.? T h e other measures of the Well-opening are shown in the diagram on page 200. "Prof. Flinders Petrie's measure for the width of the lower opening of the Well-shaft is given by him in a round number, 31 inches. Our own measure is I/qN more than this as will be seen in the diagram, page 200.
.b A s already pointed out in page 8, the flat lower terminal of the Descending Passage is not quite a t right-angles to the incline of the passage.
35.
MEASUREMENTS Ofi LOU7ER WELL-OPENING.
!
1
SMALL HORIZONTAL PASSAGE.
35.
The height o f the Small Horizontal Passage from floor to roof varies throughout its length, owing ro the rough unfinished condition of the floor. W e adopt the round number of 36 inches for this measure, which is the height of the passage at the Pit end. (This is the measure of Col.
Howard Vyse, and Prof. Flinders Petrie.) T h e roof is better finished than the floor, and is fairly level; and its vertical height above the lower extremity of the inclined floor of the Descending Passage, is, by measure, 37% inches.'* Thus, the * This vertical measurement was taken in March, 1912, when we revisited the Great Pyramid. In par. 291 of Vol. I, attention is drawn to a photograph (Plate L) where a three-foot rod can be seen standing vertically against the west wall at the lower extremity of the Descending Passage floor. The upper end of the rod is stated to be 1% inches below the horizontal line of 201
35.
SMALL HORIZONTAL PASSAGE, AND PIT.
floor-level of the Small Horizontal Passage is 1% inches above the level of the lower extremity of the Descending Passage floor (Sec diagram, page 201).
The small Recess which is hewn out in the roof and west side of the Small Horizontal Passage, is described a n d illustrated by our photographs in Vol. I, pars. 303, 304. This peculiar little Chamber is, roughly, six feet square; its height varies, the roof being very irrcgular. T h e walls, although fairly square and upright, are rather uneven, maging it difficult t o get definite dimensions. T h i s unevenness may be partly intentional, but exfoliation h a s certainly reduced the original surfaces. According to Prof. Flinders Petrie, the distance from the north wall of the Recess, southward to the north wall of the Pit, is 128 inches. Our nieasurement, which we have inserted in the diagram on page 201, 126% inches, was taken along the roof-line, from a part of the north wall of the Recess which appeared to be of the original surface. T h e distance from the south wall of the Recess to the north wall of the Pit, is 55 inches. For the full length of the Small Horizontal Passage, see page 9.
!
?fEASlJREMENTS OF THE PIT.
35.
ably accurate figure for the vertical height of the Pit roof-level above the roof-level of the Small Horizontal Passage (See diagram, page 201). Thus, the vertical height from the level of the lower extremity of the Descending Passage floor, up to the roof-level of the Pit, is 123 inches. For the length of the little soutll blind passage, see page 10; a n d for its floor-level, see page 196.
REMARKABLE agreement is thus f a r proved to exist
the roof-level of the Small Horizontal Passage. Our re-examination of this part showed that the bottoin end of this three-foot rod had apparently been inserted in a hollow, a little over half an inch below the general surface of the Descending Passage floor.
between the written Word, and the Lord's "Witness" in the land of Egypt (Isa. 19:19, 20). A s we proceed with our study of the monument we shall find still further correspondencies, confirming our belief that the Author of the Bible is also the Designer of the Great Pyramid. Not only does the Pyramid corroborate the Scriptures in many important features, but we can trace in this "Miracle in Stone" a number of the proruir~entdates and events of the Reformation period. T h e work of the great Reformers,-Marsiglio, Wycliffe, and Luther, and other historical events, such a s the French Revolution, are all appropriately indicated a t various points in the building's symbolical system. T h u s practically does the Great Pyramid testify t o the truth of the Apostle's statement: "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world (Acts 15:18). A s we have observed (page I I ~ )the , event which heralded the dawn of the Reformation was the strife between pope Boniface VIII, and Philip the Fair, king of France. T h e bull, "Unam Sanctarn," in which Boniface published his preposterous claim: " W e declare, determine, and decree, that it is nbsolutely necessary to salvation, that every humari being should be subject to the Roman pontiff',"
202
203
The roof-bevel o f the Pit, according to Prof. Flinders Petrie, is from 85.4 to 8 6 . 5 inches above the roof-level of the Small Horizontal Passage. W e found the height a t the north-east corner of the chamber to be 85.25 inches. Considering the soniewhat uneven character of the roof of t h e Pit (See Vol. I, par. 308), !be meat1 of these three measures, 85% inches, may be take11 a s a reason-
36. I[-HE D A W N OF T H E REFORMATION. had so enraged the French monarch, that he iulmediately attacked its arrogant author. From thak time the supremacy of the pontiff's began to wane. Referring to this small beginning of Papacy's decline, Henry Soames, in his preface to Vol. I11 of Mosheiin's celebrated " Ecclestiastical History," states : " Thus Boniface VIII had no sooner pushed papal arrogance to its giddiest height, than a recoil was iminediately provoked which Rome never could recover. Her efforts, also to regain former advantages, were paralysed within the century after that aspiring pontiff's death [/303], by the removal of his successors to Avigno~l[1309], and the discreditable embarrasing schism that ensued,"-1378 A.D., when Wycliffe came out as the great Doctrinal Reformer. From the beginning of its Millennia1 reign in 799-800 A.D., " Babylon the Great " gradually assumed its very lofty position in the affairs of Europe, the zenith of its power being reached in " T h e story of this strife and its results are related in the second volume of Mosheim's "Ecclesiastical History " (Soames' edition, pp. 605-607) as follows: "That the governors of the church, a s well of highest rank as of inferior, were addicted t o all those vices which are the most unbecoming t o men in their stations, is testified most abundantly ... ...All the honest and good men of that age ardently wished for a reformation of the church, both in its head [the pope] and in its members Ithe clergy] ......But to so desirable an event, there were still many obstacles. F ~ r s t ,the power of the pontiffs was so confirmed by its long continuance, that i t seemed t o be immovably established. In the next place, extravagant superstition held the minds of most persons in abject slavery. And lastly, the ignorance and barbarism of the times quickly extinguished the sparks of truth that appeared from time t o time. Yet the dominion of the Roman pontiffs, impregnable and durable as it seemed to be, was gradually undermined and weakened in this century, partly by the rash insolence of the pontiffs themselves, and partly by the occurrence o t certain unexpected events. " T h e commencement of this important change must be referred t o the contest between Boniface VIII, who governed the Latin church at the beginning of this century, and Philip the Fair, king of France. This high-minded sovereign first taught the Europeans, what the emperors had in vain attempted, 204
36. the time of Boniface VIII. During the last 300 years of this period, Mosheim says, "the Roman pontiffs would have nothing taught, which militated against their proud supremacy. .. ...Those who would not obey their laws, or showed that they regarded holy Scripture more than Roman authority, were most cruelly destroyed with fire and sword. In the second place, the priests and monks, finding it for their interest that the people should be entirely without light and knowledge, amused then1 with a sort of thcatric show, and placed all religion in empty ceremonies, corporeal austerities, and reverence for the clergy." "Hence, instead of religion, astonishing superstition and ignorance reigned everywhere among the people. Most persons placed more reliance upon relics-generally T H E DAWA: OF T H E REFORMATION.
that the Roman bishops could be vanquished, and be laid under restraint. In a very haughty letter addressed to Philip, Boniface maintained, that all kings and persons whatever, and the king of France a s well as others, by divine command, owed perfect obedience t o the Roman pontiffs, and this not merely in religious matters, but liltewise in secular and human affairs. T h e king replied with extreme biterness. T h e pontiff repeated his ~ and published the former assertions with g ~ e a t eariogance; celebrated bull, called Unam Sanctam; in which he asserted that Jesus Christ had granted a two-fold power o r sword to his church, a spiritual and a temporal; that the whole human rnce was subjected t o the pontiff; and that all who dissented from this doctrine, were heretics, and could uot be expected to be saved. T h e king ......p ublicly accused the pontiff of heresy, simony, dishonesty, and other enormities; and urged the calllng of a general council t o depose a pontiff so very wicked from his office. T h e pontiff, in return, excommunicated the king and all his adherents the same year. "Soon after receiving this sentence, Philip ......despatched William de Nogaret [a famous lawyer], with some others, into Italy, t o rouse the people t o insurrection, and t o bring the pontiff prisoner t o Lyons ......Nogaret, who was a resolute and energetic man ......raised a small force, suddenly attacked Bonlface, who was living securely at Anagni, made him prisoner, wounded him, and, among other severe indignities, struck him on the head with his iron gauntlet. T h e people of Anagni, indeed, rescued the pontlff from the hands of his furious enemy, but he died shortly aiter at Rome, in the montl-. of O c t o ~ e r [1303 A.D.], from rage and anguish of mind." 3nc
36.
T H E DAWN OF THE REFORMATION.
false, or at least dubious and uncertain-than upon Christ, or his merits." (" Eccl. Hist.," Soames' Ed., Vol. 11, pp. 448, 449). Transubstantiation, Confession, Absolution, and Indulgences, although long in existence, became firmly established during this period as articles of faith in the Romish Church. Thus sin was made very easy, and the poor deluded world hastened deeper and deeper into degradation. Danti: lived during Boniface's reign. Because of the gross ignorance and superstition which p~evailed,very few can then have had a saving knowledge of Christ's ransom-sacrifice, faith in which can alone cleanse from sin. W h a t incalculable blessing it was, therefore, when with the beginning of the "Babylonish Captivity of the Papacy" in 1309 A.D. (See page I I ~ )the , supreme power of the Antichrist was broken, and the light of the truth as it is in Christ Jesus was allowed gradually to shine into the heart of the believer. That was the dawn of the Reforn~ation. Then came Marsiglio in 1324 A.D., the first of the Reformers, who, in his famous book "Defensor Pacis" ("Defender of the Peace "), enunciated those principles of the Refornlation which others afterwards used with great effect." Thus we have before us three successivt events which together inaugurated the Reformation movemenl,$rst, the strite between the French king and * T h e following extracts from the writings of several leading Ecclesiastical historians will show the importance of Marsiglio's work : I n h i s description of the "Babylonish Captivity of the Papacy," Archbishop Trench says: "Foremost among the threatening births of the first half of the 14th century is a book, the ' Defensor Pacis,' written by a physician of Padua, Marsiglio by name (died 1328),in the immediate service of Lewis of Bavaria. No later hand has traced with a finer historical tact the mundane conditions which first made possible, and then favoured, the upgrowth of the Papal power; none has searched out with more unpitiable logic the weak places of the Papal armour. A n epochmaking book, Neander calls i t ; and certain, for good o r for 206
pope Boniface VIII, which began immediately after the latter's accession to the Papal throne in 1295; s ~ c o n d ,the exodus of the Papal court from Rome to Avignon in 1309, when the supreme power of "Babylon the Great" was broken; and third, the advent of the first active Reformer, Marsiglio, in 1324, when t h e Temple of the Reformation was built (See pages 118-120). "Babylon the Great," according to the Scriptures, is the last phase of the Kingdoms of this Present evil, it was far in advance of its age; so far, that it is difficult to understand how it could very strongly have influenced its age." Workman, in "Dawn of the Reformation," Vol. I, page 80, writes: " I n June, 1324, y i t h the help of his friend, John of Jandun,-'the two pests, as the Popc called them, 'from the abyss of SatanJ-he [Marsiglio] wrote his great work in the incredible space of two ~nonths. T w o years later, in the summer of 1326, he joined himself to Lewis. H e became the leader in a band of visionaries who urged the emperor on in his struggle with 'the great dragon and old serpent,' John XXII, [the sccond pope elected to office in Avignon]. In treatise after treatise, both Marsiglio and Ockham criticised the nature of the Papal power, denied its claims and demanded the restoration of secular supremacy." Page 85,-"The works of Marsiglio give us in clear outline the ideals which now regulate the progress of Europe. The bolts which he forged have shattered the doctrine of divine right and the temporal claims of Papacy. In his emphasis of the value of Scripture, though the hand that wrote was the hand of Marsiglio, the voice seems the voice of Luther: in his call t c the laity he foreshadowed Wesley: in his views as to the rights of separate congregations, he was a forerunner of the Independents.'.' Professor Lodge in his work, " T h e close of the Middle Ages," page 98, speaking about the struggle between the Emperor Lewis and Pope john XXII, says:-"No previous conkst between the iival heads of Christendom had produced so much literature, or literature of such merit and significance ......Above all, Marsiglio of Padua, in his great work, the Defensor Pacis, examined with equal acuteness and insight the fundamental relations of the spiritual and secular powers, and laid down principles which were destined to find, a t arly rate, partial expression in the Reformation." T h e following extract from Pool's "Age of Wycliffe," page 28, indicates some of the chief principles in Marsiglio's teaching: "Marsiglio's chief work, the Defensor Pacis, was written in 107
I
36.
THE DAWN OF THE REFORMATIOIV.
THE DAWN OF THE REFORMATION.
Evil World, and is doomed to destruction at the hands of the Lord by the completion of the "Times of the Gentiles" (See No. 3, page 24). In the Descending Passage of the Great Pyramid, the lower part of which symbolises this last phase of the Present Evil World, the dates of the three important factors which constituted the dawn of the
Reformation are respectively marked by (I) the north edge, (2) the centre, and (3) the south edge, of the lower line of the Well-opening. The Pyramid-inch measurements are in this instance carried along the roof-lines of the Descending and Small Horizontal Passages to the north wall of the Pit, which has been proved to mark the date of the destruction of "Babylon the Great," 1915 A.D. The three points of the Well-opening which mark the three important dates in the early Reformation, are projected up to the roof-line of the Descending Passage, symmetrically at right-angles to the incline of the passage (See diagram, page 200). When we remember that in the Pyramid's symbolisms the Well-shaft represents the ransom, it is confirmatory to find that its lower opening in the Descending Passage indicates the prominent dates of the early Reformation; for God's great purpose in bringing in the Reformation was to direct the world's attention to the all-atoning merit of his dear Son. He permitted the gross errors of the " Dark Ages " in order to demonstrate that neither sacrifices of the Mass, nor penances, nor any of the vain ritual of the Apostate Church, could liberate the fallen race from sin; then through his servants the Reformers he lifted the veil which hid the only true way of salvation,-faith in the ransom-sacrifice of Jesus Christ; for "neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Here, then, at the north edge of the Well-opening in the Descending Passage we see pope Boniface VIII, Antichrist's most arrogant representative, seeking with great swelling words of vanity to turn men away from this, the only way of escape mouth from the condemned condition. The speaking great things" began, indeed, to utter its blasphemies long before, and continued long after, the time of Boniface, for God had foreknown a
36.
1324, while he was still at the University of Paris. H e taught Republicanism. The comn~unity of all the citizens or their majority, expressing its will either by elected representatives or in their assembled mass, is the supreme power in the State. The people must choose a ruler, but to the hereditary principle he will make no concession whatever. The name Church belongs to the entire body of Christian men. It is intolerable that its prerogatives should be usurped by the sacerdotal order. Excommunication, for instance, cannot rightly be decreed by any priest or any council of priests. The verdict belongs to the community of the faithful. The power of the clergy is entirely restricted to spiritual affairs; it can only be given effect to by spiritual means. Of heresy as such there is but one judge, Jesus Christ, and his sentence is in the world to come. Errors of opiniou lie beyond the cognisance of human judicature. I n the New Testament, bishop and priest are convertible designations of the same persons, and the popedom is a later institution of which the historical growth is clearly traceable. St. Peter had no authority over the other apostles; but even supposing he had, it is hazardous to assert that he communicated it to his successors in the Roman See, since we cannot say for certain that he himself ever visited, far less was Bishop of, Rome a t all. The Pope in his quality of Christian Bishop can claim no right of supreme judgment in huillan things, even over the clergy. The keys of St. Peter open and close the door of forgiveness, but forgiveness is the act of God, determined by the repentance of the sinner. The Turnkey is not tbe Judge. Marsiglio goes through the standard arguments in favour of the Papal assumplioos, and rejects them one after anothcr, partly by his resolute insistence on the rational interpretation of the texts of Scriptures, partly by the essential distinction between the sacred calling of the pi-iesthood and their extrinsic or worldly connections. 'My kingdom is not of this world.' The ministers of the Church should be supported by those to whom they minister, but only in the necessaries of life; but no one of the faithful is bound by Scripture to pay them a tenth or any part of his income ......Wycliffe was seen by Pope Gregory XI to be the successor of Marslglio." [It was immediately on the death of pope Gregory XI that Wycliffe came out as the great Doctrinal Reformer.] 208
/
'l
0
209
7
36.
THE DAWN OF THE REFORMATION. 36. 11. Final destruction of "Babylon the Great," - A.D. 1914% Beginning of the "Babylonish Captivity of the Papacy," - - - - - A.D. 1309
THE DAWN OF THE REFORMATION.
period of 1260 years in which it would wear out H i s saints (See Dan. 7:8, 25; Rev. 13:5-9). Yet in the hour of its most confident assumptions, in the very middle of its Millennia1 reign, the blighting power of this " Man of Sin " began t o decline. Its very boastfulness only served to direct thinking men to the truth. Thus God can cause even the wrath of man to praise H i m (Psa. 76:lO). In the centre of the Well-opening we perceive Anticllrist's humiliation at Avignon, and the consequent greater liberty for the people of God to gain knowledge of Christ. Then at the south edge we behold Marsiglio, the forerunner of the Reformers, whose great work prepared the way for Wycliffe, and formed the basis for all subsequent reform Now, Wycliffe's date is indicated at the upper end of the Well-shaft, a s we shall notice in the next Section. Calculations showing how the dates of the three prominent events whzch constituted the dawn of the Reformation, are indicated nf fhe lower openijzg of the Well-shaft:
I. Final destruction of "Babylon the Great,"
which is the last phase of this Present Evil World, Autumn, A.D. 1915, Accession of pope Boniface VIII, whose excessive arrogance was the primary cause of the decline of Papal power,
-
-
-
-
A.D. 1914%
- -
-
-
A.D. 1295
-
-
Years 605% Distance along the roof-line from the north wall of the Pit, up to the vertical reference-line, 325%+278%,* - - Thence up to the point at right-angles to the rrntre of the lower line of the Well-opening,*
603% 2%
British inches 606% minus % Pyramid inches 605%
I
111. Final destruction of "Babylon the Great," Advent of the first active Reformer, Marsiglio, who forged the bolts which were used by subsequent Reformers, A.D. 1324, say the beg~nningof the year, - - - -
A.D.
1914%
A.D.
1323
-
Years 591%
Distance along the roof-line from the north wall of the Pit, up to the point which is at righrangles to the lower south e d p of the Wellopening, 325% + 278% - /I%,* British inches 59214 minus %
-
-
Pyramid inches 591%
'See diagrams, Section 35.
-
Years 619% Roof-length of Small Horizontal Passage leadlng to the Pit, the Great Pyramid's symbol of - - destruction, Distance up Descending Passage roof-line, to tne vertical reference-line below the Well-opening,* - - - - - - - Thence up to the point at right-angles to the lower north edge of the Well-opening, 2% t 14,'
-
-
-
325% 278 % 16%
British inches 620% minus %
-
Pyramid inches 619%
"See diagrams, Section 35. 210
was in 1378 A.D., the year of the "Great Schism of the West," when two popes were elected, one in Rome and the other in Avignon, that Wycliffe came out as the great Doctrinal Reformer (See page 121). Workman, in " D a w n of the Reformation," page 172, writes: " Wycliffe's spiritual earnestness was shocked, his theory destroyed by
IT
211
37.
WYCLIFFE.
the spectacle of two Popes each claiming to be the sole head of the Church, each labelling the other as Antichrist. T o Wycliffe, the year of the Schism, 1378, was the crucial year of his life. He first urged both Popes should be set aside as having little in common with the Church of the Holy God. Ffom this position of neutrality he quickly passed into one of antagonism to the Papacy itself." In his " Medizval Church History," Archbishop Trench says: "Gregory XI died on 27th March, 1378, and the Papal Schism broke out. The year 1378 marked the turning-point in Wycliffe's career. Hitherto he had concerned himself with matters of mixed ecclesiastical and political import, but henceforth he devoted himself exclusively to doctrinal matters and came out as the Reformer. He began in earnest the translation of the Bible into English, and took the next decisive step by an open attack, forced upon him by his studies of the Bible, against Transubstantiation. The effect was immediate. The University itself turned against him. H e was forbidden to teach. Ever afterwards he did, in nearly all his writings, introduce in some way a statement of his views upon Transubstantiation." Wycliffe thus attacked the very bulwark of Antichrist's stronghold, for the gross and blasphemous doctrine of Transubstantiation, or the sacrifice of the Mass, annulled the true sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Because of this selting aside of Christ's " continual sacrifice" by its substitution of the false sacrifice of the Mass, the Papal system became in God's sight the " Desolating Abomination " (Dan. 1 1 :31.See "Studies in the Scriptures," Vol. 111, pp. 99-104). In the Great Pyramid the Ransom-sacrifice of Christ is symbolised by the Well-shaft. The broken appearance of its upper mouth suggests Christ's resurrection, when he burst the bonds of death and thus opened the way to life and immortality (See diagram, page 104). Wycliffe was the first to reZIZ
I
WYCLIFFE. 37. direct men to this the only way of escape from condemnation, for the reformatory work of Marsiglio had been largely political, and was more in preparation for the great Doctrinal Reformer. Marsiglio built the Temple of the Reformation, but Wycliffe had the honour of restoring the precious vessels, doctrinal truths, that all the Temple class might know God and Jesus Christ whom H e sent (See Here, then, in effect, we see pages 120-122). Wycliffe standing a s it were at the open Wellmouth, pointing men to this symbol of the atoning work of the world's Saviour, and demonstrating in a practical way that it would be impossible for any to pass from death unto life, unless this way of access had been provided. Those who, during the Gospel Age, escape the condemnation of the world, are raised in the reckoned sense to perfection, as symbolised by the level of the Queen's Chamber floor. But they receive their reprieve only for the purpose of following in the footsteps of their Saviour; for any who will think to save his life, shall lose it (Luke 9:23, 24). T h e Apostle urges them not to receive this grace of God in vain, but to present their bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God (Rom. 12: 1). Those who comply with this request are translated from the power of darkness into the Kingdom of God's dear Son (Col. 1: 13). They lay aside all earthly hopes, and as Spirit-begotten New Creatures in Christ Jesus begin their upward walk of consecration to the King's Chamber condition of the diagram, Divine Spirit Nature ( 2 Pet. I:4.-See page 51). The faithful followers of Christ during the Gospel Age do not, therefore, at any time actually reach the Queen's Chamber condition of human perfection, but merely receive it by faith. The ultimate result of the ransom (corresponding price) is the blessing of all the families of the earth with human restitution, that every T a n may be perfect as Adam was before his fall, for there is 212
37.
W Y CLIFFE.
W YCLIFFE.
37.
one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all" (I Tim. 2:4-6). W e have seen how the faithful Ancient Worthies shall be raised to this perfect state, after the Church of the firstborn receive their better reward (Heb. 1J:39, 40). Men in general, however, will not attain the Queen's Chamber condition of human perfection until the completian of the " Times of Restitution " (Acts 3 : 19-21). Earth's Jubilee, or Times of Restitution began at the date of our Lord's return, I874 '+D. (Sec. 22), a n d will end in 2874 A.D., for this day of the Lord" is to be a thousand years long. Now, the measurement from the north edge of the upper mouth of the Well, where Wycliffe is represented a s standing in his office of teacher and expounder of the meritorious sacrifice of Christ, to the north wall of the Queen's Chamber, exactly equals the periodof years from 1378A.D. (the date of Wycliffe), to 2875 A.D. This date 2875~.D., we understand, will be the first year of the "little season" during which Satan i s to be "let loose " from the bottomless pit, in order that the perfected race of manlcind may be finally tested a s to their loyalty to God, just a s the perfect man Adam was tested in the Garden of Eden. Those who fail under this final test, a s Adaril did u n d y his, will suffer the same penalty, death; for the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). But in their case it will be the second death, from which there will be no resurrection, for Christ " diet11 no more" (Ron]. 6: 9). T h e important work of Marsiglio, who instituted and organised the Reformation and so prepared the way for Wycliffe, is indicated in the Great Pyramid a t the lowev mouth of the Well-shaft; while W ycliffe's still more important work of pointing men to the ransom-sacrifice of Christ, and so preparing the world for the Tinies of Restitution, the grand result of which will be the postmillennial bliss syrnbolised by the Queen's Cham-
ber, is indicated a t the upper mouth of the Well. A s we have said, the reason why Marsiglio is represented in the Descending Passage at the bottom of the Well-shaft, is that his work was in the main political. H e made clear the true relationship of Church and State, that, as Christ's Kingdom is "not of this world," the Church should not be in the ascendant, but should be subject to the civil powers in whatever did not affect its true spiritual interest. H a d this advice been taken, the Reformation would have proceeded rapidly, and the time of trouble shortly to come upon the world would have been averted in large measure. But only a few learned the lesson, and only a few, therefore, were prepared for the doctrinal reforms taught by Wycliffe. T h e world in general continued on its downward course to destruction. O n the other hand, Wycliffe's dale is indicated a t the summit of the Well, because the chief part of his work, a s we have observed, consisted in making clear the Scriptural doctrine of the ransomsacrifice of Jesus Christ, by faith in which men stand on the plane of justification (See diagram, page SO), symbolised in the Great Pyramid by the level of the summit of the Well-shaft, which is also the level of the Queen's Chamber floor. The ultirnate outcome of Christ's work, so far as the world i n general is concerned, will be the postmillennial perfection with eternal life, to all such as pass the final test of loyalty, symbolised by the Queen's Chamber, the north wall of which is now seen to indicate the date when this perfection will be attained. Although the Retormation under the Reformer Huss was largely of a national character, it nevertheless had its religious side. Mosheim says that Huss "publicly preached and recommended the opinions and the books of John Wycliffe." Huss, therefore, carried on Wycliffe's reform work, exposing the errors of Antichrist, a n d directing the
214
215
37.
WYCLIFFE.
truth-seeker to Christ's sacrifice a s a satisfaction to justice. His date, 1391 A.D., 13years after W y cliffe's date (See page 122), is indicated by the centre of the upper Well-mouth, which, a s shall be pointed out later (Sec. 41), is 26% inches wide.
Calculations showing that the north edge of the upper Well-mouth marks the date when Wycliffe came out as the great Doctrinal Reformer, and exposed the error of Transubstantiation, and pointed men to the true and meritorious ransom-sacrijice of Jesus Christ:
The north wall of the Queen's Chamber, which symbolises the condition of human perfection, indicates the date when this perfect state will be attained, namely, at the end of the "Times - of Restitution," or say, Date of the end of the "Babylonish Captivity of the Papacy," when Wycliffe came out as the great Doctrinal Reformer, and directed men to Christ's ransom-sacrifice, which is the only way by which the Queen's Chamber condition of human life may be attained, either reckonedly, or actually, Spring, A.D. 1378, -
-
-
-
A.D.
2875
A.D.
1377%
-
Years 1497% Length of the Horizontal Passage to the Queen's Chamber, - - - - - Distance from the north wall of the Grand Gallery, horizontally to the north edge of the Well-moutK, (See further in Sec. 41), -
-
1521% 22 %
British inches 1499% minus 1%
-
Pyramid inches 1497% 216
SOON after the period of Papacy's humiliation at Avignon, the popes regained much of their power , that at the beginning of the 16th (See page I I ~ ) so century, as Mosheim says, "No danger seemed to threaten the pontiffs." Even the revival of learning which followed the invention of printing (1440), and awakened in many minds the love of truth and liberty, did not appear to create uneasiness to the heads of the Apostate Church. The cause of this fancied security was that none dared to resolutely attack the supposed cano~zical authority of the Roman bishops. Education had not yet become general, and the great mass of the people, still ignorant and superstitious, reverenced the pope a s Christ's vicegerent. With such power at their command, the pontiffs were able not only to punish and coerce the refractory, but also to buy over with honours and rich emoluments their more dangerous enemies. Hence, "the Roman bishops reigned securely and free from every fear, giving way to their lusts, and vices of every sort, just a s they were impelled by a n innate depravity of mind." As a n illustration of the gross lack of judgment and depth of depravity to which the world had descended at the close of the 15th century, the conclave of cardinals in I492 elected a very "monster of a man " to the papal throne. This pope, Alexander VI, is justly called the Nero of pontiffs, because of his horrid crimes and villainies. H e died suddenly in I503 AD., through taking poison which he had prepared for others. His successor, Julius 11, was almost a s villainous, having besides other vices "very great ferocity, arrogance, vanity, and a mad passion for war." With such debased minds in unassailable control of the religious system, who can wonder a t the general degradation and gross immorality for which this period of Church history is notorious? 217
LUTHER.
Although many good men strove against the dreadful corruption, they were powerless to stem the downward course. Papacy only laughed at a n y attempt t o shake its ,power, which even the early Reformers Marsiglio, Wycliffe and Huss, with all their helpers, had apparently been unable to curb for long. Nevertheless, the dawn of the Reformation had passed, and the sun, temporarily obscured with clouds, was soon to shine forth and flood the world with light. Soames, in his preface to Mosheim's " Ecclesiastical History," Vol. ITI, remarks: " When the sixteenth century opened, Rome had apparently regained much of the ground that she had lost at a former period. But this appearance was delusive. H temporary calm had come over the religious world, leaving all the materials for a mighty storm in full, though concealed activity. By that very calm was the explosion hastened." " W h i l e the Roman pontiff thought everything safe and settled, and all pious and good men were nearly in despair of the religious reformation, so earnestly desired, a certain obscure and inconsiderable monk in Saxony, a province of Germany, suddenly opposed himself single-handed with incredible resolution to the power of Rome. This was Murtin Lz~ther." Luther was possessed of extraordinary talents, unconlmon genius, a copious memory, astonishing industry and perseverance, superior eloquence, a greatness of soul that rose above all human weaknesses, a n d consummate erudition for the age in which he lived." It was under this great Reformer, who was also ably seconded by other leaders and men of learning, such a s Melancthon, and Zwingle, that " Babylon the Great," falsely called "Christendom," was split into two divisions, Catholicism and Protestantism (Sec. 23). Luther was impelled to proclaim the Scriptural truths which his studies had revealed to him, because of the shameless sale of Indulgences which the "Holy Catholic" church (6
218
1
LVTH ER,
38.
I
sanctioned. This pious fraud was being energetically imposed upon the ignorant and timorous people, in order to extract money for completing the great cathedral of St. Peter in Rome, which pope Julius I1 had recently begun to build. Luther was moved with indignation, and on the 1st of October, 1517 AD., publicly exposed on the church door at Witten~berghis 95 propositions, in which he censured the Indulgence-traffickers and the pope himself, for thus diverting the people from the blood of Christ as the only propitiation for their sins. This was the beginning of Luther's active reform work; but he had not at first any thought of assailing the Papal hierarchy. Mosheinl says: "Luther admitted the pope's authority to excuse the humail penalties for sin, or those appointed by the church and the papal see; but denied his power to release from the divine penalties, either of the present, or the future world; maintaining, on the contiarv, that these divine punishments must be removed either by the merits of Jesus Christ, or by voluntary penances undertaken by the sinner." It was not until 1521 A.D. that Luther fully realised the antichristian character of the Papacy, and at the diet of Worms boldly defied that system age 152). It was on the 26th of May, 1521, that the official bill of outlawry was signed and issued against Luther. In the Great Pyramid, the division of Christendom, or " Babylon the Great," which is symbolised by the lower reach of the Descending Passage, is appropriately marked by the junction of the Descending and Horizontal Passages. In Section 32 we have shown that the extremity of the Small Horizontal Passage floor in the Pit indicates the date 1874 A.D., when the dissolution of Satan's kingdom of darkness was due to begin; while the date 1914 A.D. when the "Gentile Times" end, is indicated vertically underneath the 1874 point, by the produced floor-line of the Descending Passage (See diagram, page 201). T h e floor-level of the 2x9
38.
LUTHER. Small Horizontal Passage is 1% inches vertically above the lower terminal of the Descending Passage floor (Sec. 35). If we produce the horizontal floor-line of the former, till it intersects the inclined floor-line of the latter (See little inset in diagram on page ZOI), we shall find that this point of intersection indicates the date 1521 A.D. From this date the two main divisions of Babylon the Great diverged from each other under the enlightening process of education; but the spirit of the religious Reformation ceased toward the end of the 16th century. By that time the reforming party, the Protestants, had divided into three great Church-state systems, the Lutherans, the Anglicans, a n d the Presbyterians. T h e Papacy, the head of the "beast" which had been apparently wounded to death by the work of Martin Luther (Rev. 13:3), had recovered from the blow, partly owing to the division among the Protestants, and partly, also, because of a counter reform movement in the Papal system itself. Under the influence of these four powerful Church-state systems, Scripturally denominated "Mother" and "Daughters," (Rev. 17: 5), men again bound themselves firmly in their creeds. As proof of this, there is the well-known fact that during the past three centuries no nation previously Roman Catholic has become Protestant, or previously Protestant has become Roman Catholic."
1
LUTHER. 38. Nevertheless, a work of cleansing continued to progress in the " Sanctuary " class, the Lord's true household of faith. Indeed, it was on behalf of his own consecrated people that the Lord brought in the various steps of reform. All others have simply constituted Nominal Spiritual Israel; and even a s Nominal Fleshly Israel lost its kingdom 393 years after the division of its tribes into two sections, so Nominal Spiritual Israel is to lose its power by the completion of the "Times of the Gcntilcs," 393 years after its great division in 152f A.D. (See diagram, page 148). The Great Pyramid corroborates the Scriptural indication, that Catholicism and Protestantism, the two divisions of "Babylon the Great" or Antichrist, also called in the Scriptures the "beast," and the "false prophet," shall both be destroyed in the "lake of fire and brimston:'" symbolised by the Pit (Rev. 18:2-8; 19:20). Then shall that wicked [Antichrist, or "Babylon the Great "1 be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth [present
"Concerning the close of the Reformation a t the end of the 16th century, the Rev. Thoinas Witherow, Professor of Church History in Magee College, Londonderry, writesin "The History of the Reformation," Bible Class Primer, pages 82,83,as follows: " Whether owing to these means of counteraction, or that the movement had simply spent its force, with the year 1580 the Reformation reached its close. During the sixty years of its existence (1520-1580) it exercised intense influence over Europe. I t gained to its side the majority in North Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, England, Scotland and Holland. I t was checked, however, and won but a minority in Switzerland, France, and Hungary. In Belgium, Italy, and Spain, it was extinguished in blood. Its direct influence was not felt anywhere outside Northern and Western Europe; the Greek Church
remained untouched. By 1580 the movement was a t an end. The religious fervour of the first Reformers had then cooled. The great leaders had gone down to the grave. Their followers had divided into parties-Lutherans, Presbyterians, and Anglicans, and haa began to strive with each other. As they grew weak by division, the members of the Romish Church became more united among themselves, and more active in their work. The abuses, which had made for them so many enemies, now withdrew out of sight. Political arrangements raised a wall of separation between Protestant and Catholic countries. Men were no longer open to persuasion on religion. Each man had taken his side, and refused to change. The children of each new generation inherited the convictions and antipathies of their parents. Parties crystallized each around its own principle, and refused to melt again under any ordinary solvent. Since 1580, individual changes have been frequent, and new nations, not then in existence, have come into being, more especially in America: but, leaving out of sight the conquests of modern missions in Madagascar and the southern seas, Protestantism, since the sixteenth century, has not been adopted as the faith of any people who were previously in subjection to the Pope ......The countries which were Protestant in 1580 are Protestant still."
220
221
38.
LUTHER.
truth], a n d shall destroy with the brightness of his presence,-1874 to 1914 A.D. ( 2 Thess. 2 :8). Calculations showing that the point os the floor at the louler end oj the Descending P12ssage,which is horizotttally in lrne with the lowerest level of the Sinall Horzzontal Passage marks the date of the great divisro?~of "Babylon the Great inlo Catholicisln find Protestuntism : Date indicated by the "Point of Intersection," as proved in the calculation on page 190, - B.C. 151,1/4 Autumn, B.C. 1512, - - - Date of the division of Christendom, under the leadership of Martin Luther, middle of the year A.D. 1521, - - - - A.D. 1520%
F,
-
-
Years 30313/4 Distance from the "Point of Intersection" down the floor-line of the Descending Passage, to the level of the Small Htrizontal Passage floor-line, 30373 minus 294, - British inches 3034% minus 3 * See dlagram,
39.
Pyramid inches
page 201.
303/3/4 -
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION,
THEpassage leading to the Pit, changing a s if does from a steep downward, to a horizontal, direction, evidently represents the f a c t that through the invention of the art of printing, a n d the work of the Reformation, the people i n general have been awakened from their long slumber of ignorance a n d superstitious reverence for kings a n d clergy, a n d have secured liberty by means of which they have successfully fought many of the influences which were slowly but surely degrading them. Thus the downward course of the world has been stayed, a n d m e n h a v e b e g u n fondly t o d r e a m that a great m ~ v e m e n thas been instituted which 222
I
T H E FRENCH REVOLUTION.
39.
eventuate in the uplift of the world. Many schemes for social improvement have been devised a n d attempted, but they have hitherto met with only partial success. The great stumbling-block t o their accomplishment is man's imperfection. It h a s been found impossible to abolish insanity, disease, sin a n d death, a n d the reign of selfishness is manifested in the classes a n d the masses using their knowledge a n d liberty for their own aggrandisement, instead of obeying the golden rule a n d each seeking the general good of the community. T h e most pronounced attempt in the direction of the social a n d political uplift was the French Revolution, which broke out in the year 1789 A.D., a n d soon after, under Napoleon, brought to a n e n d t h e Papal millennia1 reign. Regarding this breaking of the sovereign power of Papacy a t t h e French Revolution, a n d the liberty a n d freedom of conscience thereby gained, Thomas H. Gill says in his work " T h e Papal Drama ": "In no work of the French Revolution is its retributive character more strikingly or solemnly apparent than in its dealings with the Roman Church and Papal power. It especially became France, which after so fierce a struggle had rejecled the Reformation, and perpetrated such enormous crimes in the process of rejection, to turn its fury against that very Roman Church on whose behalf it had been so wrathful, ...... to abolish Roman Catholic worship, to massacre multitudes of priests in the streets of her great towns, to hunt them down through her length and breadth, and to cast them by thousands upon a foseign shore, just as she had slaughtered, hunted down and driven into exile hundreds of thousands of Protestants, ..... In
~~~ct:~nit~g~~~~~h~h,"X~~!u~~~itun,'~~a,"~ Roman Catholic persecution of Protestantism. No sooner had the torrent burst forth than it dashed against the Roman Church and Popedom ....The property of the Church was made over
:and~ , ~ ~political ~ t ~ ~ y e b ; equality : l ~ r ~ ~ ~ ~...... ~ , " Itt , was " $ ~ , "a~~ sublime ~ ~ ~ d ~ ~ ~ and perfect piece of
l
retribution, which so amazed the world at the end of the eighteenth century; this proscription of the Romish Church by
~ ~ h ~ ~ ~ by that very French Nation, which, just one thousand years ago, 221
~
T H E FRENCH REVOLUTION.
39.
T H E FRENCH REVOLUTION. had, under Pepin and Charlemagne, conferred these territories [See No. 5, page 241. Multitudes imagined that the Papacy was at the polnt of death, and asked, would Pius VI be the last pontiff, and if the close of the eighteenth century would be signalised by the fall of the Papal dynasty [See pages 156, 1571. But the French Revolution was the beginning, and not the end of the judgment; France had but begun to execute the doom." It will not be until / 9 / 5 A.D. that the actual end
will come, not only of Papacy, but of all Christendom-See No. 3 on page 24.
39.
ledge and liberty are but increasing the wealth and luxury of the rich, while the poor are still wretched. Giant corporations and trusts have sprung into existence, which tend to grind the people down. There is a general feeling of unrest, and the widespread discontent is made apparent in the rapid rise of Socialism and Anarchy. Soon we may expect so great a n upheaval, that the Revolution ~ , by comparison appear insignificant. of 1 7 8 9 ~ . will By the year 1 9 1 5 A . D . this Present Evil World will be swept into utter destruction, Gehenna, symbolised in the Great Pyramid by the Pit (Sec. 34). But, thank God, this levelling down of the present order of things, which might seem to be the total end of all hope for mankind, will be God's opportunity to establish the everlasting Kingdom of His dear Son and joint-heirs: for "the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his [Antichrist's] dominion, to consume a n d to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the rnost High, whose kingdom is a n everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve a n d obey him " (Dan. 7 :25-27).
The French Revolution is represented in the Great Pyramid by the Recess in the Small Horizontal Passage which leads to the Pit. On measuring northward along the roof-line from the north wall of the Pit, symbolical of the final destruction to which the world is hastening, the north wall of the Recess is found to indicate the year 1789 A.D. (See diagram, page'201). One would think that the ancient workmen had at first intended to hollow out the large Subterranean Chamber at this point, but afterwards had changed their original purpose, and pushed on the Small Horizontal Passage a few feet further south, before finally excavating that large apartment (See Vol. I, par. 304). The Recess looks like a miniature Pit, CalcuIations showing that Be north wall of the Recess in the Small except that in this case the roof, and not the floor, Horizontal Passage leading to the Pit, marks the date of the French Revolution : has been left in a n unfinished condition. The Recess therefore represents the greater freedom of Destruction of the Present Evil World, Autumn, A.D. 1915, - - - - A.D. 1914% thought and liberty brought about by the French Revolution; but at the same time it foreshadows Date of the French Revolution, A.D. 1789, sayspring, - - - - A.D./788% the great time of trouble which is delayed till t h ~ completion of the period of the "time of the end Years 126% (See page 156). Though the French Revolution helped to break, Distance from the north wall of the Recess, down much of the ignorance and superstition which , along the roof-line of the Small Horizontal still clung to the people, and weakened the kingPassage to the north wall of the Pit (See diagram, page ~ o I ) , - - British inches 126% doms of this world, it did not bring about the minus f/4 " desire of all nations," good government with peace and contentment. On the contrary, the wonderful 1 Pyramid inches 126% inventions which have resulted from greater know- ) P 225
,
-
-
-
-
-
224
i
40. correspondency is shown in the 13th chapter of Revelation. John beheld a beast like a leopard rise out of the sea. It had the feet of a bear, and spoke with the voice of a lion; and power was given to it by the dragon. THE FOUR EMPIRES PARALLELS.
ACCORDING to the Prophet Daniel's inspired interpretation, each of the four sections of the great metallic image seen in vision by Nebuchadnezzar, symbolised a phase of the Gentile dominion (Dan. 2). In another vision, granted to Daniel (Chap. 7), these phases are seen in a different aspect. From Nebuchadnezzar's viewpoint the Gentile nations were to be admired as being like a great man; but from the viewpoint of God's servant they appeared beast-like. Thus :
In Section 20 we saw that the date 536 B.C. in the Jewish Age, corresponds with 1309 A.D. in the Gospel Age. In the former the 70-year universal empire of Babylon, the " head of gold," was brought to an end by Medo-Persia. In the latter the 770 years of the supreme power of Babylon the Nebuchadnezzar's Darrtel's Great, the "mother," came to an end at Avignon VISIOR. 'IlISIO?l. (See diagram, page 114). From Avignon to the = l ~ o nwlth eagle% wlngs. I . Babylon~a, = head of gold, = bear ralsed o n one s~de. z Medo-Pers~a, = chest of s~lver, Reformation under Luther, we have the "Bear" or 3 Greece, = abdomen of brass, = leopard wlth four heads. Medo-Persian phase of Christendom, symbolised 4 Pagan Rome, out = legs of Iron, w h ~ c h= feroc~ousbeast wlth iron teeth, out o f the head termmated ~nfeet by the feet of the leopard-like beast referred to in of whlch grew grew a "l~ttle of w$h: of ~ r o nand clay, Papal Rome, Revelation. To appreciate the force of this parallel, horn that had eyes, and a moi~thspeaklng we must remember that the overthrow of ancient great thlngs. Babylon in 536 B.C. by the conjoint kingdom MedoAs Babylonia was likened to the head of gold, Persia, typified the overthrow of "Babylon the and as the head represents the whole body, all the . the dual Kingdom of Christ Great" in / Q / ~ A . Dby Gentile empires may properly be said to bear the (See page 153). That will be the complete fulfilment name "Babylon." So also in the antitypz, "Babyof the type; but we are now dealing with the partzal lon the Great," the name of the first, or mother" fulfilment in the Gospel Age. Till the beginning phase of Christendom, applies eq2ally to the of the " Captivity of the Papacy" in Avignon, the " daughter " phases of that system. Babylon" is pope or spiritual head of Antichrist had ruled as a family name, for the same spirit of pride and king of kings, and lord of lords; but from 1309 A.D. arrogance which animated Nebuchadnezzar the this supremacy was broken, and the civil power, as first Babylonian king (Dan. 4:30, 37), has continued represented by the kings of France and other to actuate every ruler throughout the entire Seven 1 countries, had now more influence in the governTimes of the Gentiles. ment of Europe. This phase of Christendom, From 606 B.C. when the ancient Babylonian therefore, from one aspect, counterfeited the glorious empire was set up in universal power, till 70 A.D., Millennia1 Kingdom of Christ, which will be both Fleshly Israel was under the domination of the spiritual and earthly. four successive Gentile nations (See diagram, page During the Medo-Persian period of Christendom, 228). So, during the Gospel Age from 539 A.D. the people were helpless because of ignorance and when "Mystic Babylon the Great" was set up in superstition. As we pointed out (page 217), none power, till 1 9 1 5 ~ . ~Spiritual ., Israel has been under dared to assail the supposed canonical authority of four corresponding phases of Antichrist. This the popes, nor could the civil rule be questioned. 226
227
d
8
THE FOUR EMPIRES PARALLELS. 40. Thus, so far a s the people were concerned, the laws of this period were "unalterable," a s in the ancient Medo-Persian empire. Nevertheless, the people of God, the true Spiritual Israelites, experienced greater freedom; for even a s Cyrus overcame the Babylonian empire, and permitted a s many as mould of the Fleshly Israelites to g o free and lay the foundations of the temple in Jerusalem, so Philip the Fair, king of France, attacked and overcame Babylon the Great, permitting every "Israelite indeed" to free himself and help lay the foundation of the Reformation Temple.
The Medo-Persian empire was succeeded by the Grecian empire, syn-lbolised by the leopard with the four heads. When Alexander the Great was crowned in 336 B.C., he immediately began his series of conquests, and in 12 years had established his world-wide sway. In 324 B.C. he received embassies from all parts of the world. Early in the next year, 323 B.C., he died. H i s four generals a t once began to strive against each other, with the result that the Grecian empire was divided into four main parts, as predicted by the Prophet Daniel (Dan. 8:8, 21, 22). These events prefigure parallel events in the Gospel Age. T h e conquests of A!exander the Great correspond to the work of Martin Luther. In March 1509 A.D. Luther received the degree of B.D., with an appointment as professor of Biblical theology in the University of Wittemberg. Hitherto, a s a teacher of philosophy, he had had little opportunity to examine the Word of God. H i s new appointment gave him this longed-for privilege. H e first studied the Psalms, but soon directed his attention to the Epistle to the Romans, from which he gave lectures to his students froin day to day. Although Luther's active reform work lay between 1517 and 1521 A.D., yet the year when he was granted authority to teach the Bible, 1509, was the true beginning; for
40.
40.
THE FOUR EMPIRES PARALLELS.
T H E FOUR EMPIRES PARALLELS.
there, in the very first chapter of Romans, verse 17, he read the words which formed to key-note of the Reformation-"The just shall live by faith." These words burned into his mind. H e took this a s a message from the Lord, and from henceforth pursued his career as a Reformer. His first victories principally consisted in successfully combating errors previously imbibed as a monk, thus preparing himself for his more active outward conquests. In 1521 A.D., 12 years later, he finished his work. The conditions in Christendom underwent a decided change during these 12 years; a new phase of Babylon the Great was established corresponding to the ancient Grecian empire, and symbolised by the leopard part of the animal spoken of in Revelation. But Luther soon afterwards practically ceased his work as Reformer. H e began to strive with other Reformers who hitherto had been in the background, with the result that Christendom, while divided into two principal parts,-Protestantism and Catholicism,-was split into four main sects, namely, Lutheranism, Presbyterianism, Anglicanism, and Reformed Roman Catholicisn~(See page 220). These were four Church-State systems, and were therefore really Gentile powers, corresponding to ancient Greece which was symbolised by the leopard with four heads. Lulher remained a Roman Catholic up to the time of his excominunication. H i s work, however, would not have been possible but for the preceding work of Marsiglio, Wycliffe, and Huss. This explains why the leopard-like creature beheld by John, stood upon the feet of a bear; for the third phase of Christendom, from 1,uther's time onward, rested upon the foundation of the second. But throughout all these phases the "voice" was the same. T h e domineering voice of the "motherchurch," the proud arrogant spirit of the old "Babylon the Great,'' symbolised by the lion, still
fdund expression through her " daughters." The four great Church-State systems, like their parent Babylon the Great, claimed to be "Christendom," that is, they each asserted themselves to be Christ's Kingdom, thus contradicting the Word of God which states that the Church is in hun~iliation,not in power, and that Christ shall not reign till the end of the Seven Times of the Gentiles. Ancient Rome, the fourth universal empire, symbolised by the ferocious beast with iron teeth, was in existence a t the time of Babylon. It was then very feeble, but gradually grew in strength during the Medo-Persian and Grecian periods. Shortly after the " Peace of Macedonia in 197 B.C., Rome entirely absorbed the Grecian empire. In the time of Julius C z s a r the Roman empire was practically world-wide; under Czsar Augustus it reached thr zenith of its power. A t this time our Lord Jesus came and offered himself to his own, the Jewish nation. But as they rejected him, he pronounced their House desolate, and predicted the total destruction of their temple and nationality (Matt. 23:37-39; 24:1, 2). The faithful remnant, the "wheat" class, who received Christ, were delivered from the nominal mass of Fleshly Israel, the " chaff," and became sons of God (John 1 : 11-13). In Section 20 we noticed that the overthrow of the Nominal Fleshly House of Israel in 70 A.D. by the Roman army, foreshadowed the downfall of the Nominal Spiritual House, Christendom, in 1915 A.D. by the rising masses of the people (See also page 79). Thus Rome, as it existed toward the close of the Jewish Age, represented the power of the people in the closing years of this Gospel Age. Rome was different from the preceding empires in that it was a Republic, a governmen; of the people by the people. Vox populi, the voice of the people," was the uratchurord of ancient Rome. This power was lost during the growth of Papal )'
40.
40.
THE FOUR EMPIRES PARALLELS.
THE FOUR EMPIRES PARALLELS.
Rome, which, a s "Babylon the Great," inaugurated the antitypical phases of the four ancient Gentile empires. In this aspect, Rome, as symbolised in the great Gentile image by the iron legs terminating in the feet of iron a n d clay, has continued till this d a y (See diagram, page 228). During the supremacy of Babylon the Great previous to Avignon, although many good men recognised the necessity of reform, the power of the people was too feeble to make this possible. T h e Papacy, symbolised by the little horn that had eyes and a mouth speaking great things, was too cunning to be overcome, unless the power o f God should be exerted on behalf of its opposers. From Avignon till the time of Luther the people increased their power, owing to the influence of godly men, who held up the Word of God a s the standard. During this " leopard " period of Christendom the three Protestant Church-State systems were quarrelling with each other, and therefore allowed not only the fourth system, Reformed Roman Catholicism, to revive, but also enabled the people to become strong. Education, also, became more general owing to the extension of the art of printing, which spread the Bible everywhere. Eventually, in 1618 A.D., a violent religious conflict broke out between the Protestant and Papal divisions of Christendom, in which each tried to exterminate the other. This lasted till 1648 A.D., and is known in history as the "Thirty Years' War." T h e outcotne of this long conflict was that the people became tired of all religious differences, and the celebrated treaty called the "Peace of Westphalia" was signed, in October 1648 A.D. Although the pope clamoured loudly against the treaty, none of the rulers who favoured his cause dared to interrupt the terms of peace, which were duly ratified in 1650. This treaty, one of the most important in European history, became the basis of all subsequent
treaties up till the French Revolution, and may be regarded as the beginning of the fourth phase of Christendom. It corresponds to the date 197 B.C., when the Roman power nlay be said to have begun by the " Peace of Macedonia " (See diagram, page 228). T h e American W a r of Independence and the French Revolution, are decided evidences of the growth in the power of the people. And now, general knowledge is increasing so greatly, overthrowing reverence for both Church and State, that shortly these shall be overwhelmed in a time of trouble such as was not since there was a nation, just a s predicted by our Lord (Dan. 12: 1, 4; Matt. 24:21). The disintegration of the great Antichrist system will be so complete, that "one stone shall not be left standing upon another." T h e foreordained period of "Seven Times" of Gentile oppression shall then have expired, and Jerusalem, either spiritual or earthly, shall no longer be trodden down.
41
MEASUREMEXTS O F T H E UPPER -WELL-RIIOUTH.
THEupper mouth of the Well-shaft is situated on the west side, near the north wall, of the Grand Gallery.* Definite dimensions of this Well-mouth are difficult to obtain, owing to its fractured surroundings. Prof. C. Piazzi Smyth gives a list of measurements in his "Life and Work," Vol. II, but as he has given no explanatory diagrams, it is not easy always to follow his meaning. Prof. Flinders Petrie does not give many details of this part of the Pyramid, and refers his readers to Prof. Smy th's publication. Recognising the synlbolical importance of the Well-mouth, we devoted much time to it " W e have already explained and illustrated this portion of the Great Pyramid, pages 103 and 104. See also Vol. I, plates CXLV to CXLVIII.
41.
AfEASCTKEMENTS OF UPPER WELL-MOUTH.
during our second visit to the Pyramid in 1912. W e verified all our measurement by various methods; and although our results differ slightly froni those of Professors Smyth and Petrie, we believe that the figures which we show in the diagrams on pages 234 and 235, are a s nearly correct as it is possible to determine, considering the now soinewhat dilapidated condition of the wall surfaces. The horizontal distance from the north wall of the Grand Gallery, to the south edge of the Wellmouth, is, according to Prof. Smyth, 49.3 inches; but according to Prof. Petrie it is from 48.7 to 49 inches. 49 inches is the meurz distance, which we have adopted. The width of the Well-mouth, horizontally from north to south, is according to Prof. Smyth, 28 inches. W e do not know how Prof. Smyth arrived at this figure; it is certainly too large. Prof. Petrie's measurement is from 26.9 to 27.2 inches. W e found it inipossible to get any definite dimension for this width, except along the back of the recessed portion of the west wall of the Grand Gallery, i.e., at the place where the words "Wellmouth" appear in the drawing on page 104. A t this part the surfaces are iiiuch better preserved, and we found the width to be 26% inches. W e confirmed this by other rlieasureinents. According to the above, the horizontal distance from the north wall of the Grand Gallery, to the north edge of the Well-mouth, is 22% inches ; and the inclinrd distance along the floor-line of the Grand Gallery is 25 inches. The width of the Well-mouth from east to west, that is, from the line of the west wall of the First Ascending Passage (which is continuous with the front surface of the west Ramp), to the west wall of the Grand Gallery, is 20% inches. W e measured this several times, and in different ways, 236
MEASUREMENTS OF UPPER WELL-MOUTH. 41. always finding the same result. The depth of the recessed portion of the Grand Gallery west wall, which was presumably at one time filled in with part of the now missing Ramp-stone, is 6% inches (See sectional diagram, page 235). The full width from east to west is, therefore, the same as from north to south, i.e., 26% inches. The floor of the little horiz~ntalpassage which leads from the Grand Gallery westward to the shaft of the Well, is much fractured. The highest level is in the north-east corner, about 26 inches vertically below the level of the break-off in the inclined floor of the Grand Gallery. This level is in the same line a s the floor-level of the Queen's Chamber (See upper diagram, page 234). The length of the little horizontal passage floor, to the east edge of the shaft of the Well, is stated by Prof. Smyth to be 56 inches. We found the length nearer 55 inches, and we measured it in various ways.
4.2.
THEJEWISH NATION'S PERIODOF SEPARATION FROM THE WORLD.
INASMUCHas the Descending Passage represents the downward course of the Gentiles, and the First Ascending Passage the people of Israel, the "Point of Intersection" where the two passages diverge may be considered a s indicating the date of the Jewish Nation's separation froni the other nations of earth, namely, the Exodus fro111 Egypt, 1 6 / 5 ~ . ~ . (See Bible dates, Sec. 3). W e have demonstrated by a number of time-calculations that the date of the flood, when this Present Evil World began, is marked at the north end of the Descending Passage by the vertical line of the roof-con~mencement (Secs. 30 and 32). The upper portion of the Descending Passage, therefore, which lies between 237
42.
THE JEWISH NATION'S PERIOD OF
the roof-commencement and the " Point of Intersection," should in some way correspond to the time from the flood to the Exodus. Although the floor-distance is too great, this period of the Bible chronology is nevertheless approximately corroborated by the horizontal distance between these two fixed points (See diagram).* When God separated the Jewish Nation to be a peculiar treasure " unto himself, he commanded the people through Moses not to intermarry with the Gentiles. Although they occasionally disregarded this injunction, yet in the main they held themselves aloof from the other nations; and God dealt with this Nation according to promise, saying, "You only have I known of all the families of the earth" (Amos 3:2). From the time of this separation the Jewish Nation was placed under the Law (6 schoolmaster," that it might be prepared to receive the Messiah (Gal. 3:24). When the Messiah came in Autumn of the year 29 A.D., the date of his baptism, the "harvest" of the Jewish Age began, and continued for 40 years till Autumn 69 A.D. During these 40 years the faithful individuals who received Christ were given the opportunity to 66
*The period from the flood to the Exodus is 857% years (2472% B.C. minus 1614% B.c.). The horizontal distance above referred to is about 494 Pyramid inches more than this: Cosine 8964648 x 962.75" = 863'071 British, or 862% Pyramid, inches (See Appendix).
238
SEPARATION FROM THE WORLD.
42.
become his joint-heirs in the heavenly Kingdom. This faithful remnant having been selected, the unbelieving Nation a s a whole was finally cast off from all further favour; and the people were dispersed throughout all the nations of the world at the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 A.D. Jesus pictured the death of the Jewish"Nation as the people of God in his parable of the rich man and Lazarus." Just as in modern times "John Bull" represents the English nation, and "Uncle Sam" the American nation, so in this parable the It rich man" represents the Jewish Nation, rich in God's favour; while " Lazarus " represents those Gentiles, aliens and strangers from the commonwealth of Israel, who longed for the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table (Eph. 3, 11, 12; Matt. 15:21-28). Jesus, speaking i n the language of prophecy as if the events narrated were already in the past, told how both "Lazarus" and the "rich man" died and were buried. Then the rich illan being in torment lifted up his eyes and saw Lazarus in "Abrahanl's bosom," the place of favour with God. The explanation of this is that in Autumn of the year 36 A.D.,which was the end of Israel's 70 weeks" of exclusive favour, the Lazarus class "died," i.e., ceased to exist as aliens and were received into God's family. Cornelius was the first of these (Acts 10). At the end of the harvest period of 40 years the "rich man" died, i.e., ceased to exist as the Holy Nation of God (Deut. 7:6, 7). Ever since then the Jews, no longer a Nation, have been in the hadean condition, and "in torment." Even to this day, especially in Russia where they endure much persecution, they suffer greatly. Nor can their sentence as outcasts be reversed until the "Times of the Gentiles" are fulfilled. But very soon now, all Israel ;hall be saved according to God's promise; and what shall the receiving of - "We shall show later how this period of "70 weeks" is also indicated in the Pyramid.
239
42.
T H E JEWISH NATION'S PERIOD OF
them be, but life from the dead ?" (Rom. 11 :15-32). Thus the time from the Exodus in Spring 16/5 B.C., till the end of the "harvest" in Autumn 69 A.D., in all 1683% years, formed the complete period during which the Nation of Israel was distinct and separate from all other nations. The corresponding mea:Yrement in the Great Pyramid commences at the Point of Intersection" where the First Ascending Passage leaves the Descending Passage, and ends above at the east edge of the shaft of the Well, which is the Pyramid's symbol of " hades," the death-state. Or, following out this time-measurement in detail, we start from the " Point of Intersection " a s indicating the Exodus when the Jewish Nation was separated from the ' world, and measure upward along the middle of the floor of the First Ascending Passage, counting a Pyramid inch to a year, until we reach the point exactly opposite the centre of the Well-mouth in the Grand Gallery (Compare diagrams in Sec. 41), and then turn sharp to the right and go westward along the 2 / inches to the edge of the mouth, down the 26 inches to the floor of the little horizontal passage, and, finally, along the middle of the little passage floor to the east edge of the perpendicular shaft of the Well. By this measurement the east edge of the Well-shaft is found to indicate the date, Autumn 69 A D . , the very end of the Jewish harvest period when the Nation of Israel entered the hadean condition, and the people were again returned into the world. Calculation showing how the Jewish Nation's period of separation from the other nations of earth, is indicated in the Great Pyramid:
Exodus of the Jewish Nation from Egypt, Spring, B.C.1615, - - End of the Jewish "harvest" of 40 years, which was followed by the dispersion of the Jews at the overthrow of Jerusalem by the Romans, - - Autumn, A.D. 69,
- -
-
-
-
B.C.
A.D.
Years
SEPARATION FROM THE WORLD. Length of the First Ascending Passage, up from - - the "Point of Intersection," Distance from the north wall of the Grand Gallery, to the edge of the shaft of the Well." - - - Add 25, 13M, 21,26,55, =
-
1545
14014
British inches 1685% minus 194 Pyramid inches 1683%
"See diagrams in Section 41
43.
42.
THE BIRTH OF THE SAVIOUR,AND THE ADVENTOF THE MESSIAH.
IN Section 10 we saw how the dates of the birth and baptism of Jesus Christ are marked at the upper end of the First Ascending Passage. These calculations are specially connected with the Plane of Human Perfection, as symbolised by the level of the Queen's Chamber floor. We find that the Pyramid contains a n additional corroboration of the dates of both of these important events by a method of indication which is more particularly related to the Jewish Nation, a s symbolised by the First Ascending Passage. In the two time-measurements presented in Sections r I and 42, viz.: (I) the period from the giving of the Law to the death of Christ; and ( 2 ) the period from the Exodus to the dispersion of the people of Israel by the Roman army, the zirlfaithfzll element of the Jewish Nation is very apparent. Because of their unbelief and hardness of heart, the Lord in 33 A.D. ~ r o n o u n c e dthe sentence of desolation upon their House" or national polity; and five days later they laid cruel hands upon him and slew him. In the year 70 A.D. the Nation entered the hadean condition, as a punishment for its continued lack of faith. A t the beginning of the Nation's separate existence the same evil heart Q
241
43.
THE BIRTH OF THE SAVIOUR, AND
of unbelief is noticeable; for of all those above twenty years of age, that is, all the responsible individuals, who were called out of Egypt, only two, Joshua a n d Caleb, were permitted to enter the land of Canaan. All the others were so unbelieving a n d disobedient, that they perished in the wilderness (See Deut. 1 :22-40 ; Num. 1 4 :22-45). But i n the midst of the general blind unbelief, the Lord always had his few faithful witnesses. Of such were the small remnant, who, a t the end of t h e Age, were received by Christ a s his joint-heirs (John 1:11; Rom. 9:27; ll:5). T h e Great Pyramid symbolically distinguishes these loyal members of the Jewish Nation b y means of special time-measurements. T h e time-measurements which refer to these faithful ones are on a higher plane than those which refer to the Nation at large. The unfaithful majority are pictured as going up thejoor-line of the First Ascending Passage, but the faithful minority, not in sympathy with, and in the Lord's sight much superior to, the others, are represented as going up ( I ) along the axial-line, i.e., the line midway between the floor a n d the roof; and (2) along the r-nof-line itself. These measurements start from the floor of the Descending Passage, as indicating Spring 1575B.~., the date of the Jewish Nation's entrarfce intoCanaan (See Bibie dates, Sec. 3). They terminate at the upper south end of the First Ascending Passage. Joshua and Caleb, and the children of those who perished in the wilderness, were pern~ittedto enter the land of pro~nise(Num. 14: 3 1, 32; Deut. 1 :36-40). They showed their faith when they crossed the flooded waters of Jordan, and caused then~selvesto be circun~cised,for their disobedient unbelieving fathers had not circumcised them in the wilderness (Josh. 5: 2-9). It was because of their faith, also, that the walls of Jericho fell, and that the hostile nations were subdued before them (Heb. 11:30). For what great event were the faithful Israelites 242
THE ADVERT OF THE MESSIAH.
43.
hoping and long? They eagerly looked forward to the Advent of the great Deliverer, whom God had promised. T h e waiting was long in order that their faith and patience might be tried and developed. In due time the few who remained true to the Lord and his pro~niseswere rewarded. Jesus, the Saviour, was born in Autumn of the year 2 B.C. (Sec. 10); and the faithful Israelites at that time, the shepherds, Sifjleon, Anna and others, gladly received him and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Israel" (Luke 2:38). It was not, however, untjf his baptism in Autumn 29 A.D., when he was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power," that he came as the " Messiah," or the "Christ" (Acts 10:38; John 1:4 1, margin). Then the hearts of many who were Israelites indeed, such a s Peter, John, Philip and Nathanael, were gladdened, because they had "found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets did write," "the Son of God, the King of I s r ~ e"l (John 1 :45-49). Thus, these two measurements, in conjuction with the other in Section 11, show that the upper end of the First Ascending Passage indicates three important dates, each of which may be regarded as a starting-point of the Gospel Age, as symbolised by the Grand Gallery. ( I ) in the centre of the south doorway of the First Ascending Passage, midway between the floor and roof, the date of the Birth of Jesus, Autumn 2 B.C., is indicated. Jesus came to this earth for the very p ~ ~ r p o sofe giving his flesh for the life of the world (John 6 3 1 ; I Pet. 3:18). ( 2 ) But he was unable to present himself in sacrifice until he was 30 years of age. Accordingly, it was in Autumn 29 A.D. that he symbolised his consecration unto death in the waters of Jordan (Luke 3:2 1-23). From that moment he became the Messiah, and the " H e a d " of the Church. This date is indicated where the roof of the First Ascending Passage terminates at the north wall of 243
T H E BIRTH OF T H E SAVIOUR; AND 43. the Grand Gallery. (3) Three and a half years later Christ completed his sacrifice by his death on the cross, and at Pentecost, fifty days after his resurrection, the Holy Spirit was poured forth on his disciples, the first members of the Church, when they were all with one accord in one place. It was in the year33 A.D., therefore, that the Gospel "Call" commenced so far as the Church, the Body" of
43.
T H E ADVENT OF THE MESSIAH. Length of the First Ascending Passage, Additional axial Iength, to the floor of the Descending Passage,*
1545
- - - - -
30
British inches 1575 minus 1%
-
Pyramid inches 1573% 11. The Jewish Nation entered Canaan, - Spring, B.C. 1575, Baptism of Jesus, when he became the Messiah, - - - - Autumn, A.D. 29, -
-
B.C.
1574%
A.D.
28%
-
Years 1603% Length of the First Ascending Passage, Additional roof length, down to the floor of the Descending Passage,* -
-
-
1545 60 -
British inches 1605 minus 1%
-
Pyramid inches 1603%
VERTICAL 5ECTION
(..OM
N m r ~ro
Sovrx ioo#,rr W r J ~ S ~ c u m m c JUNCTION
P A S S A C L A N D FIRST ASCENDING
PASSACE
-
OF DESCENDING
-~.---. e #
I
Christ, was concerned (Col. l:18; Phil. 3:14). This date, a s we have seen in Section 11, is indicated by the point where the floor of the First Ascending Passage meets the floor of the Grand Gallery. Calculations showing how the south end of the First Ascending Pussage, at the line of the north wall of the Grand Gallery, indicates the dates of the birth and baptism of Jesus Christ;
I. The Jewish Nation entered Canaan, - - - Spring, B.C. 1575, Birth of the Saviour, Autumn, B.C. 2, -
-
-
B.C. B.C.
1574% 1%
-
Years 1573%
244
*By trigonon~etricalcomputation, on the basis that the angle of the passages is 26" 18' l o N . and their transverse o r rieht-aneled heieht 4 7 . 6 " ( S e e footnote. page 1631, thk extra length of the produced rGof-lit~e>;
44
WORLD'SHISTORY T H E JEWISH AGE.
PERIOD O F T H E BEFORE
PREVIOUSto their deliverance from Egyptian bondage, the twelve tribes of Israel had been in existence for 198 years; for Gen. 49:28 shows that it was at the death of its founder, Jacob or Israel, that this nucleus of the future Jewish Nation was formed, Therefore the Jewish Age properly began in Spring, 1813 B.C. In Section 16 we noticed that the commenceITlent of the Jewish Age is indicated at the "Point of 245
44.
44.
PERIOD OF THE WORLD'S HISTORY
BEFORE THE JEWISH AGE.
Intersection," where the First Ascending Passage branches upward from the Descending Passage. According -to this- the- " Point of Intersection " should also be the termination of a time-measurement corresponding to the period of the Patriarchal Age, for Jacob was the last of the Patriarchs (Compare Nos. 2 and 6 on page 24). The Great Pyramid does contain a time-measurement which approximately agrees, not, indeed, with the length of the Patriarchal Age, but with the period of the world's history previous to the Jewish Age. The end of t l first ~ ~thousand years of this period, called Adam's day " of condemnation, i~ marked by the north edge of the Descending Passage "basementsheet" (Ser. 25). The number of years from the
T o have made this, and the other approximate time-measurement referred to a t the beginning of Section 42, exactly agree with the two periods mentioned, the upper reach of the Descending Passage would have required to be shorter by the characteristic number of 5 inches (See page 81). But this shorter length would interfere with the exactness and harmony of much more important time-measurements, some of which we have noticed. It is proper, therefore, that comparatively unimportant periods in the Bible chronology should be corroborated in the Pyramid by approximate measurements only. These close approximations, at least, entirely disprove the authenticity of the long chronologies of the Samaritan and Septuagint versions of the Scriptures.
45.
end of Adam's 1000-year I' day," till the Jewish Age began, is 1313% (3126% B.C. minus 1812% RC.). The longest possible symmetrical Pyramid-inch measurement of the upper reach of the Descending Passage, closely approximates this period of years, agreeing to within 6% inches (See diagram)." *This measurement is the sum of the vertical and horizontal distances between the two points which indicate the dates 3/26 B.C. and 1813 B.C. T o get the vertical distance, multiply the sine of the passage angle by 986% : ' 4431 146 x 986 ' 25" = 437 021 British inches. T o get the horizontal distance, multiply the cosine of the passage angle by 986% : -8964648 x 986.25" = 884 ' 138 British inches (See Appendix). 246
-
THE
OATH-BOUNDCOVENANT.
IT has now been proved that the First Ascending Passage indicates several distinctive periods of time in connection with the children of Abraham, such as the duration of the Law Covenant (Sec. II), the period of the Nation's separation from the world (Sec. 42), and the course of the faithful remnant of that Nation (Sec. 43). W e have seen, also, that the " Point of Intersection" indicates the beginning of the Jewish Age, the date of Jacob's death (Sec. 16). There is still another very prominent event in the history of the Jews, which one would expect should be indicated by the " Point of Intersection," for it formed the foundation of all God's dealings with his people. W e refer to the great "Oathbound Covenant" which God made with Abraham (Gen. 22:15-22). Here again the Pyramid fulfils our expectation; for although the "Point of Intersection" does not appear to mark the very date 247
45. T H E OATH-BOUND COVENANT when God "confirmed" his promise by "by an oath" when Abraham demonstrated his obedience to the Divine command by his willingness to sacrifice his only son (Heb. 6:13-17), yet the date of the promise itself (2045 B.c.), and the typical fulfilment of this promise in the birth of Isaac, the typical seed (2021 B.c.), are both appropriately indicated by this point. The Scriptures show that after God destroyed the Old World by the deluge, a period of 427 years
HORIZONTAL LINE
passed before He promised Abraham that in him and in his seed all the families of the earth would be blessed (See page 18). Abraham believed God, and thus earned the distinction of being called the Father of the faithful. This was the first intiination since the beginning of the Present Evil World, that God still had at heart the eternal welfare of the poor groaning creation. The promise was therefore the root of that hope which has sustained the faithful children of God, both earthly and spiritual. From this root sprung the fleshly seed, and afterwards the spiritual seed, of Abraham. W e find that the Great Pyramid corroborates the period which intervened between the beginning of the Present Evil World, and the Abrahamic Covenant, by the vertical distance between the point at the upper end of the Descending Passage which marks the date of the flood, and the level of the 248
THE 0.4 TH-BOUND COVENANT.
45
"Point of Intersection." * By this method, therefore, the "Point of Intersection" indicates the date of God's promise to Abraham. After a long wait of 25 years, during which Abraham's faith was tested, Isaac, the seed" of promise, was born. God said to Abraham In Isaac shall thy seed be called" (Gen. 21:12). But we have the Apostle's inspired statement that the Seed of Abraham is Christ, and that Isaac therefore was merely a type (Gal. 3:16). In his sermon at Antioch, recorded in Acts 13, the Apostle Paul shows that the promised Seed is the risen Christ. His words in verses 32 and 33 are: " W e declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he has raised up Jesus again; a s it is also written in the second Psalm, 'Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.'" In Romans 1:4, also, Paul tells us that it was by the resurrection from the dead that Jesus was "declared to be the Son of God with p o ~ e r . " Jesus himself said after his resurrection: All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matt. 28:18). As the Seed of Abraham he was now qualified to bless all the families of the earth. T h e beginning of the blessing took place at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the servants and handmaidens (Acts 2:l-18). From another aspect the Apostle shows that those who were blessed by receiving the Holy Spirit, ulso became the Seed of Abraham, for i n GaI. 4:28 he distinctly says: "Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise." Nevertheless, Jesus *Compare the diagram on page 248, with the diagram on page 162. T o get this vertical distance multiply the sine of the pas,4431146 x 962'75" = 426'608 British sage angle, by 962%": inches, which is 426% Pyramid inches. This time-measurement, therefore, corresponds with the period from the flood, to the year of the Abrahamic Covenant, though not the exact months of these years. 249
45.
THE OATH-BOUND COVENANT.
Christ himself, being the " H e a d " of the great antitypical Seed, represents the whole body, and th~rshis personal resurrection from the dead may be said to have been the fulfilment of God's promise to Abraham. Jesus Christ, the Head of the antitypical Seed of brah ham, was "born from the dead " at the end of the Law Dispensation, and at the beginning of the Gospel Dispensation, in Spring 33 A.D. Accordingly, this date is indicated at the line of the upper
or south end of the First Ascending Passage, and the beginning of the Grand Gallery. T h e date when Isaac the typical seed of promise ?as born, Autuinn 2021 B.C., is indicated by the Point of Intersection." The long interval of 2052% years between these dates is corroborated by the longest symmetrical measurement of the 'First Ascending Passage. Measuring from the Point of Intersection " first vertically up to the level of the Queen's Chamber floor, which syinbolises the Plane of Human Perfection on which Jesus was born, and then horizontally southward along this level to 250
THE OATH-BOUND COVENANT. 45. the line of the north wall of the Grand Gallery, the total number of Pyramid inches equals 2052%. Isaac could not bless all the families of the earth, because he was born on the Plane of Human Depravity, partaking with the rest of mankind in the sinful nature inherited from Adam. He could not, therefore, redeem the world from death, and thus any blessing coming through him would have been of a temporary nature only. The "Man Christ Jesus," on the contrary, was not of the Adamic stock, but being born on the Plane of Human Perfection he was "holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners." This perfect human life he required to lay down in sacrifice, in order to buy the fallen race of mankind, that he might afterwards in due time redeem them from the grave, and bless then1 with everlasting life. Therefore, as the "Seed of Abraham," Christ 1s spiritual, but in order to become the Seed he required to be born a perfect man, that he might present a perfect sacrifice to justice. For this reason the time-measurement now under consideration terminates a t the line of the Grand Gallery north wall, and on the level of the Queen's Chamber floor the Pyramid's symbol of human perfection. Isaac, the typical seed, on the other hand, being imperfect, is represented as born on the steep inclined floor of the Descending Passage, which symbolises the Plane of Human Depravity. Calcttlations showing how the Firsi Ascendir~g Passage indicates the long period of waiting, from the time of the birth of the typical seed of promise, till the birth of the Head of the great a~ttitypicalSpiritual Seed: Date of the birth of Isaac, the typical seed, - - - - Autumn, B.C. 2021, Date of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Head of the great antitypical Seed, Spring, -4.D. 33,
-
-
-
-
-
-
B.C. 202034
A.D.
32%
-
Years 2052%
45.
T H E OATH-BOUND COVENANT. Vertical height from the "Point of Intersection" up to the level of the Queen's Chamber floor,* Horizontal length from thence to the line of the north wall of the Grand Gallery,? -
THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL.
6693/4 ,385
British inches 205{3/4 minus
-
Pyramid illches 2052%
* T o get this vertical height, thesineof the passage angle must be multiplied by the length of the First Ascending Passage, mitrus Lhe 33% inches by which the Queen's Chamber floor-level is lower than the upper terminal of the passage (See diagram. page 62) : .4431146 X 1511.5" = 669-767O. f.e., 669%". + T o get this horizontal length, mult~plythe2osine of the passage angle, by the length of the passage : .8964648 x 1545 ' = 1385.038". (See Appendix.)
46.
THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL. CAREFUL of the First Ascending Passage discloses wonderful syminetry in the arrangemellt of its masonry. A s pointed out in Vo[. 1, pars. 160-170, the special feature of this " Girdle-stones," passage is its peculiar with their remarkable "pointers" (See Vol. I, plate CX). Although fully described and illustrated in Vol. I, Prof.' C. Piazzi Syn~th's description may well be repeated here : "In the year 1872, Mr. Waynman Dixon applied himself long and steadily to mapping down everything measurable touching the reputed disorder of the joint lines in the First Ascending Passage of the Great Pyramid; and presently perceived a most admirable order pervading the apparent disorder, tending also to hyper-excellent masonic construction. For the chief discovery was, that a t stated intervals the small blocks forming elsewhere separately portions of the walls, floor and ceiling of the passage, were replaced by great transverse plates of stone, with the whole of the passage's hollow, rectangular bore cut clean through them; wherefore, at those places, the said plates formed walls, floor, and ceiling, all in one piece. "As an engineer he admired the binding and solidity of this masonry. But he had not yet perceived, until I was recently enabled to point it out on his own careful measures, that the intervals of passage length at which these remarkable stone plates were introduced, were roughly, no other than bvendfhs of the Kina's Chatizbev."
46.
This feature is SO peculiar that one is led to the conclusion that these "Girdle-stones," as Prof. Srnyth elsewhere calls them, must have been inserted for sorne purpose other than mere stability, especially as in no other passage are such encircling stones to be found. Investigation has revealed that the three upper Girdles, which are specially distinnuished from those in the lower reach of t& passage by their " were placed there by the great &laster-Builder for the indicating certain tstanding dates in the history of the Jewish nation. The first or highest Girdle marks the prominent date 455 B.C., when Nehemiah received his comi~iissionand built the walls of Jerusalem. The seco~zdGirdle marks the date of the last typical jubilee-year observed by the nation of Israel. The thv-d Girdle marks (11 the comnlencement of the Kingdom of Israel, and (2) the setting UP of the typical temple of Solomon. Let U S now examine these time-measurements in their order, beginning first with the third Or lowest Girdle. The typical kingdom of Israel is usually considered as having begun with king Saul, but it should be remembered that the Lord said to Samuel On that occasion: ''They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign Over them " (I Sam. 8:7). From the time that the cl,ildren of ~~~~~lentered canaan, ~~d was their King (1 Sam. 12:12); and even when men occupied the throne the kingdom was still the (See Deut. 17 :14-1 9; I Chron. 28:5; 2 Chron. 9 : 8 ; I same 12: 20-25). consequently, the con,menceinent of God's typical kingdom 011 earth was in Spring of the year 1575 B.C., when the nation entered the land of promise (See Set. 3). The date of the termination of the kingdom was a t the dethronement of the last king, Zedekiah. This took lace by the decree of the
T H E KINGDOM OR ISRAEL.
T H E KINGDOM OF ISRAEL.
Lord a s expressed through the prophet Ezekiel: " A n d thou, profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose d a y is come, when iniquity shall have a n end, thus saith the Lord; Remove the diadem a n d take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn it [the kingdom]; a n d it shall be no more, until he comes whose right it i s ; and I will give it him " (Ezek. 21:25-27). There the Lord declared that his kingdom on earth would conie to a n end with the dethroi1:ment of Zedekiah, but not for ever. W h e n Christ, whose right it i s " a s the greater Son of David, comes in power a n d great glory, God's Kingclom will once more be established on earth. During the interim, whiie the Jewish nation has been "abased," the Gentile nations have been "exalted" to universal dominion. These "Times of the Gentiles" will soon expire; a n d when Christ takes to himself his great: power a n d begins to reign in righteousness, h e will first destroy all the kingdoms of this world, and then inaugurate his rule of peace. In Section 4 we saw that Zedeliiah was carried captive to Babyion in the 4th m o n t l ~of his 11th year, a n d t h a t in the 7th month, which, according to the Bible chronoiogy, would be Autumn of the year 607 B.C., the last remnant of the Jews w a s driven out of the land of Palestine, from which time it lay desolate without a n inhabitant for 70 years. As the nation of Israel entered their land in Spring 1575 B.C., a n d continued as a kingdom from that date until the land was made desolate, the total duration of the typical kingdom was 968% years (1574% B.C. minus 606% B.c.). A t the end of the 70 years of desolation the nation returned to Palestine, but in accordance with the decree of God it has been subject to Gentile dominion during the whole of the "Times of the Gentiles." T h e kingdom will not be restored till these "Times" are fulfilled (Luke 21:24), then Christ
will become the King of Israel, a n d his doininion will be a n everlasting dominion (Dan. 7:9-27). Section 42 explains how the Great Pyramid indicates the complete duration of Israel a s a Nation separate from the rest of the world. Lei us now see how the complete duration of Israel a s a Kzwgdom is represented. It will be remembered that Autumn 69 AD., when, a t the end of their 4 1 harvest" period of 40 years the Natiotz "died" (ceased to exist a s a Nation), is indicated by the east edge of the upper end of the Well-shaft, which symbolises hades, the death-state. T h e cessation (death) of Israel a s a Kingdom is also marked b y the same edge. Starting from the loweredgeof the thzrd Girdle, a s marking I the date of the beginning of the Kingdom of Israel, Spring 1575 B.C., a n d counting a Pyramid inch t o a year, u p the middle of the floor of the passage to the point opposite to the mouth of the Well;" then, turning sharp to the right a n d travelling along the 21 ~ n c h e st o the edge of the little horizontal passage leading t o the shaft, down the 26 inches to the floor of this little passage a n d along its length of * I t will be noticed that this measulemellt is i3/4 inches short of the polnt which IS exactly opposite the cefftre of the mouth of the Well. T h e date, Autumn of 607 KC., is not, therefole, ~ndicatedby the centre of the east edge of the shaft of the Well, but at a point o n that edge which IS 1% inches north of the centre. This, which at first seems not so decis~veas the measurement of Section 42, appears nevertheless to be a n intentional teature; for in three other time-measurements where the same date, 607 B.C., would seem as if ~t s7zould be marked by the north edge of the Well, we find instead that it is marked by a point whlch is exactly 1% inches short of the noltll edge. These three time-measurements will be considered in Section 48.
25 4
255
16.
46.
46.
THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL.
55 inches to the east edge of the perpendicular shaft, this edge will be found to indicate the date Autumn 607 B.C., the year when Zedekiah was taken captive b y Nebuchadnezzar, and thus when the Kingdom of Israel entered hades, the deathstate, i.e., when it ceased to exist as a Kingdom (See diagrams, pages 234 and 235). Calculations slrowing how the third Girdle-Stone in the First Ascending Passage, and th east edge of' t / Well-shafi, ~ mark the dates of the commencement, afrd end, of God's typical Kingdom, i.e., the Kingdom of Ismel: Date of the Jewish Nation's entrance into Canaan, when their Kingdom was set up with Jehovah a s King ( I Sam. 12: 12), S p r i n g , ~ . ~ . 1 5 7 5 ,- - - ~.C.15743/4 Date of Zedekiah's dethronement, and the consequent fall of the Kingdom of Israel (2 Kings 25: 2-4, 22-26), Autumn, B.C. 607, B.C. 606%
-
-
-
-
-
Years 968% Distance from the lower edge of the tlzird Girdlestone, up the floor-line t o the upper or south - end of the First Ascending Passage,* Distance from thence to the east edge of the perpendicular shaft of the Well (See diagrams o n pages 234 and 235). Add 25, IIJht 21, 26, 55, = -
-
-
83 1
-
138% British inches 969% minus I
-
Pyramid inches 968%
*These are the fiyres of Mr. Waynman Dixon. Prof. Flinders Petrie's t See footnote on page 255. measurement is 830'9
.
47
RESTORATION O F THE NATION A N D KINGDOM O F ISRAEL.
SEEINGthat the eastern edge of the upper end of the Well-shaft indicates the two dates when, first the Kingdom, then later the Natiom of Israel, passed into the hadean condition, which is symbolised by 256
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 47. the Well-shaft (Secs. 42 and 46), it may be asked: Since hades represents that state of death from which there will be a n awakening, does the Great Pyramid indicate the date when the Kingdom and Nation will emerge from it? According to our understanding of the prophecies, God will " bring again the captivity" of His people from their hadean condition in Autumn of the year 1914 A . a , the date of the termination of the "Times of the Gentiles." Of the two openings of the Well-shaft, the lower one in the west wall of the Descending Passage should indicate this date; because although the Jews will then have manifestations of God's favour, and will return as a Kingdom with Christ a s their King, they will pass through the "Great Time of Trouble " which is due to come upon the world in the year / 9 / 5 A . D . , symbolised by the Pit. The emergence of the Israelites from hades, their return to the promised land, their participation in the trouble which will bring about the destruction of the Gentile nations; and the coming of their King, are all graphically described by Jeremiah in the 30th chapter of his prophecy, verses l,foLJ1- :.Q "Thus speaketh the Lord God of Israel, saying, W r i t e thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book ...... for lo, the days come, saith the Lojd, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the Lord [bring them out from their captivity in hades, death]: and I will cause them t o return t o the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it ...... for thus saith the Lord; W e have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace ... ..Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: i t is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. F o r i t shall come t o pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that 1 will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bands, and strangers shall no more serve themselves o f him: but they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king [the Great Antitypical David, Christ], whom I will gaise up t o them ...... for I am with thee, saith the Lord, t o save thee; though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished."
The Great Time of Trouble which will destroy R
257
47.
RESTORATIOIV OF ISRAEL.
for ever the other nations a n d kingdoms (not t h e people, but the systems), will be used of the Lord f o r t h e corrective punishment of Israel. T h e trouble a n d distress will b e first a n d especially upon Christendom, a n d eventually upon all nations, but t h e final blast, named b y the prophet " T h e time of Jacob's trouble," will be upo: the people of Israel regathered i n Palestine (See Studies in t h e Scriptures," Vol. IV, pp. 552-559). T h e total length of the Well-shaft approximates the period of t h e S e v e i ~Times of the Gentiles;" but we have seen that, while the time-measurement of Section 46 proves t h a t t h e date 607 B.C. is indicated a t t h e upper e n d of the Well-shaft, so a previously considered Lime-measurement (Sec. 29) proves t h a t the year following t h e completion of the Gentile Times, 1915 A.D., is indicated a t t h e lower e n d (See last par. on page 174). By this method, a n d b y means of t h e symbolism of the Well-shaft, the Great P y r a m i d represents one aspect of the long period of Gentile dominion, during which t h e Kirigdonl ctf Israel must remain hidden in hades, the death-state. * A full description of the Well-shatt is given in Vol. I, pars. T h e length of the shaft is 2284 '; and if to this we add the full lengths of the little passages which lead to the shaft at the upper and lower ends, 84" and 103 ' respectively, we get the complete length 2471 British inches.
529-571.
48.
THE SEVEN TIMES OF THE GENTILES.
WE considered in the last Section the period of the "Seven Times of the Gentiles" in its relation t o the humiliation of the Jewish people, showing how their kingdom a n d nation are, figuratively, hidden in t h e Well-shaft which symbolises hades. There a r e t w o other aspects of the "Seven Times," namely, (I) t h a t which concerns the trial and testing of the Church, a n d (2) that respecting the lease of 258
power t o the ki~lgdornsof this world. Both of these aspecrs are represented in the Great Pyramid by appropriate time-measurements, exactly corresponding to the period of 2520 years. T h e s e two time-measurements both begin al the same point a t the upper end of the Well-shaft. T h i s poinl is r ~ o tarbitrarily fixed, but is directly indicated by another time-measurement which corresponds to the period of the first " Seven Tinies " shown in the diagram on page 148. T h e first Sev2n T i r n ~ s(Sec. 23) began a t the end of Adam's 1000-year day " of condenlnation, a n d ended a t the dethronement of Zedekiah, at wliich date the second " Seven Times " commenced (See page 150). In the Great Pyra~niclthe end of Adam's 1000year " d a y " is marked by the north edge of the Descending Passage " basement-sheet" (Sec. 25). Measuring first vertically up t o t h e level of the summit of the Well-shaft (which is also the level of the Queen's Chamber floor), a n d frotu thence horizontally southward along this level to within 1% inches of the north edge of the Well-shaft, we find the date of the end of the first Seven Times. T h i s was the date when the Kingdom of Israel entered the hadean condition which is symbolised by the Well-shaft (Sec. 46). T h i s termination of the measuremenl of 2520 Pyramid inches, 1% inches from the north edge of the Wellshaft, is the starting-point for the measureniellts which correspond to the two aspects of the second Seven Times, a s already mentioned (See d i a g r a r ~ ~ , page 262)." " T h e reader will notice that these time-measurements of 2520 Pyramid inches d o not terminate exactly at the line of the north edge of the Well-shaft, but 1% inclies short of it. This explains the point mentioned in the footnote on page 255. In that Section (46) it was seen that the end of the measurement corresponding to the term of the Kit~gdonr of Israel, did not coincide exactly with the centre of the eastern edge of the Wellshaft, but 1% inches short o r to the north of it. If the third Girdle-stone, which marks the beginning of that Kingdom-period, 259
48.
T H E SEVEN TIMES OF THE GENTILES.
Before Israel can have its Nationality and Kingdom restored, the Spiritual Israelites must first be exalted to power; or, in other words, the last member of Israel's Spiritual King, the Christ head and body, must have completed his course and have passed beyond the vail. We have seen how the length of the Grand Gallery, which symbolises the upward walk of the spirit-begotten Church, corroborates the Scriptural teaching that the date of the completion of the body of Christ is Autumn 1914 A.D. (Sec. 12). And in Section I 9 we saw that this, the "fulness of the Gentiles," will coincide with the termination of the Times of the Gentiles. The final glorification of the Church is therefore delayed till the ordained term of Gentile dominion expires (Rom. 13:l). This aspect of the second Seven Tinles is represented in the Pyramid by a measurement of 2520 inches, which begins at the point where the first Seven Times end, and terminates at the upper south wall of the Grand Gallery. The nleasurement is taken first horizontally southward to the vertical line of the Grand Gallery south wall, and then up this vertical line to the base of the south wall on the top surface of the Step (See diagram, 262). Jesus' application of the protnise in the second Psalm to his faithful joint-heirs (Rev. 2:26, 27), shows that the time of its fulfilment will be when all the spirit-begotten members of the Church are born from the dead in the First Resurrection, and are united with him their Head. The Christ being now complete, God will appoint him a s King upon his holy hill of Zion, and ' ~ i l lgive hinz power to break the nations with a rod of iro11,"~fo"dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in were altered from its present position, the symmetric arrangement of the three upper Girdles would be destroyed (See quotation, page 252), and certain time-measurements would not be possible. 260
their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; to execute vengeance upon the heathen [nations], and punishments upon the people; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron: to execute uDon them the iudaments written: this'honour have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord " (Psa. 149). The 'glorification of the saints will therefore mean the destruction of the Gentile nations. This forms the other aspect of the Seven Times of the Gentiles, and is represented in the Pyramid by a direct measurement of 2520 inches which, like the former, begins at the point which marks the end of the first Seven Times, and terminates at the rooflevel of the Pit, at the point which is vertically in line with the south wall of the Grand Gallery. (Compare diagrams, pages 262 and 201). It is very appropriate that the meeting-point of the time-measurements which represent the first and second periods of Seven Times, should be at the north edge of the upper end of the Well-shaft, for when God remembered mercy in the midst of the years of his wrath (Hab. 3:2), and through Ezekiel prophesied of the coming of a righteous King of Israel (Ezek. 2 1 :25-27), it was on the basis of the future sacrifical work of Jesus Christ that this assurance was given. God foreknew that his beloved Son would gladly sacrifice his life on behalf of the Jewish nation and the whole world, and thus prove his worthiness to be exalted a s earth's everlasting King and Ruler. As the Scriptures say: "Being found in fashion as a man, he [Jesus Christ] humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus everyknee should bow,of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth: and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
-
26r
7 HE S h V E N T I M E S "OF T H E GANI'ILES.
48.
Father " (Phil. 2: 8-1 1). In the Great Pyramid the Well-shaft is the s y n ~ b o l of Christ's ransomsacrifice, which was the suprenle evidence of God's mercy and love for the fallen race of mankind (John 3:16). Thus, in the Pyramid, the date of the " n ~ i d s t " of the years, 606 B.C., a n d the ransom-sacrifice of Jesus Christ, are brought into close connection. T h e great Stone Witness in Egypt, therefore, b y t h e foregoing method, corroborates the orderly arrangement of the plan of salvation a s shown in the diagram on page 148,-the "Seven Tillies" from the First Adam's " d a y " to the overthrow of the kingdom of Israel, and the "Seven T i l l ~ e smore" to the Second Adam's " d a y " when the kingdoms of this world shall be destroyed by the glorified Church, and when the Deliverer is due to come forth out of Zio11 to "turn away ungodliness from Jacob" under the terms of the New Covenant (Rom. 11 :25-27). Calculations sl~owiftgItow the periods of tlr~fivsta d second "Seucn Times" shown in the dtagi-czn~011 page 148, ate represe~ztcdtn tlze Great Pyramid: I. T h e first "Seven Times" or 2520 years, beginning a t the end of the First Adam's 1000-year "dayJ' of condemnation (See Sec. 25), B.C. 3126% Zedekiah's dethronement, and the end of the kingdom of Israel, and the beginning of the "Times of the Gentiles" in the 7th month, B.C. 606% Years 2520 Vertical distance from the north edge of the Descending Passage " basement-sheet," which marks the date of the end of Adam's "day," up t o the level ot the summit of the Well-shaft, " 232% Thence horizontally southward a t this level to the line of the south end of tile First Ascending Passage,? 2269% Horizontal distance from the north wall of the Grand Gallery, to the north edge of the Wellshaft, m~tztis134 inches (See diagram, page 234), 20% Hr~tishinches 2522% minus 294 < t Iior footnotes see page 264. Pyramid inches 2520
-
-
-
11. Beginning of the second "Seven Times" or
2520years,
-
-
-
-
-
-
Completion and glorification of the Church, which, as God's agency, shall destroy the "kingdoms of this world," and thus terminate the lease of the Gentile~dominion, - -
~.C.606%
A.D. 19/33/4 Years 2520
-
Horizontal distance from the north wall of the Grand Gallery, to the vertical line of the south wall of the $Grand Gallery, mirzus the measurement oi 2034 inches referred to in Calculation I,Z -
-
-
-
-
1667%
Thence vertically up to the top surface of the Step at the head of the Grand Gallery, 5 -
855%
-
British inches 2522% minus 234 -Pyramid inches 2520
-
111. Beginning of the second "Seven Times"
-
B.C.
606%
Overthrow of Christendom and consequent end of the "Times of the Gentiles," when "Jerusalem" shall no longer be trodden down of the Gentiles (Luke 21 :24), - -
A.D;
1913%
o r 2520 years,
-
-
-
-
-
Years 2520 + F o r this vertical distance, see the note on page 167. Notice that the level of the summit of the Well-shaft, is a150 the level of the Queen's Chamber floor (See upper diagram on page 234). t F o r this horizontal distance, multiply the cosine of the passage a/gle.,by the I545 = 2531%~Brltlsh ~nches. total lengths of the passage floors: 986% 8964648 X 2531.25 = 2269.176". i.e., 2269% . $ S e e diagram on page 112, and first footnote on page 113. 1688%" minus 2 o v = 1667%~.
+
-
§ T o get this vertical height, nrultiply the sine of the passage angle, by the floor-distance between the level of the summit of the Well-shaft (which IS 33% inches down the flool-liue of the upper end of the Flrst Ascending Passage-see upper diagram on page 234), and the foot of the Step at the bead of the Grand Gallery; and to this add the height of the Step (See d~agram.Page 70). 33% ' f 1815%'' = 1848% British inches. .4431146 X 1848.75" = 819.208", And 819%" plus 36' = 85554".
264
T H E SEVEN TIMES OF T H E GENTILES. 48. Direct.measurement from the point which is 134 inches to the north of the north edge of the Well-shaft, a t the level of the summit of the shaft, down to the roof of the Pit, at the point which is vertically in alignment with the south wall of the Grand Gallery (See Sec. 33, also diagram on page 201),* British inches 2522% rnlnus 2%
-
-
-
-
Pyramid inches 2520
@*This inclined measurement is found by, jirst, getting the vertical height between the level of the summit of the Well-shaft, and the roof-level of the Pit. T o get this vertical height, multiply the sine of the passage angle, by the total floor-length between the Well-shaft summit, and the lower terminal of the Descending Passage; and suhstract from the result the I23 lnches by which the Pit roof-level is above the Descending ,+ge floor-terminal (See diagram, I ~ I I Y 3037%" = 4549 Br~tish inche;. page 201; also page 202). '4431146 X 4549" = 2015.'128" i.e.. ~ 0 1 5 $ ~ .And 2015%" minus 123" = 1892% The vertical height required ii therefore 1 8 9 % British inches. Second, We require to find the horizontal distance between the point which is 1% inches to the north of the north edge of the upper end of the Well-shaft, and the point on the roof-level of the Pit which is vertically in alignment with the south wall of the Grand Gallery. This horizontal distance we have already found to be 1667% British inches (See the third footnote on page 264). Now that we know the vertical and horizontal distances between the two points mentioned, it is an easy matter to compute the irrclitred d~stancebetween them by means o f the rule referred to i n the footnote on page 131. The vertical height of 1892%", and the horizontal distance of 1667W, form two sides of a right-angled triangle. We desire to find the length of the third side, which is the inclined distance reauired. Therefore. sauare the vertical heinht. and horizontal distance. and d d these two sauares ioeether. T h e third siae of the triangle is equal td the square root of tbis sum. This square root is 2522. 5 1 British inches, which is 2520 Pyramid inches.
+
.
" 'BUT Sololllon built him an house ' (Acts 7:47). Thus spake the martyr Stephen of hitn who needed no house, and yet was willing (for his people's sake) to dwell in one. This was the glory of Solomon, more than all his riches, power,.pomp, and wisdom. The Scripture narrative of 111s reign is n ~ a i n l y taken up with the Temple, and this does really correspond to the truth of things, for the Temple which Solomon built became more and more the fixed centre of the national life of Israel, and that national religious life was the germ which has expanded into the spiritual life of Christendom. In building that Temple, Solonion was doing far more
265
-49.
THE TEMPLE.
than he had any idea of himself: he was providing a n outward shrine for the worship of the living G o d ; and that worship, transfigured a n d spiritualized, but yet relaining its conscious identity, was to become the universal religion of the world. It was the Temple which made Jerusalem ' t h e joy of the whole world' (Psa. 48:2): it was the Temple which gave to Jerusalem a n everlasting name " ("Life and Reign of Solomon," by Rev. B. Winterbo~ham). T h e time appointed when the worship of Jehovah l of the world is to become the u ~ ~ i v e r s areligion was not during the Gospel Age, the time of the Church's humiliation, but in the Millennia1 Age when the Church is glorified with Christ as the great ai?titypical Temple of God. For 011 the authority of the inspired Apostle we know that Solomon's temple typified the Lord Jesus and his followers, who are called collectively the "Temple of the living God " (2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:19-21). The Kingdom of S o l o m o ~ ~also, , prefigured the glorious Kingdom of Christ and his joint-heirs. But the "Royal Priesthood" is not yet installed in fill1 power, for the whole Gospel Age, as the antitypi2al d a y of atonement, is set apart for making the better sacrifices," on which will be based the ' 4 oetter covenant" than that of Moses'. Thus, those who have made a covenant with God by sacrifice, can by faith identify themselves a s the Temple of God (I Cor. 3:16, 17; 6:19); but it will not be till the last overcomer has passed beyond the vail that the great Spiritua! Temple of God will be built. Autumn of the year I914 A.D., being the end of the "Times of the Gentiles," will, we understand, be the date when the Temple-class will be set up in Kingdom power; a n d therefore the typical temple and the typical kingdom of S o l o n ~ o nwill both have their antitypical fulfilment together (Rev. 1:6: 20:6). Just a s in David's reign, which prefigured the period of the Church in the flesh, many of the 1
265
temple stones were quarried, hewn, and polished, and then marked a i ~ dlaid aside for their future purpose, so during the Gospel A g e God has chosen out of this world the various "living stones," "cut out without hands," and has caused them to be prepared and polished through the instrumeiltality 2f " strangers " in conformity with the lines of the chief corner stone," Jesus Christ (I Pet. 2:3-5). A s each follower of Christ made himself ready by voluntary submission to the will of God, he was laid aside in the sleep of death Lo wait for the due time when he would be raised with a glorious spiritual body, and take his appointed place in the antitypical house of God. A s we have seen (Sec. 17), this resurrection of the sleeping saints began in Spring 1878 A.D., and a t that date, therefole, the building operations of the antitypical Temple began, without noise or commotion, even a s in the type "there w a s neither hammer nor axe nor a n y tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building" ( I Kings 6:7). T h i s was in the fourth year after the Lord, the " greater than Solomon." came to his own people in 1874 A.D., and reminds us of the fact that it was in the fourth year after Solomon came to his typical kingdom that the erection of the typical temple began." T h e number of years (seven) required to build Solomon's Temple symbolises the complete harvest period (from 1878 till 1914) required to complete the antitypical building. T h u s the year 1028 B.C. when Solomon's temple was finished, corresponds *The date of the beginning of Christ's reign is elsewhere in this voluine stated as Autumn 1914 A.D., the end of the lease of power to the Gentile kingdoms, or Autumn 1915 A.D., when he will have completed the overthrow of the Gentile powers, and his reign of peace will begin. But it was in Autumn of the year 1874 A.D. that he returned as King to his own people the Temple class, and three and a half years later he began to exe~.cisehis office as King in passing judgment upon the ~zominal Temple class, and in beginning the erection of his glorious antitypical spiritual Temple. 267
49.
T H E TEMPLE.
chronologically with the year 1914 A.D. when its glorious spiritual antitype will be completed. In the Great Pyramid the spiritual Temple and Kingdom are symbolised by the King's Chamber. Now, when we measure the distance along the floor-lines of the passages from the upper edge of the third Girdle-stone in the First Ascending Passage, up to the north wall of the King's Chamber, we find that the number of Pyramid inches corresponds with the period between 1028 B.C. and 1914 A.D. But we havc seen that the lower edge of the third Girdlestone indicates the date when the typical kingdom of God commenced (Sec. 46). The third Girdle, therefore, illustrates the connection between the Kingdom and Temple, both in type and antitype. This close relationship was also typified in Jerusalem by the fact that Mount Moriah, on which the temple of Solomon stood, was connected by a bridge with Mount Zion on which the King's house was erected (See Vol. I, par. 395). Calculations showing how the third Girdle-stone, :and the Chamber, indicate the dates of the completiot~of the typical the antitypical Temples respectively: Completion of the typical temple in the 11th year of Solomon's reign, B.C. 1028,say Autumn, B.C. Completion of the great Spiritual Temple, - - - - - A.D. Autumn, A.D. 1914,
King's and of 1027% 1913% -
-
Years 2941 Distance from the upper edge of the thirdGirdlestone, up the floor-line to the south end of the First Ascending Passage,' Length of the Grand Gallcry, u p to the front of - - - - - the Step, Distance from the north edge of the Step, to the north wall of the King's Chamber,
-
-
-
-
798% 1815% 330
British inches 2943% minus 3% Pyramid inches 2941
-
'This distance, a r v d i n g to Mr. Waynman Dixon, is 799 inches, but according to Prof. Flinders Petrie it is 798 inches. We have adopted the rnean ot these
two
measures.
268
AN outstanding year in the history of the Jews was that on which fell their last typical jubilee, 6 2 6 ~ . ~ . (See diagram, page 136). As pointed out in Section 22, God commanded the nation of Israel to observe every 50th year in a very special manner. T h e land was to be wrought for six years, allowed to rest on the seventh, and then after seven of these periods of seven, i.e., after a cycle of 49 years, the following one was to be kept not only as a restyear, but also a s a jubilee, in which every man was to regain his original possessions (Lev. 25). But, a s God had foreseen (Lev. 26:32-35), the jubilees were never properly observed: and all further opportunity to obey this command was denied the nation after 626 B.C. (See page 138), for in accordance with the decree of God the land was devastated nineteen years later by Nebuchadnezzar, and lay desolate for 70 years. It is distinctly stated that God's purpose in decreeing that the land must lie desolate for 70 years, was that it might enjoy its sabbaths (Compare Lev. 26:34, 35, with 2 Chron. 36:20, 21), It is evident that the special jubilee sabbaths are referred to, but a s 70 is a symbolic number, all the seventhyear sabbaths may be included in the complete period of desolation. The fact that the land lay desolate for 70 years to fulfil its sabbaths, shows that the Jewish Nation should have observed 70 jubilees in all, with their preceding cycles of 49 years. God had so arranged his Plan that the last typical jubilee, which was the ~ g t h ,occurred at such a date, that the remai~zi~zg 51 cycles of 49 years counting from then, would terminate at the beginning of the seventh Millennium, the great 1000-year Sabbath of our Lord. The last typical jubilee began in Autumn 627 and ended in Autumn 626 B.C., and thus the 51 cycles of 49 years, or 2499 years in all, ended in Autumn 1874 A.D., from which date the great Antitypical Sabbath year 269
50.
W E JUBILEE.
commenced (See diagram, page 136). T h i s is a n additional proof that the "Times of Restitution" began in 1874 A.D. (See "Studies in the Scriptures," Vol. 11, pp. 190-196). Is the date of the last typical jubilee indicated in the First Ascending Passage? W e believe that this is the purpose of the second Girdle-stone. T h e distance from the north edge of t h e second Girdle, u p the floor-line of the passage t o the line of the north wall of the Grand Gallery, is stated by Mr. W a y n ~ n a nDixon a n d Prof. Flinders Petrie to be 625 British inches; If we assume a measurement of 3'' more than this, or 625% inches, we find t h a t it marks Autumn of the year 626 B.C., which is t h e exact end of the last jubilee. For if a Pyramidinch measurement be started from this point u p the floor-line of the passages to the foot of the Step a t the head of the Grand Gallery, then, omitting the riser, from the north edge of the Step t o the south wall of the Grand Gallery, it will b e found t h a t the total distance corresponds with the period of 51 cycles of 49 years, which began in Autumn 626 B.C., a n d terminated in Autumn 1874 A.D. By this method, therefore, the south wall of the Grand Gallery indicates the end of the sixth Millennium, when our Lord was due t o return a n d inaugurate the "Times of Restitution of all things." It will be remembered that the Grand Gallery south wall is in vertical alignment with the south terminal of the Small Horizontal Passage floor in the Pit (Sec. 33). A s this floor terminal is proved t o mark the date 1874 A.D. (Sec. 32), the vertical line thus indicates the year 1874 A.D., a s well a s / 9 / 4 - - 1 5 ~ . ~ . Calculatioirs shoiving horn the lower edge of the second Girdle-stone irrdicatcs the h i 6 of the last typicalJubilee year: End of the last typical jubilee year, - - B.C. 625% End of the period of 51 cycles of 49 years, which was the beginning of the Lord's great 1000year Sabbath, the Times of Restitution of - - - A.D, 1873% all things, Autumn, A.D. 1874, Years 2499 270
-
THE JUBILEE. Distance from the lower edge of the second Girdle-stone, up the floor-line to the north - - wall of the Grand Gallcly, Thence up to the foot of the Step, Horizontal length of the Step, to the south wall of the Grand Gallery, - - -
50. 625% 1815% 61
British inches 250/I/2 minus 2% Pyramid inches 2499
THEhonour of becoilling members in the great spiritual Seed of Abraham was the excizlsiv~privilege of the people of Israel till the end of their " seventy weeks" of favour (See "Studies in the Scriptures," Vol. 11, chapter 3 ; also diagram on page 114). It is interesting t o note that tlie complete period of 4/62 years of the world's history from the time of Adam's fall till the end of Israel's 70 weeks, is equally divided into two grand periods of 2081
years, the central point of divisiorl being signalised by God's great promise to Abraham, namely, that in his seed all the families of the earth would be blessed. (See accompanyjng diagram, which in itself explains this feature.") *According to the custom ?f ancient nations previous to tile giving of the law, the beginning of the year of Adam's fall is 412654 B.C., and the beginning of the year when Abraham
51. THE " SEVENTY WEEKS." T h e 70 weeks (490 years) began to count from the time when Nehemiah received his commission a n d built the walls of Jerusalem. This was in the 20th year of the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia (Compare Dan. 9:24-25, with Neb. 2:l-20; 6: 15). In Section 59 we shall give proofs that Artaxerxes ascended the throne in 474 BE., and that his 20th year was, therefore, 455 B.C. T h e Prophet Daniel foretold that the Messiah would come at the end of the first 69 of these symbolical "weeks," a n d in fulfilment of this, namely, in Autumn 29 A.D., God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit a n d thus declared him to be the Messiah. During the 70th a n d Izst week, in the midst of which the Messiah was cut off" in sacrifice (See diagram, page 54), the Gospel favour went forth to the Nation of Israel, first a s a whole through its representatives, a n d then, after the death a n d resurrection of the Lord in Spring 33 A.D., to the individuals of the Nation; but in Autumn 36 A.D. the exclusive favour to Israel ceased, a n d the Gentiles were now given equal opportunity to become members in Abraham's spiritual seed. T h e year 455 B.C. was therefore a very important date in the Jewish Age, and we find that it is indicated in the First Ascending Passage by the south or ubper edge of the first Girdle-stone. W h e n the law was "taken out of the w a y " by Christ, and the faithful among the Jews were ushered into the favour of the Gospel Dispensation represented by the Grand Gallery, they gladly began the ascent and exulted in the freedom of the high-calling, so different from the bondage of the law covenant under which they had been labouring. received his covenant of promise is 2045% B.C. (See page 40). 4126% B.C.minus 2045% B.C. equals 2081 years; and from the beginning of the year of Abraham's covenant, tlll the full end of the exclusive Gospel favour t o his natural seed, is a period of similar length, for 2045% B.C. plus 35% A.D. equals 2081 years. 272
51.
THE " S E V E N T Y WEEKS."
But the majority of the nation, the " chaff" class, through wilful unbelief, turned aside and ceased to enjoy the exclusive favour of the invitation to jointheirship with the Messiah. This is indicated by the little passage which leads out of the Grand Gallery to the shaft of the Well, and the exact date of the end of their 70 weeks of favour, Autumn 36 A.D., is indicated by the vertical line of the Grand Gallery west wall (See diagram, page 235). The moment they passed beyond :this line, they were outside of the Grand Gallery privileges, and were obliged to take their lot a s .individuals along with the Gentiles, so f a r as the high-calling was concerned. After the end of the "harvest" period in Autumn 69 A.D., the Nation entered the hadean condition, syinbolised by the Well-shaft. That was the year when the "great gulf" was fixed between the Jews and the Gospel favours (Luke 16:26). W e have noticed how this date is marked by the centre of the east edge of the Well-shaft (Sec. 42). Calculations showing how the upper edge ofthe first Girdle-stone in the First Ascending Passage, indfcntes the uate of the begiginning of the 70 weeks of rsyael's favour: Nehemiah's comnlission to" build the walls of Jerusalem in the 20th year of Artaxerxes, which, according t o the P ~ o p h e t Daniel, formed the beginning of the period of 70 weeks - of years, Autumn, B.C.455, B.C. 454% End of the 70 weeks of exclusive Gospel favour to the Jewish people, and conversion of Cornelius, the first Gentile to receive the opportunity of the high calling (Acts IO), Autumn, A.D. 36, A.D. 359i
-
- -
S
273
-
-
Years 490
-
THE " 2300 DA YS." 52. same date, i.e., 455 B.C. (See " Studies in the Scrip-
51.
THE u SEVENTY WEEKS." Distance from the south or upper edge of the first Girdle-stone, up the middle of the First Ascending Passage floor-bine to the north - - wall of the Grand Gallery, Thence to the vertical line of the west wall of the Grand Gallery, in the little passage leading to the Well-shaft (See diagrams in Sec. 41). Add 25, / 3 % , 21,26, 2014, - - -
385
105%
British inches 490% minus j $ Pramid inches 4.90 "This Petrie.
is the measurement of both Mr. Waynman Dixon, and Prof. Flinders
Nehemiah's comn~ission,bcsides being the commencement of the prophetic period of the 70 weeks, formed also the starting-point of another of Daniel's time-prophecies, namely, the " 2300 days," at the end of which the "Sanctuary" was to be cleansed (Dan. 8:14). The 2300 days was the first of the prophetic periods to be communicated to Daniel. He was greatiy exercised concerning this vision (See Dan. 8:26, 27), and prayed to God, confessing his own and his people's sins, and beseeching the Lord to cause his face to shine upon his Sanctuary, which, he had learned, would be trodden under foot and not be cleansed until the 2300 days were accomplished (Compare Dan. 8:13, 14, 9:17). While Daniel was in the midst of his supplication an him consider angel appeared to him, and, bid!jng the vision, informed him that 70 weeks" were "determined" or "cut off" for his people (Dan. 9:23, 24). The 70 weeks thus "cut off" constituted the first part of "the vision of 2300 days, and, therefore, these two time-prophecies begin from the
tures," Vol. 111, chapter 4). As both these prophetic periods start from the same date, and as this date has already been shown to be marked by the upper edge of the first Girdle-stone in the First Ascending Passage (Sec. 51), the time-measurement of the 2300 days (years), if indicated at all in the Great Pyramid, should Eommence from this point. Also, as it was the Sanctuary" which was to be cleansed a t the end of these symbolical days, the King's Chamber, which represents the "Sanctuary" or "Most Holy," should indicate the end of this time-measurement (See Sec. 15, and Lev. 4: 6; 16:33).
T H E year of
274
It is at once apparent that the distance from the first Girdle-stone up to the King's Chamber, when measured along the floor-line of the passages, is too great. Consequently there is only one other possible method for this period of 2300 days to be indicated, if the first Girdle and the King's Chamber are to be retained a s the starting and finishing points, namely, by a direct measurement through the solid masonry. The period of 2300 days is indicated in this way. By measuring from the 275
52.
THE "2300 DAYS."
upper edge of the first Girdle in the First Ascending Passage, horizontally to the vertical line of the King's Chamber north wall, the distance will be found to be exactly 2300 Pyramid inches (See diagram). Calculations showing how Da~ziel'spro$hecy of the "2300 daj~s"is indicated in the Great Pyramid: The date of Nehemiah's commission to build the walls of Jerusalem, in the 20th year of Artaxerxes, Autumn, B.C.455, - - End of the "2300 days" when the Sanctuary was cleansed from all defiling errors, Autumn, A.D. 1846, -
-
-
-
B.C. 454%
-
A.D.
1845%
-
Years 2300
Horizontal distance from the upper or south edge of thejrst Girdle-stone, to the vertical line of the King's Chamber north wall,," British inches 2302% minus 2%
-
Pyramid inches 2300 * T o get this horizontal distance, multiply the Boor-distance by the cosine of the passage angle and add to the result the horizontal distance from the front of the Step in to the'north wall of th5,Kmg's Chamber. 385 " plus 1815.25" = zzoo.25 And ;8964648 X 2200.25," = 1972.446". This result added t o 330" equals 2302.446 , i.e., 2302% Brlrlsh inches (See Appendix).
.
53.
THE
"
1335 DAYS."
IN addition to the " 70 weeks" and "2300 days," the Great Pyramid corroborates the three other timeprophecies contained in the book of Daniel, namely, the " 1260 days," the " 1290 days," and the " 1335 days." It also corroborates the period of the "time of the end " (These propllecies are fully explained in "Studies in the Scriptures," Vol. 111, chapters 2 and 3). A careful comparison of Dan. 12: 7-1 2, and 8: I 114, shows that all the time-prophecies of Daniel are related to each other, having reference to the 276
THE " 1335 DAYS." 53. treading down of the " Sanctuary" by the setting up of the "abomination of desolation" (Matt. 24:15). T h e 8th chapter of Daniel refers to certain historical events which were to transpire during the first portion of the "2300 days," before the "daily sacrifice" would be taken away and the "transgression of desolation" placed in its stead; i.e., when the blasphemous sacrifices of the Mass (Transubstantiation) would be substituted for the continual, ever efficacious sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ (See "Studies in the Scriptures," Vol. 111, pp. 95-98). It was during the Medo-Persian kingdom, symbolised by the ram with two horns (Compare verses 3 and 20), that Nehemiah received his coinmission and built the walls of Jerusalem, froin which date (455 B.c.) the 2300 days (years) began. Thus the vision of the "2300 days" is the basis, not only of the "70 weeks," but of all the other prophetic periods of Daniel (Dan. 8 :26, 27). In Sections 51 and 52 we saw that the date 455 B.C., when the "70 weeks" and "2300 days" began, is indicated by the upper edge of the first Girdlestone in the First Ascending Passage. W e now find that the lower edge of this Girdle also tnarks the date 455 B.C., in connection with the timemeasurements corresponding to the 1260, 1290, and 1335 "days." These periods did not, of course, date from 455 B.C., but from 539 A.D., when the " abomination of desolation " was set up in power; but it is necessary to take into account the time which lies between the commenceinents of the 2300 days, and the other prophetic periods, for this enables us to fix the point in the Pyramid which indicates the date 539 A.D. when the "abomination of desoiation" was set up. Dan. 12: 12 reads: "Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh, to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days." As this period began in 5 3 9 ~ . ~ . , it ended in 1874 A.D., the year of our Lord's return; and soon after that date all the watching and
277
53.
THE
"
1335 DAYS."
waiting saints were apprised of his presence, and experienced the blessedness foretold. He came to his Sanctuary class to serve them with "meatMglorious unfoldings of the Word of truth, "meat indeed" for the members of the New Creation (Luke 12 :35-38 ; John 4 :3 1-34). We have already seen how the King's Chamber north wall marks the date of our Lord's return, 1874 A.D. (Sec. 16), and also how the vertical line of this north wall indicates the date 1846 A.D. when the Sanctuary class were cleansed from all defiling
T H E " 1335 DAYS." 5J0 Calculations showing how the prophetic period of "1335 days" is indicated in the Great Pyramid: Date of Nehemiah's commission to build the walls of Jerusalem, when the "2300 days" began, Autumn, B.C. 455 (See further in - - - - - - Section 49, Date of the setting up of ;he "abomination of desolation," when the 1335 days" began, Autumn, A.D. 539, - -
-
B.C.
45454
A.D.
538%
Intervening years 993 The prophetic period of 1335 symbolical days 1335 Years 2328 Horizontal distance from the loze~ernorth edge of the5rst Girdle-stone in the First Ascending Passage, southward to the vertical line of the British inches 2330% King's Chamber north wall," minus 2%
-
Pyramid inches 2328
errors (Sec. 52). In further confirnlation of these two symbolical indications, we now find that the time-measurement of 1335 Pyramid inches also terminates at the line of the King's Chanlber north wall. For if we take a direct measurement from the lower or north edge of the first Girdle-stone a s marking the date 455 B.C., horizontallv southward to the vertical line of the north wall o i the King's Chamber, and measure off on this horizontal line the number of inches to represent the period of vears between the dates 455 B.C., and 539 A.D., we shall find that the remaining southward portion of the horizontal line is exactly 1335 Pyramid inches in length (See diagram). 27s
* T o get this horizontal distance, multiply the floor distance by the cosine of the passage angle and add the measurement of 330 i~lcllesbetween the north edge of the Step A d the King's Chamber north wall. According to h r . Waynman Dixon, the lower edge qf the first Girdle-stone is 417 inches down from the upper end of the passage ; u~hileProf. Fllnders Petrie's measurement is 416% inches. If we adopted 416% i~ichesas the corFect measurement, then the total floor-length from the lower edge of the first Glrdle, 11p to the foot of the Step at the head of the Grand Gallery, is 2231% 15ches; and this multiplied by the cosine of the passage angle equals 2000. 685 , r.e.. zooo5i1'. Thus, the rota1 horizontal distance to the vertical line of the King's Chamber north wall is z j p % British inches. T h e first portion of thls hor~zontalmessurement namely 994 British, or 993 Pyramid, inches equals the period of 993 years irom'Autumnb55 B.c.. to Autumn, 539 A.D.
" 1260 days" is the period during which the true Church of God was in the " wilderness" condition. She fled thither on account of the persecutions jrflicted upon her by the Apostate Church, named Jezebel," which was set up in power in 539 A.D. (See " Studies in the Scriptures,"
THE
279
54. THE " I260 LIAYS." Vol. 11, page 256). T h e year I799 A.D. was the end of these I260 symbolical days of persecuting power, and the following year, 1800 A.D., was the end of the Papal Millennium, which began in 800 A.D. when Charlemagne was crowned " Emperor of the W e s t " by the pope, in return for which he donated to the Romish Church"the territory known a s the " Papal States" (See Studies in the Scriptures," Vol. 11, PP. 353-3561. T h e breaking of the sovereign power of the Papacy by Napoleon in 1799 A.D. was an important step in the Reformation, being a s much a s a n y other a means of directing men to an appreciation of the truth as it is in Christ Jesus. For whenever the false claims of the Antichrist are exposed, the saving power of Christ is proportionately made clearer. W e have seen how the important dates in the dawn of tlle Reformation are indicated a t the lower opening of the Well-shaft (Sec. 36). T h e north edge of this opening marks the beginning of Reform, namely, the unfolding to thinking men of the false assumptions of the Papacy, when pope Boniface VIII made the astounding claim that only through him could anyone hope for salvation. While loudly proclainling to the poor groaning world that escape from condemnation (symbolised by the downward course of the Descending Passage) could be granted only by the Romish Church through sacrifices of the Mass, indulgences, etc., its representatives took good care to obscure the only true way of escape, belief in the "daily sacrifice" of Christ, symbolised by the Well-shaft. It is surely meet, therefore, that the confident and blatant assumptions of.pope Boniface VIII should be counted a s the beginning of Antichrist's downfall. And now we find that the very point in the Great Pyramid which marks the date when the Papacy began to lose its world-wide sway, also indicates the end of its sovereign power, 1799280
THE
"
1260 DA YS."
54.
1800 A.D., at the hands of the "man of destiny." In the time-measurement of the "1335 days" (Sec. 53), we saw how 539 A.D. is indicated on the horizontal line which represents the main period of the "2300 days." A s 539 A.D. is also the beginning of the " 1260 days" (See No. 5 on page 24), this "date-point" on the horizontal line should, properly, form the starting-point of the timemeasurement of 1260 Pyramid inches. O n calculation, however, we find that the 539 A.D. "datepoint" is both too far above, and too far t o the north side, of the lower Well-mouth. It cannot, therefore, form the commencement of a direct measurement of 1260 Pyramid inches t o the lower Well-opening. Nevertheless, the " date-point " does, in a manner, form the starting-point of this measurement; for its horizontal displacement t o the north, is exactly tlle same as its vertical displacement above, the north edge of the lower Wellopening, being 451% inches in each case. O r in other words, the horizontal distance from the 539 A.D. " date-point," to the vertical line of the north edge of the lower opening of the Well-shaft, is 451% inches; and the vertical distance from the horizontal line, down to the floor of the Descending Passage a t the north edge of the Well-opening, is exactly 451% inches more than the number of inches required to correspond with the 1260 days time-measurement (See diagram, page 282). Thus we may transfer the " date-point" 539 A.D. from the horizontal, to the vertical line. T h i s is confirmed by the harmony of the time-measurements explained in the following two Sections (Nos. 55 and 56). Beginning, therefore, the length of 1260 Pyramid inches from the point on the vertical line which is 451% British inches below the horizontal line, it is found t o terminate not on, but one inch short of the Descending Passage floor-line a t the north edge of the Well-opening. A s the termination of the 1260 days was 1799 A.D., this extra inch indicates the 281
7'HE " 1260 DAYS." 54. year 1800 A.D. when the P a p a l Milleilnium came to an end.
(NOTE: If the exact months are to be indicated in this timemeasllrement,and in the other two time-measurements in S t ~ t i o n s 55 and 56, then the horizontal line on which the 539 A.D. datepoint" is indicated, must be lowered 3/4" vertically below the north edge of the first Girdle-stone.) Cakulations showing how the prophetic period of the indicat~din the Greot Pyramid:
"
1260 days" is
Overthrow of the sovereign power of the Papacy by Napoleon, the "man of destiny," Autumn, A.D. 1799,
A.D.
1798%
Date of the setting u p of the "desolating abom- ination," Autumn, A.D. 539, -
A.D.
538%
-
-
Years 1260
Vertical distance from the horizontal line on which the 539 A.D. "date-point " is indicated, down to within one inch of the Descending Passage floor-line, at the north edge of the " I "," lower Well-opening, 1 7 1 3 ~ minus
1712%
Deduct 45\54 inches, in order to transfer the 539 -4.0. "dare-point " from the horizontal line, down t o the vertical line (See diagram, pagez8z),t - - - -
45\54
-
British inches 1261j/4 minus 1%
-
Pyramid inches 1260
* T o get this vertical distance multlply the total floor-length (i.e., from the lower edge of the first G~I-dle-stdne.down to the north edge of the lower Well: opening = 3869%'), by the sine of passag~~angle .a31146 X 3869% = I714 ,631 , l.e., 1714% British inches. From this deduct % in order to lower the llorizontal line-See NOTE above.
t T h e horizontal distance from the lower edge of the first Girdle-stone, to the north edge of the lower Well-opening, is found by multiply~ngthe floor-dlstance between the vertical lines of each of these two points, by the coslne of the passage angle. T h e floor-distance is I612 Inches: 897,1611. 5 l = 1 4 4 5 5eg'~'i.e., 144i)i British inches. T h e "date-po~nt 539 A.D. on the horizontal line !I already proved to he 994 British inches from tht: lower edge of t h r first Glrdle-stone (See footnote. Page 279). Therefore, 1445% minus 994" = 451%".
55.
"
"THE TIMEO F THE END."
T H E TIME O F T H E END."
55.
Calculntions showing how the period of the "time c$ the end" is inriicated in the Gvetlt Pyramid:
the Antichrist lost its persecuting Overthrow of the sovereign power of the Papacy power and sovereignty in 1799-1800 A.D., it still - - A.D. 1798% by Napoleon, Autumn, A.D. 1799, exists a s a system, and will not be destroyed finally "Desolating abomination" set up in power, till the full end of the "Times of the Gentiles." - - - - - A.D. 538% Autumn, A.D. 539, Papacy is in itself one of the Gentile powers, for Period of Antichrist's persecuting power, years 1260 which reason it is denominated "Babylon the Great " (Rev. 1 7: 5). T h e interval between the end Period of the "time of the end," till Autumn,~.D./9/5,: - 116 of the 1260 synibolical days, and the end of the 2520 years',of Gentile dominion, is called in the Years 1376 Scriptures the time of the end " (Dan. 12:4). This period is 115 years, 01;' if reckoned to Autumn 1915 A.D., 116 years (See Studies i11 the Scriptures," Direct inclined distance from the point on the Vol. III, chapter 2). horizontal line where the time-measurement It has been demonstrated b y numerous timeof the " 1260 days" begins (Sec. 54), down to the roof level of the Pit, at the point which is measurements that the Pit indicates the end of the vertically in alignment with tbe south wall of ~ . 32, etc.). Gentile lease of power, / 9 1 4 - 1 5 ~ . (Sec. 1829 the Grand Gallery (See diagram, page 201),* W e have seen, also, that an exact $ne-measurer~~ent Deduct 451% inches, in order to transfer the corroborating the period of the Seven Times of 539 A.D. "date-point" from the horizontal the Gentiles" terminates on the roof-level of the - 451% line, down to the inclined line, t Pit, at the point which is vertically in alignment British inches 1377% with the south wall of the Grand Gallery (Sec. 48). minus 1% I n confirmation we find that the same point on the Pit roof is the termination of a time-n~easuren~ent Pyramid inches 1376 corresponding to the period of the "time of the end." For if the vertical ~neasurerrient of the -bThis inclined distance is found by the mathematical rules referred to io the footnote on page 131. .The vertical distance between the horizonta! Ilne, and the previous Section ( 5 4 , which ends at the north edge roof-level of the Pit, 1s found by multiply~ngthe floor-distance (1.e.. from the lower edge of the first Girdle-stone, down to the lower terminal of the Descend; of the lower Well-opening, be directed symmetriing Passage,loor, = 4166"), by the sine of the passage angle: .4431!46 X 4166 cally a t an angle (lilie the swinging of a pendulum) = 1846. 01.5 ; and deducting from t h ~ result s the 123" by w h ~ c htheP11roof-level is above the level of the lower terminal of the Descending Passa-ge-floor,we get to the Pit, this measurement will be found to be 1723 ". But in unler to get the exact months of the years In ;?us tlme-measurernent, as in Sec. 54, we require to lower the horizontal line 3/4 . Therefore, the exactly 116 British inches short of the roof of that vertical distance desired is 1722% British inches. chamber. T h a t is, just as the Scriptures show:The horico~itnldistance between. the vertlcal lines of the north edge.of the lower Well-opening, and the south wall of the Grand Gallery (wh~chIS 4%" after the 1260 days (years) of Antichrist's perbeyond the north wall of the Pit-See diagram on page 201), is found by multiplying the floor-distance (i.e., 2 ~ 6 % by ~ )the cosine of the passage angle: secuting power, a further period of 116 years are . 8964648 * 296. 5" = 265.801". Add to this result the floor-length of the Small required before that system can be finally destroyed HorizonJal Passage leading to the Pit, minus W " (See Sec. 33) : 265 - 801 " plus 350. 25 equals 6 1 6 . 0.51 ", i.e., 616 British inches. in Gehenna (1799-1915 A.D.), and its instigator, The vertical distance of 1722%" and the horizontal distance of 616 ", form two sides of a,right-angled triaugle.' The length of the third side is the ivlined Satan, cast into the bottomless pit. This tirnedistance requ~red. Thls IS found by the mathematical rule explaltied In the measurement will be more clearly followed by footnote on page 265. The answer is 1829. og British inches. studying the diagram on page 282. $See secoud footnote, page 283. ALTHOUGH
-
-
-
-
284
285
THE
ACCORDING to the purpose of God, it was not until the e n d of the " 1290 d a y s " (years) after the taking a w a y of the "daily sacrifice," and the setting u p of the " desolating abomination " (in 539 A.D.), that the Sanctuary class was first to gain understanding of the Scriptural times a n d seasons (Dan. 12:8-11; a n d note that the sense of this pass a g e is clearer if verse 10 is read after verse I I). A s the 1290 symbolical d a y s commenced with 539 A.D., the same date a s the other prophetic periods of 1260, a n d 1335 days, it terminated in 1829 A.D. (See No. 5 on page 24). In this year William Miller'of Mass., U.S.A., began his reiigious movement, which was based upon a correct interpr2tation o f the " 1260 days." H e taught that the prophecies pointed to 1844 A.D. a s the date of Christ's return; a n d when that year passed without the Lord appearing in the inanner expected, there w a s great disappointment; but many were lLpurified, a n d made white, a n d tried," a s the result of this experience (Dan. 12:10). There was a general sifting among the Sanctuary class; those approved of the Lord stood fast in the faith, but none of the wicked understood. T w o years later, in 1846 A.D., the Sanctuary class were cleansed, even a s God had foretold through his prophet Daniel (Sec. 52). In fixing upon the date 1844 A.D., the return of our Lord w a s anticipated by 30 years. T h i s period corresponds with the 30 years between the birth a n d baptism of Jesus (See diagram, p a g e 114). Although the time and purpose, a s well a s the manner, of Christ's second Advent were misunderstood, the year when the "Millerite movement" began, 1829 A.D., w a s the beginning of the correct interpretation of the prophetic periods, for Miller correctly placed the " 1260 days" i n history. From that time onward the Word of God h a s gradually become clearer to the true Church, who, a s diligent students in the "School of Christ," have sought 286
"
1290 DAYS."
56.
earnestly to know the Plan of the Ages. But previous to the termination of the period of 1230 symbolical days, believers could not understand a n y of the time-prophecies, because according to the Lord's command (Dan. 12:4), the Book was scaled till then (See "Studies in the Scriptures," Vol. 111, pp. 82-88). In the Great Pyramid the "School of Christ" is symbolised by the Ante-Chamber, where the Sanctuary class, a s the "Bride " of Christ, is represented a s "making herself ready " befoi-e being ushered into the presence of her Lord and King in the symbolical King's Chamber. In Section 17 we noticed how 1878 A.D., when the "Bride" ciass began to be us11e1-ed into the King's pl-esence is marked by the south end wall of the Ante-Chamber. Although all the footstep followers of Christ have known that they would one day enter the heavenly courts, it w a s not till the end of the full measure of the 1335 symbolical days, namely, 1874 A.D., that they could know that the " b o d y " of Christ would be resurrected in 1878 A.D., fl;pm which d a t e all who " d i e in the L o r d " are changed in a moment" from earthly to spiritual conditions. Nor could they even begin to correctly understand prophetic time until the end of the 1290 days. W h e n we review thc symbolical significance of each part of the Great Pyramid, w e cannot find a more appropriate place for the termination of a time-measurement in corroboration of the 1290 days, than the Ante-Chamber. Nor can we suggest a better point in this little apartment to mark 1829 A.D. than the line of the south or end wall. According to our expectation we discover that the period in question is indeed indicated terminating a t the base of the south wall of the Ante-Chamber. T h e time-measurement of the 1290 d a y s begins from the horizontal line which is now proved to form the basis of all Daniel's prophetic periods, namely, the "2300 d a y s " time-measurement (Sec287
7 56.
THE
iz
1290 DA YS."
1290 Pyramid inches, however, does not commence a t the 539 A.D. "date-point," but 451% inches to the south of it, i.e., a t the very point which is vertically in line with the north edge of the lower Well-opening (See diagram, page 282). Such exactness is remarkable evidence of design. T h i s measure of 451% illches constitutes what we might tern1 a "date-bridge," by which the Year 539 A.D. is s y i ~ ~ m e t r i c a l ltransferred y to other points, a n d thus makes it possible for all of Daniel's important tinle-prophecies to be appropriately corroborated b y the great Stone Witness. 5 2 ) . T h e length of
calculatiofzs sho~uing Ito~uthe prophetic per,jod of a 1290 days," is indicated in the Great P Y Y O ? ~ ; ~ : Beginning of the "Millerite movement," when the time-prophecies first began to be properly understood, - - - - A.D. 1828G "Desolating abornination" set up in power, -- A.D. 538%
-
-
Years 1290 Direct inclined distance from the point 01, the horizontal line which is vertically in alignment with the north edge of the lower Well-opening, up to the floor-line of the Ante-Chamber a t the base of the south end
-
Pyramid inches 1290
"The vertical distance of the Ante-Chamher floor, above the horizontal line of the lower edge of the first Girdle-stone, is found by multiplying (he sine of Passage angle by the floor-distance (i.e., from the lower edge of the first ~ i ~ d l ~ UP to the foe; of the Step at the head of the Grand Gallery = 223r3/4")1 -4431146 x 2231.75" = 988921 N. Add to this the height Step, 36N = I024.921". But in order to get the exact months of the years, we requiri to lower the horizontal line X'' (as. in Sections 54 alrd 55), so that the full vertical distance is 1025.671 ~ r i i i s h~nches. T h e ~~orlzontal distance hetween the vertical lines of the north edge of the lower Well-opening. and the south end wall of the Ante-chamber, js found by first multiplying the cosine of the passage an le by the floor.distance (mentioned above as 2 2 3 1 :~ ~.a964648 ~ x 223r. 75 = now. 685 ". Add to this the horizontal distance fr2m the north edge of the Step to the south wall of the Ante-Chamber 229.75 (See diagram, page 84), = 2i30. 435". F~~~ this deduct the horizohta~distance between the lower edge of the first ?one+ and the,,vertical line of the north edge of the lower Well.gpening, '.e., 1445 .569 (See second footnote on page 283). 2230.435 1445. 569 ' equals 784- 866 British inches. T h e vertical distance of 1025. 67 " and the horizontal distance of 784. 86" * o m the two sides of a right-angled'triangle. The length of the third i; the il*c[ined distance required. This is found by the mathematical explained in the footnote on Page 265. T h e answer is 1291. 51 British inches.
57.
T H E TRUE AND COUNTERFEIT "
DAYS " OF DANIEL.
AS there will be a Millennia1 Kingdom, during which Jesus Christ a n d his joint-heirs shall reign in righteousness for the blessing of all the fairlilies of the earth, so tirere has beet1 u counterfeit of this, namely, the Papal Millennium, during which the great Anti-Christ system reigned to the hinderance of the world's pi-ogress. T h e Apostle warned the early Church not to expect the near approach of Christ's Kingdom. T h e Lord had revealed to him that the Adversary would b e permitted to reign during the Gospel A g e ; a n d that in due time this counterfeit kingdoin would be dissolved and finally destroyed by Christ when he came to establish the true Kingdom of God. In 2 Thess. 2: 1-1 0, we read:
" D A Y S " OF DANIEL.
57.
working even so early a s the time when the Apostle wrote, the great counterfeil system could not be established in power until something which blocked the way was removed; and ( 2 ) he states that this iniquitous system is the WOI-k of Satan. ( I ) W i t h regard to the first point, we shall quote from "Studies in the Scriptures," Vol 11, page 288: "The Apostle Paul foretold that this iniquitous principle would work secretly for a time, while some opposing thing stood in the way, until, the hindrance being removed, it could have a free course, and progress rapidly to the development of the Antichrist. H e says, 'Only he who now hindereth will hinder, until he be taken out of the w a y ' (2 Thess.2:7). W h a t does history have to show in fulfilment of this prediction? I t shows that the thing w!lich hindered the rapid development of Antichrist was the fact that the place aspired to was already filled by another. T h e Roman empire had not only conquered the world and given it politics and laws, but, recognising religious superstitions to be the strongest chains by which to hold and control a people, it had adopted a scheme which had its origin in Babylon, in the time of her greatness as ruier of the world. T h a t plan was, that the emperor should be esteemed the director and ruler in religious as well as in civil affairs. In support of this, it was claimed that tlie emperor was a demigod, in some sense descended from their heathen deities. As such he was worshiped and his statues adored; and as such he was styled Poniifex Mnximus-i.e., Chief Priest or Greatest Religious Ruler. And this is the very title claimed by and given to the pontiffs o r popes of the Roman Hierarchy since this Antichrist obtained 'the power and seat and great authority' of the former Ruler of Rome-Rev. 13 :2."
Thus we see that, for some time, Pagan Rome hindered Papal Rome froin establishing itself in power. (2) W i t h regard to the second point, that the Papal Millennium is really Satan's lringdoin, we realise that S a t a n could not have set up his counterfeit system without God's permission. Although the Antichrist is the workmanship of the great Adversary, nevertheless, the chronological features connected with it form no part of his plan. W e understand, rather, that in permitting that "old serpent" to deceive and corrupt the Church from the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus, so that it 291
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grasped the power and claimed authority to reign over the world, the Lord overruled the events connected with the rise and fall of this Apostate organization so that they occurred as such times a s suited H i s eternal purposes. The Lord of heaven and earth thus demonstrates to us now, and to the world hereafter, that H e has been working all things after the counsel of H i s own will, and causes even the wrath of man to praise Him. Thus our corlfidence in Jehovah's wisdom and power is strengthened; and we thank Hiin that, in addition to the various types in the Jewish Dispensation, H e has conlpelled even the enemy to foreshaciow the events leading up to the establishment of the everlasting Kingdom of Christ. We have already seen that the Apostate Church was permitted to take away the " daily sacrifice " of Jesus Christ, and place in its stead the "abornination that malceth desolate" (Transubstantiation) in 539 A.D., at which date the prophetic periods of 1260 symbolical days of persecuting power began. Daniel foretold of two kings (Papal and Pagan Rome) sitting at one table, speaking lies to each other (Dan. 11:27). T h e clerical party, rapidly gaining the mastery in the 3rd century, would have set itst2lf up in full power; but God did not allow the schemes of the Papacy to prosper until the year 539 A.D. W e perceive, therefore, that while God does not interfere with the freedom of man's will, he keeps the times and seasons in his own power (Acts 1: 7). When the beloved Prophet Daniel manifested his deep concern for the welfare of his people, the Jewisll nation, he received a message of 'olnfort from the He was that at the end of 6g weeks, counting from the time that the merit wo~lldgo forth to build Jerusalem, the long looked-for Messiah would come; and that during the 70th week the covenant would be confirmed 292
" D A Y S 'l OF DANIEL.
57.
with many of that nation. In Section 20 we saw that the 69 weeks of waiting f o r the coming of Messiah have a parallel of 69 weelts of waiting for H i s Second Advent, when the :LIillennium was due to begin (See diagram, page 114). S o with the counterfeit kingdoln of Antichrist, we find a similar period of 69 weeks leading t o the establishment of the Papal Millennium (Compare Nos. 5 and 6 on Page 24). The reader will recall that the beginning of the 59 weeks in the Gospel Age, viz.: 1391 A.D., was the year when Huss received his conlmission as Reformer. Huss made the Refoi- nation a national force, and thus nlay be said to have built the walls of Spiritual Jerusalem. The spiritual labours of Huss, therefore, corresponded to the work of Nehemiah, who, in the parallel year in the Jewish Age, 455 B.C., built the walls of the material Jerusalem. T h e pioneer of the Reformers, however, was Marsigiio, who orga?zised the Reformation. I+Iarsiglio's n-or!<, a s we noticed (pages 118-IZO), corresponded with the building of the Temple under Zerubbabel' ciurii~gthe years 521-517 B.C. in the Jewish Age. T h e work of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah was the beginning of the preparation of the people of Israel to receive the Messiah. Marsiglio and Huss in the parallel Gospel Age are equally prominent in the primary preparations for the setting up of Christ's A4illennial Kingdom. So, also, the pieparatory work of Cyprian and Constantine was necessary for the oradual establishment of the great counterfeit kingdon, of Antichrist (See diagraln, page 2go). Althougll of ~ ~ ~was nlanifest i ~ h ill the d a y s of the Apostles ( I John 2:18), the definite work of organising that system was not perrllitted by God till 251 A.D., the date of Cyprian. ~h~ following extract frolll the R ~ H.~ Wallis . c ' ~ of ~Eal-lv ~ chulAch ~ ~ ! ~ page ~ ~ 293
~
I
57. TRUE AND COUNZ'ERFEI'l 78, shows the gradual rise of the Papacy in Rome, which is, of course, the foretold falling a w a y of the Church from the true faith: "Papal supremacy, however, was the natural result of the view taken by Cyprian, and subsequently generally adopted, as to the unity of the Church. Three stages of opinion can be traced on this subject during the first three centuries. T h e jirst, o r primitive view, made the bond of union a chatlged life. T h e secozd view found the basis of a union in a defiite belief. T h e "Catholic Churchv-an expression first found in the epistles of Ignatius--consisted of those who held the true, and only true, tradition of Christian teaching. This seetns to have been the received view till the tirue of Cyprian. T h e third or Cyprianic view held that the u~lityof the church implied unity of organisation as well as unity of belief. According to Cyprian, in his treatise on the Unity of the Church, written AD. 251, the Catholic Church was founded from the first by Christ on St. Peter alone, that while the Apostles possessed equal power the unity of the Church might still be maintained. She has ever since remained one in unbroken episcopal succession, and out of this Church, with its order of bishops and its centre in Rome, the]-ecan be no Christianity."
T h e Rev. I i e n r y Cowan, D.D., also refers to the influence of Cypriail in the formation of the Papal system. In "Landmarlis of Church History," page 24, he s a y s : "Cyprian, originally a rhetorican, was converted in middle life, and elected two years later (248), by popular acclamation, Bishop of Cartliage ...... Unfortunate schisms a t Carthage and Rome, in connection with the restoration of the lapsed, led t o the growth of the doctrine, lar,oaly tlzrough his i~zfluence,that the Churcii's unity consists not only in ' o n e Lord, one faith, one baptism,' but in one oz~lwcirdorgn~zisntion,apari .from which is no salvation. This. organisation, Cyprian held, has as its sole authoritative exponent the brotherhood of the Catholic bishops, ......and, as its ce~itreof unitjl the Bishop of Rome, the successor of the chief Apostle, S t Peter."
Thus, the writings of the distinguished ecclesiastic, Cyprian, entitled " T h e Unity of the Church," formed the basis f o r the organisation of the Papacy, even a s Marsiglio's publication " T h e Defensor Pacis," was the means of organising the Reformation. T h e date of Cyprian, 251 AD., corresponds with the middle of Marsiglio's four years of activity, 1326 A.D. (See footnote, page 206). 294
" D A Y S " OF DANIEL.
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T h e work of the Reformer Huss was counterfeited by the Emperor Constantine, who removed the seat of the civil government from Rome to the E a s t where he founded Constantinople, thus leaving the w a y clear for the development of the Papacy. Constantine embraced Christianity, and made a corrupted form of it, the Roman Catholic faith, the religion of t h e empire. By thus uniting Church a n d State, he buttressed the walls of the great counterfeit system. T h e Rev. H e n r y Cowan, in his book above referred to, page 29, writes: " H i s [Constantine's] policy now culminated in t h e supersession of heathenism. by Christianity a s the imperial religion. While p a g a n rites, if not immoral, were tolerated, official sacrifices ceased. Disused p a g a n temples a n d public buildings were transformed into churches; letters were issued a n d discourses preached by the emperor in favour of Christianity a n d against idolatry ......his establishment of Christianity, however, h a d a political a s well a s a religious motive.'' Constantine did a work for the Antichrist, therefore, similar to the work which the Reformer Huss executed for the true Christ (See pages 122, 123). W e cannot determine the exact time when Constantine may be s a i i to have received his commission a s builder of Babylon the G r e a t " (the false Spiritual Jerusalem), but we can closely approximate the year. In a great battle which he ., ascribed successfully fought i n 3 1 2 ~ . ~Constantine his victory to a vision. H e solemnly declared t h a t he beheld a luminous cross inll the heavens, on B y this coilquer." which he read the message: Next year, 313 AD., he issued the edict of Milan, by which he granted liberty to Christians. Many think he was then a Christian; but this is not so; his edict permitted all religions to be practised, for he did not at that time regard Christianity a s the only saving faith. Rut in 324 A.D., when h e became sole Emperor, he established laws which 295
57.
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" D A Y S " O F D A NZEL.
demonstrated that he had since come to regard the Roman Catholic faith a s the only true religion, a n d ail others a s false a n d impious. It was therefore between 313 and 324 A.D. that Constantine embraced Christianity, a n d so received his commission to build the walls of the counterfeit Spiritual Jerusalem. T h e date 3 / 6 AD., which falls between these two years, corresponds with the date of Huss. It was Constantine who, in the year 325 A.D., assembled, a n d presided over, the famous council of N i c ~ a i, n which the doctrine of the " T r i n i t y M w a s discussed and adopted a s a n article of faith by the Apostate Church.
Just a s in 536 B.C., the beginning of the counterfeit " d a y s " of D a n ~ e l ,Babylon w a s captured by Cyrus and the enslaved Israelites set p e e , so in 539 A.D., the beginning of the true d a y s " of Daniel, Rome was captured from the Ostrogoths bj7 the Emperor Jusiinian, and the nominal Spiritual Israelites were releaved from the Gentile power which hifidered the development of their Antichrist system. T h e Ostrogothic nation was the last of the three kingdoms which were uprooted to make w a y for the Papal power. T h i s facl of history w a s foretold in figurative language by Daniel: the Papal power being symbolised by the little horn that had eyes and a mouth speaking great things, before which three other horns were plucked up by the roots (Dan. 7). And a s Jerusalem, the typical seat of g o ~ e r n m e n t ,was presented to the typical Jewish nation in 536 B.C., so in the year 539 A.D., Rome, which is the co~ultelfeitantilypical seat of governnlent (See tootnote, page 116), w a s presented to the Apostate Church. But a s the typical holy nation of Israel, set up in power in Jerusalem, was still undei the :overeignly of Cyrus, whose word was law, so the Holy Catholic Church" was yet under Justinian, who had to be obeyed (See diagram, page 290). T h e W o r d of God distinctly states that the Church is to be subject to the powers that be, and to wurf for the coming of Christ 10 set up his Kingdom. T h e nleinbers of the Apostate Church disregarded this injunction. Instead of waiting for their Lord's return, they deceived themselves into thinking that the Kingdon1 of Christ was to b e set up in power by the Church in the flesh, a n d that they ought even now to reigil a s kings and priests over the woi-ld. T h e result was that all the true Church of God who opposed this error, were persecuted as heretics b y the blind leaders of the Apostasy; a n d for 1260 symbolical days the Lord permitted the counterfeit to wear out his
\.lie now notice further remarkable chronological correspondencies between the events which preceded Christ's 1000-year "day," and its counterfeit the Papal Millennium. From the time of Constantine the Papacy was a Chni-ch-State system withoat temporal dominion; but in 539 A.D. it practically came into possession of the city of Rome, a n d was set 1117 in power; and there began the prophetic periods of /260, 1290, a n d /335 days of waiting for t h e establishment of the true Millennium. W e also find froin the year 536 B.C. similar periods of 1260, 1290, a n d 1335 d a y s of waiting for the establishment of the counterfeit Rilillennium (See diagram, page 290). T o realise the full significance of this time- ' feature, we must reinember that the release of the Fleshly Israelites from their Babylonian bondage by Cyrus in 536 B.C.. typified the liberation of the Israelites, both Spiritual and Fleshly, by the greater Cyrus, Christ, from "Babylon the Great" at the completion of the Seven Tiines of the Gentiles. T h e members of the Apostate Church claiined that they were the Spiritual Israelites; and when they were permitted b y God to establish their Millennia1 reign, they in everything co~tnter:feitedthe true a n d glorious Icingdo~nof Christ. 296
297
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" D A Y S " OF DANIEL.
saints (Rev. 13:4-9). These faithful followers of the meek a n d lowly Jesus were admonished b y the Apostles to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God, that they might be exalted in due time. T h e 1260 days (years) were therefore days of wnitzng for the time when God would vindicate H i s cause; and during the period of the "time of the e n d " which followed the completion of the 1260 days, the Lord h a s been gradually consurniilg " Babylon the Great," a n d will finallv destrov it in the fiery tl-ouble which is to terminate this Age (Dan. 7 :24-27; 12 :1, 4).
this period of waiting for the kingdom of AntiChrist, should correspond exactly with the period of waiting for the Kingdom of the true Christ. Although the 1260 days of Daniel point to 1799 A.D. a s the c o n ~ m e n c e n ~ e noft the "time of the end," we saw that the French Revolution, ten years before, constituted the pj-actical beginning (See page 156). So, also, with the counterfeit, the 1260 days (years) from 536 B.C. point to 724 A.D., but history shows that the "time of the e n d " of the Pagan power began in 714, ten years earlier, a n d extended to 840. During this period, called the "Age of Charlemagne," the Papacy gradually assunled great control of the secular, a s well a s of the religious, affairs of Europe; and by 840 A.D., which corresponds with 1915 A.D., the pope became lord of lords, a n d king of kings. It was under the pro:ection of the kings of the Franks that Papacy gained its sovereign power. Shortly after the Emperor Constantine removed the seat of the civil government eastward to Constantinople, the relations between the peoples of the Western and Eastern divisions of the Roman empire became strained. T h e popes took advantage of this estrangernei~tto further their schemes. W e read in the Scriptures of the woman Jezebel, and how she seci~redher aims by her influence over her husband, king A h a b ( I Kings 21:25). SO with the Apostate Church, which was represented by Jezebel (Rev. 2:20), her 6 I only power was her "tongue," or mouth,- a mouth speaking great things." T h e Apostate Church desired to overthrow Paganism a n d establish herself a s a priestly kingdom, a n d she succeeded in laer ambition by persuading the Franks, the most powerful tribe in the West, to give their military support.
T h e "time of the end," besides witnessing the gradual fall of the Gentile dominion, of which Papacy is a n important section, shows also the gradual rise of the Kingdom of Christ, being called the " d a y of his preparation." T h e ends of the 1260, 1290, a n d /335days, and also the e n d of the Seven Times of the Gentiles, all mark important stages in the establishment of Christ's dominion, and in the diminishing of the kingdoms of this world. So, in the establishment of Antichrist's dominion, we find corresponding stages at the end of the counterfeit " d a y s " of Daniel, showing the gradual fail of Pagan Rome, a n d the consequent development of Papal Rome. W e shall freely quote the historical evidences which establish these coincidences. Babylon was the parent of all the ancient idolatrous religions, and is thus the type of "Babylon the Great," the " m o t l ~ e r "of the false Church-State systems in the Gospel Age. T h e overthrow of Babylon by the Persian Cyrus in 536 B.c., therefore, when the other Gentile nations became universai rulers of the world, began a period of wait& for the rriillennial reign of the great antitypical spij-itual Babylon. T h e Apostle shovr7s us that that system could not come tiil the hindrance interposed by the other nations was removed. It is remarkable that 298
T h e first of the Frankish kings wa s Clovis, who was converted about 496 A.D., a n d proved of l l ~ u c h help to the Papacy. One of the bishops wrote t o 299
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Clovis: " A s often a s you fight, we conquer." His successors, however, degenerated so greatly, that the prime minister, called the mayor of the palace, with the aid of the popes superseded that royal line. T h e first of these powerful mayors to form an alliance with the Papacy was Charles Martel (i.e., the Hammer), who was appointed to office in 7 / 4 A.D., ten years before the end of the counterfeit 1260 days. H e was considered the "only hope of the Christianity of the West, and his name was held in the highest honour at Rome." Regarding the importance o f Charles Martel in the for~xationof Papal supremacy, the Rev. R. W. Church, D.D., in " T h e Beginning of the Middle Ages,'' writes : " H e laid the foundations of that central power of the Church in Western Christendom, which in the middle a
T h e year of Charles Martel's investiture in office,
714 A.D., was therefore the beginnil~gof the "ciine o f the end" of Paganism, and was also the preparation for Antichrist's millennia1 reign, which began in 800 A.D. when Charlemagne, the grandson of Charles Mal-tel, was crowned Emperor of rhe West by the pope in Rome. While the Apostate Church had found a powerful ally to advance her serular interests, another , offered to extend !>er friend arose, in T / ~ A . D .who spi7,ittidl donlains by n~issional-yefforts. This was Boniface, who earned the title of "the Apostle of Germany," because of his labollrs anlong the wild uncivilised tribes of Germany. Instead, however, of consistently preaching the truth, he often resorted to artifices and frauds; instead of winning men to Christ, he rather converted them to the pope, to 500
" D A Y S " O F DANIEL. 57. whom &e h a d sworn perpetual allegiance. Mosheim says: H e was rather a n apostle of the pope, than of Jesus Christ; he had but one eye directed tcward Christ; the other was fixed on the pope in Rome, a n d on his own fame, which depended on him." Boniface laboured on behalf of the Papacy till his death in 754 A.D. Charlemagne continued the work of " Christianising " the Western world by means of rewards, threats, a n d the sword. One of his laws reads: "If a n y person, of the Saxon race, shall contemptuously refuse to come to lxzptism, a n d shall reso?ye to continue a pagan, let him be put to death." For thus serving the cause of Christ," Mosheinl writes, " a graiful posterity decreed to Charles [i.e., Charlemagne] the honours of a sai~rt. ... ...But to those who estimate sanctity, according t o the views of Christ, Charlemagne must appear to be anything rather tb:n a saint." Thus the Papacy cast down the truth to the ground," a n d from the year 714 A.D. "practised a n d prospered" greatly (Dan. 8: 12). A t the correspondyear, 1789 A.D., the preparation for the true Millennium progressed rapidly through the extensive circulation of the "Word of Truth" b y the numerous Bible Societies (See last par., page 157).
Another cause of the decline of Pagan Rome, and the ascendency of Papal Rome, was the quarrel over irnages. True to its Anti-Christian character, Papacy upheld the worship of images. In 726 A.D., two years after the end of the counterfeit /260 days, Emperor- Leo I11 in Constantinople issued his famous edict for the suppression of idolatry, commanding t h a t all images be removed from church buildings. The Papacy h a d been waiting for a n opportunity to turn the Western empire against its civil head in the East, a n d pope Gregory I1 immediately took advantage of this edict, a n d declared that the Emperor had fallen from the faith a n d should not be obeyed. Thus the zeal of
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" D A YS " OF DANIEL.
the pontiffs for image-worship occasioned a revolt, a n d taught the people not to fear the power of the Emperor. T o this extent, therefore, the rulers of Pagan Rome lost their sovereignty, and Papal Rome grew proportionately stronger; even a s at the end of the true 1260 days, when Napoleon triumphed over the Antichrist a n d ended its sovereign reign, the people learned not to dread the power of the p o ~ ~ sNevertheless, . the Apostate Church, with its eyes" of worldly wisdom, saw that the time was not yet ripe for completely casting off the imperial power of Rome, for the Lombards in Italy were a n ever present danger to Papal pretensions. Charles L. Wells, Ph.D., Professor of History in the University of Minnesota, writes with regard to this in his work " T h e Age of Charlemagne " :
him, a n d readily gave his consent. Thus Chiltlcric was banished, and Pepin assumed kingly authority. Three ycars later, in 754 A.D., pope Stephen 111, successor to Zacharias, crossed the Alps a n d personally crowned Pepin king of the Franks, and absolved him from any legal oaths which bound hiin to Childeric. In the same year, 754 A.D., Pepin crossed over to Italy with a n army a n d subdued t h e Lombards, taking certain territory from them a n d presenting it to the Papacy. This territory was the first possession of land, outside of Rome, acquired b y the Church. Commenting upon this turn of affairs, the Rev. R. W . Church, says:
57.
"This was the first exercise on the part of the Popes to a claim to change the allegiance of subjects, to authorise the removal of one king and the election of another. For the service which they rendered they were paid in cities and provinces ......T h u s from the commencement a t St. Denis of the second kingly linc of the Franlcs, arose in the first place the temporal dominion of the Popes, held in the beginning as a temporal lordship nnder the overlordship of the king o r Emperor; then claimed by them as independent princes in absolute sovereignty; and itext the pretension broadened out indefinitcly from this precedent to interfere in the political and civil affairs of Christendom, to dispose of kingdoms, to set up and degrade kings" ("The Beginning of the Middle Ages," page 91).
" T h e Papacy soon realised that the time had not come to throw off the power of the Emperor o r to attempt any new scheme of political autonomy. T h e threatening attitude of the Lombards clearly showed that the breakdown of the Imperial power in Italy, weak as it was, would bring about a universal Lombard dominion, in which the Papacy would be completely swallowed up. True, the Pope might look to the Franks; but Charles Martel was overburdened with wars. in his own dominions, and the Lombard king was his strong and faithful ally. Nothing remained, therefore, a t present for the Pope but to use all his influence on the side of the Emperor against the Lombard, for submission to a distant Emperor was far better than subjection to a strong and ever-present Lombard king."
When Charles Martel died, his son Pepin the Short succeeded him to the office of mayor of the palace. Pepin aspired to the throne, and desired the Frankish nobles to depose the king, Childeric 111. But although they recognised that the present king was merely a figurehead, a n d that Pepin was the true ruler, the nobles would not agree to support Pepin unless he received the sanction of the pope. T h e pope, Zacharias, a t that time needed a i d from Pepin and the Franks against the Greeks a n d the Lombards, who were very troublesome to 102
;
Although Pepin avoided an open breach with the Emperor in Constantinople, he had " none the less struck a t the slender chain" which united the Eastern and Western divisions of the old Roman empire. It was left to his son Charlemagne to sever the connection, a n d the method of doing this was suggested by the Papacy. Pagan Rome was therefore almost entirely removed from the path of Papal Rome in 754 A.D., which is the end of the counterfeit 1290 days; and it seemed at that time a s if the millennia1 reign of Antichrist would soon come. But just a s the "Millerite Movement" ended in great disappointment in 1844 A.D. through the apparent delay in the coming of Christ's Day, so 303
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the Papacy experienced great disappointment at the corresponding date, 769 A.D. (See diagram, page 290). For when Pepin died in 768 A.D., his two sons, Carloman and Charlemagne, who succeeded him to the kingdom, began to quarrel; and next year Charlemagne made overtures to the Lombard's, Papacy's bitterest enemy, and even proposed to marry the daughter of that nation's king. C. L. Wells writes: "On hearing the news of this alliance of the Franks and Lombards the pope was filled with indignation and alarm. I n view of such an alliance what would become of the newly established power of the Papacy, the patrimony of St. Peter? Tile already threatened subjection of the pope to the Lombard king seemed inevitable. Stephen accordingly wrote a t once ...... 'It would be a most shameful co~i~iection and downright madness for the illustrious race of the Franks, which shines forth superior to all people, so splendid, so noble, and of regal power, to pollute itself with the pelfidious race of the Lombards, leprous, vile, and not recognised among the race of men"' ("Age of Charlemagne," pagc 191).
T o the pope's bitter disappointment, in spite of his vehement remonstrances, the alliance was made, and Charlemagne ceiebrated his marriage! T h e sovereign supremacy which Papacy so ardently desired a n d thought so near, now seemed to be delayed indefinitely. Soon afterwards, however, Charlemagne, having gained all he desired (among other things, defeating his brother Carloman), and having transferred his affections to a new face, divorced the princess of the Lombards. T h e king of the Lombards indignantly resented this insult; but Charlemagne took up arms against him, and defeating the Lombards proclaimed himself their king. H e then renewed his alliance with the pope, a n d conferred great benefits on the Church. T h e hopes of the Papacy, therefore, revived; just a s soon after 1844 A.D. the waiting a n d watching saints took fresh courage, again looking forward with expectancy to the coming of the Day of Christ. 304
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In the year 799 A.D., the pope, Leo 111, was oppressed by a n opposing party in Rome, who charged him with heinous crimes. I-le fled to Charlemagne, who supported his cause, a n d sent him back with a n escort. Next year, 800 A.D., Charlemagne himself came to Rome, a n d cleared Leo of a n y charge; and on Christn~a:~ day he was crowned by the pope, a n d proclaimed Emperor of the West." The papal biographer, Jaff6, describes this coronation: "After these things l i e . , the trial and acquittal oi Leo], the d a y of the birth of Christ arriving, they were all in the same Church again [St. Peter's], and then the venerable a n d beneficent pontiff with his own hand crowned him with the most precious crown; Then all the faithful Romans ... ... exclaimed : T o Charles, the most pious Augustus, crowned by God, great and pacific Emperor, life and victory!' "* Charlemagne having been crowned Emperor, any restrictions against the Papacy imposed by old Pagan Rome were now entirely removed. T h e counterfeit 1335 days had expired, a n d the millennial reign of the Antichrist was inaugurated. Charlemagne was t$e first king crowned in Rome by the Papacy. T h e empire which Charles founded was meant to be a vast theocratic monarchy whose sway should cxtend over all the globe. In his capacity a s Emperor, Charles was placed over all Christendom and subject only to God and to his law [which really meant the law of Papacy]. H e was indecd the most obedient son, the most devoted servant of the Church, in so f a r a s it was the medium and the channel of salvation; but its supreme lord and head in so far a s its organisation was earthly." "The crowning of Charlemagne was made to appear quite spontaneous, but in reality it had been secretly arranged in the previous year (799), when the pope fled to the king. Charlemagne promised to protect the pope, if the pope would, in return, crown him Emperor of the West.
u
3'35
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" D A Y S " OF DANIEL.
57.
T h e Papacy was not slow to take advantage of the disagreement between the brotllers; it ~ r a c t i cally assumed control of the world a t that timewrites: C. L.
Papacy h a d thus gained much, in so far that the most powerful king recog,lzsed aufhorztyt o create him Emperor. ~~t the A~~~~~~~church aimed at nothing less t h a n absolute sovereignty; to gain full "One of the most ~mportantas well as characteristic features control, a n d reign suprenle lord over all. In many of the time, was the lncreaslng prominence of the clergy in respects it was still subservient t o the Emperor; scclrlar affairs, a pro~llinencewhich becomes especially notable during the closing y e a s of the r e ~ g nof LOUIS. This was due one uf the most galling restrictions was t h a t tile not only to the increased wealth and ~mportancearising from before they could receive consecration to t h e ~ rfeudal posit~on and power, but also to the increased office, required the racAification of the civil ruler. plonllnence of the Church and its ablllty to use its powerful and But, a s Mosheim says, the Roman pontiffs left no complete organisation for the fu~theranceof its own ends and pu~poses." means untried to free tliemselves from these inany NIosheim writes: "Even anlong Rolllan Catholic writers, the restraint s' obtaill suprellle not wisest and most impart~al,acknowledge and prove, that from only over the Church, but also over kings a n d over the time of Louis the Meek the ancient system of ecclesiastical the whole world: which efforts of theirs were l a w in Europe wds gradually changed, and a new one substituted f o r it, by the court uf Rome. The k ~ n g sand emperors suifered wonderfully favoured by the disturbances a n d wars thelr rights, in nlattels of relig~on,which had been handed down of the following [gth] century." to them from Charlemagne, to be ~nsensiblytaken from them. T h e turbulent times to which Mosheim refels T h e competence of b~shops,to make regulations in matters of began after the death of Charlemagne in 814 A.D., religion, declined; and the authority of ecclesiast~calcouncils was di,n~r~lsl~ed. FOI the R o n ~ a ~pontiffs, l euull~ng r r l their when his son, Louis the Meek or Pious, ascended and the daily accessions to their wealth, m d ~ a v o u r e d t h e throne. ~~~i~ the was crowned E , : , ~ prosperity ~ ~ ~ ~ t o insttl Into the minds of all, and they d ~ dnotwithstand~ng , the ill h m e by the Pope, a n d reigned till 840 H.D. .pposltion of the reflecting, and of those acquainted with the H e was "popular with his subjects, gentle-minded, ancient ecclesiastical constitution, actually lnstil into many, the seiltiment that the bishop of Rome was ~onstlluled,by Yes~rs a n d for the nlost part a lover of mercy a n d jLlstice C h y t ~ ta, leg~slatorand judge over the whole Church; and, there' ' ' ' . ' b u t it was proved at last he had his fore, that other bishops derived all their a u t h o r ~ t ysolely from father's [Charlemaglle's] strengtll. T h e show of h~,; and that councils could decide nothing without his prosperity a n d success during the first half of his direction and approbation" (Soames' Edition, Vol. 111, page 186). reign was in the latter half' to end ill glooiny and And how did the Papacy manage to convince hopeless confusion " (See Age of Charlemagne," men of its claims, a n d thus establish itself in L. Wells, Page 400). Instead of following power? -4s we might expect, b y talsehoods a n d his father's example and retaining the einpire in impositions of kinds. Mosheirn goes on to sole control, Louis gave territory t o each of his s a y (page 188): four sons, between wh;m there was coilstant strife. "There was need of ancient documents and records with which it might be enforced and defended a g a ~ n s the t assaults of C. L. Wells says: T h e death of the Elllperor opponents. Hence the Roman pontiffs p r o c u ~ e dthe fougerj~,by for a Louis the 'Ieek 'ln 840 trusty friends, of conventions, acts of councils, epistles, and other great struggle between the brothers." A s the documents; which made it seem that fro111the earliest ages of result of this trouble, the extensive empire of Charleof the Church, thelr predecessors possessed all the majesty and power, now claimed by themselves. Among these funirdtrlent lnagne was split up into the various countries and supports of the Romish power, the so-called Decuetal Eptstles of that nowmakemodernEurope Thisdivision the pontiffs of the first centulles, hold perhaps the first rank. w a s fixed shortly afterwards ( i n 843 A.D.) by tlle C. L. Wells also refers t o the employment of contending parties sigrling the "treaty of Verdun." 306
307
57.
"DAYS" O F DANIEL. these forgeries to establish Papacy's world-wide theocratic rule. H e writes: "With the accession of his [Charlemagne's] son and sole successor, Louis the Pious [or Meek, in 814 A.D.], a change began to take place. T h e weakness of the central power, even in secular affairs, brought about division and strife, in which the church became involved ..... T o free the church from this subjection, to make her independent of the temporal power, t o strengthen, unify, and solidify her own organization, and to give it a strong foundation in law and precedent, was the great problem which, in the ninth century, pressed with ever increasing urgency upon those who had the interest of the church a t heart. I t was to solve this problem and to meet this need that the Forged Decretals,* as they are now generally called, were put forth': ("Age of Charlemagne," page 425).
Thus Satan, the "father of lies," by means of false titles, established his kingdom in regal and priestly power during the forty years between 800 and 840 A.D. By the year I ~ / ~ A . the D . Lord Jesus Christ, who is "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6), shall establish his glorious Kingdom of peace and blessing; and his claim to rule in righteousness is contained in the "Word of Truth," which none can dispute; for the heavenly Father sware that His Son would reign " a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedec " (Heb. 7: 2 1). *C. L. Wells shows that the genuineness of these "Forged Decretals" was not generally doubted till the 15th century. Only a few raised questioning voices up to that time. Marsiglio wrote against them in his book "Defensor Pacis"; and Luther burnt a copy of them, along with his bull of excommunication. None now doubt their falsity.
WITH the inclusion of Daniel's "days of waiting," it would seem that every important time-feature contained in the Scriptures had its corroborative time-measurement in the great Stone Witness. There is still another period, however, which we would expect should be corroborated by the Pyra308
mid, namely, the grand chronological chain which embraces the entire Plan of Salvation. Nor are we disappointed, for not only is the long interval between "Paradise lost," and " Paradise regained," indicated by the Pyramid, but it is further confirmed by another time-measurement, a s we shall see. Adani, and the Man Christ Jesus, are the only two who have stood upon the "Plane of Human Perfection." Through his disobedience Adam fell fro111this perfect state, and the whole human race share in his condellination to death. In due time, according to the fore-arranged plan of God, Jesus Christ left the glory which he had with the Father before the world was, and became flesh and died the "just for the unjust," and thus ransomed mankind from the grave. By the completioil of Christ's glorious 1000-year "Day" of Restitution, which, as we saw in Section 37, will be the year 2874 A.D., all the world will have regained "that which was lost." But the Scriplures indicate a further " harvesting" period of 40 years at the end of that Age of uplifting, sinlilar to the harvest periods of the Jewish and Gospel Ages. During that period God will separate from me11 all who have not willingly taken advantage of the righteous judgments of the heavenly Kingdom, to perfect their hearts in love (Matt. 25:31-46). Such, harbouring the spirit of the Adversary, having yielded only feigned obedience during the Restitution process (Psa. 66:3, margin), will be deceived by Satan when he is let loose fro111 the bottolnless Pit during that " little season " of 40 years, and God will destroy thein along with Satan in the Second death (Rev. 20:l-3; Psa. 37:lO). All who pass the final test will have deillonstrated that they are not only perfect in body as Adam was before his fall, but that they have developed the perfect character of their Redeemer, who stood immovable in faith, love and loyalty to God the Father even under the great trials to which he was subjected during his earthly ministry (Psa. 37:29). 109
_%Y.
THE COMPLETE PERIOD OF SAL VATZON
T H E COMPLETE PERIOD OF SALVA'I'ION.
W e would understand, therefore, that by the date 2914 A.D., the redeemed race will experience to the full the glorious liberty of the children of God, with complete dominion over the earth (Compare Nos. 2 and 3 on page 24). A s the " Plane of Human Perfection " is represented in the Great Pyramid by the level of the Queen's Chamber floor, and a s the Ransom-sacrifice of Christ is synlbolised by the Well-sllaft, these two important features must govern this timemeasurement. W e have already proved that the north edge of the Descending Passage " basement-sheet" marks the end of the First Adam's 1000-year "day " (Sec. 25). This point is below the level of the Queen's Chamber floor, and thus represents Adam in his condemned state. T h e point on the Queen's Chamber floor-level vertically above the north edge of the " basement-sheet " would, therefore, very well represent Adam in his perfection, and would form the most appropriate starting-point for the timemeasurement now under consideration (See Sec. 27). If, then, we begin from this point as marking the date when Adam fell from perfection, 4/26 B.C., and lileasure a t the usual rate of a Pyramid-inch for a year vertically down till we reach the level of the lower Well-opening (the level of the top edge), then horizontally southward to the north edge of the opening, and from thence vertically upward till we regain the level of the Queen's Chamber floor, we shall find that the termination of our long measurement indicates the date 2914 A.D., i.e., 7040 years from the fall (See diagram, page 312; a n d compare with diagram on page zoo). This time-measurement of 7040 Pyramid inches is the Pyramid's method of illustrating the Apostle's brief, but comprehensive statement of God's Plan of the Ages: " A s in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (I Cor. 15:22). This Section is a beautifill corroboration of
Section 29, where we saw that the vertical ineaslilcment between the Queen's Chamber floor-level ant1 the lower opening of the Well-shaft, indicates the , the benefit of Christ's ransomdate / ~ / S A . D .when sacrifice will first directly reach the world a s distinct from the Church. In the time-feature now under consideration, the measurement, after taking the course already detailed, is continued upward from the lower opening of the Well-shaft, along the same vertical line a s in Section 29, to the "Plane of Human Perfection." It there rnarks the end of the thousand years of uplifting, when the whole world will have reaped the full benefit of that hunian life which their loving Redeemer, a t the same place a s it were, laid down on their behalf so nlany centuries before.
58.
310
The Plan of Salvation is broadly divided into two main periods by the first Advent of Christ. During the first of these main periods none could gain actual justification to life, because the ransomsacrifice of Christ, although provided for in God's eternal purposes, was not yet consummated. Even John the Baptist, than whom no greater had been born, could not become a member of the spiritual heavenly Kingdom. H e was faithful to God and to the Messiah whom it was his mission to proclaim, yet this could not gain for h i m an actual justification. H e could not, therefore, present himself in sacrifice to God, because Christ was not yet glorified (Rom. 12:l; Matt. 11:ll). But from the time of the death a n d resurrection of Christ, during the second main period, the benefit of the ransom-sacrifice h a s been extended to all the world. First, those who have the "hearing ears" and "seeing eyes" of faith, receive justification to life for the purpose of sacrifice, that they may become joint-heirs y j t h Christ; afterwards, on the completion of the body" of Christ,all the obedientwill be given human life-rights. T h e upper Well-mouth in the G r a ~ l dGallery 3x1
THE COMPLETE PERIOD OF SALVATION.
58.
symbolises'the death and resurrection of Christ. The time-measurement detailed above indicates the complete period of Salvation. Now, we find that the point on the horizoiltal part of the measurement which is exactly under the middle of the upper Well-mouth, indicates the date of the baptism of Jesus, when he became the Messiah (See diagram, page 312). Christ's baptism in Jordan was a symbol of his baptism into death, and his rising out of the water was a symbol of his resurrection in newness of life. The date of Christ's baptism may therefore be reckoned as the dividing point between the two main periods of the plan of salvation. Thus, the vertical line of the middle sf the upper Well-mouth divides the Pyramid's passage system into two main sections. In the northern portion lies the whole of the First Ascending Passage, which syn~bolisesthe Jewish Law Age in which it was impossible for any to gain life; for " b y the- deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified." The greater part of the Descending Passage, also, runs through this northern division, and froin it the only apparent way of escape is the First Ascending Passage, which, however, is effectually blocked by the Granite Plug. I n the southern section of the passage system, however, a way of escape is evident in the Wellshaft, by which access is possible to the upper passages and chambers syinbolising life. The fact that it is oilly during the second main period of the plan of the Ages that life-rights can be granted, is further corroborated in the Pyramid by the existence of the Pit in the southern division of the passage system. The Pit syn~bolisesGehenna, and it is only those who have life, either reckonedly or actually, who are subject to the second death. This fact, therefore, agrees with the Scriptural teaching, that during all of the first main period none were on actual trial for life, Adam and Jesus Christ alone excepted.
58.
HE COMPLETE PERIOD O F S A L V A TI0.V.
T H E C O M P L E T E PERIOD O F S A L V A T I O N .
I. Calculatio?rsskewing how the Great Pyramid indicaks the longperiod of 7040 p e ~ ~ rhette~ee7t s, t h fall ~ of Adam, lrnd the j i ~ m lrestoration of the hunzan race to the "Plarre of Hurttan Pevfection ":
Fall of Adam from the "Plane of Hc-man Perfection" o n which he was created, - B.C. 4126% End of the "harvest" period of 40 years, the "little seaso11" a t the end of t h e Millennia1 Age, when all mankind will have fully regained human perfection, and dominionover the earth, as the result of the lansorn-sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Compare Nos. 2 and 3 on page 24), - A.D. 2913%
Vertical distance from the level of the Queen's Chamber floor, down to the line of the top edge of the Well-openin? (Comnare d i a s r s q i onpage200).* - Horizontal distancc from the vertical line of the north edge of the Descend~ngPassage "basement-sheet," southward to the vertical line of the middle of thc upper Well-mouth,$ -
-
-
Vertical distance flom the level of the Queen's Chamber floor, i.e., the "Plane of Human Perfection," down to the level of the top edge of the lower Well-moutli (Compare diagram on page ZOO),* Horizontal distance from vertically under the north edge of the Descending Passage "basement-sheet,"southward to the north edge of - - the lower Well-opening;I Vertical distance from the top edge of the lower Well-opening, up to the level of the Queen's Chambcrfloor,' - - - - - -
1853
-
-
-
1853
-
If. culctrlutio?is showing how the
tze'o main perlorls into whirl2 !he whole Pkln of Salvatioit is broadly divided by the first rldvenl of Christ, are rndicnted in the Great Pyranzid:
-
-
Pyramid inches 4 / 5 5
"See footnote on pape 176 wh;ch gives the calculations for :he vertical distance to the bottom of the' north edge of the. lower Well-opening, 1884%~. Subtract from this the height of the Weli-op-nlng, 3f%", i n order t o get t h e i e r ~ i c distance ~l down to the top cdgc (See ciihgram, page W O ) . t See second,footnote, page 173. T h e horizontal distance t o the north edge of the Well-open~ng1s there found to be 3341 ,348 1.e.. 3341% British inches. !See vecond footnote, page 264, where the horizontal distance to the veriical line of the north wall of the Grand Gailer~ris proved t o b e 2269%". T h e further horizontal distance frorn the north wall of the Grand Ga!lery, to the ceirlre of; the Weil-mouth, is 359i" (See upper part of the diagram o n page 234); bur to get the exact months of the y e a n , we require to termmate the 11o;izontal measure; 35% " 1% ment 1% "heyond, o r south of lhe exact centre. Thus, 2269% = 23a64/4 British inches.
+
3341%
Pyramid inches 7040
Fall of A d a n from the "Plane of Human Perfection," - - - - First Advent of the Messiah, i.e., the baptism of Jpsns, - - - - - - - -
23062j -
+
British inches 7047% minus 7%
* t F o r footnotes sze page 315.
1853
Britisil inches 415955 mlnus 414
-
Years 7040
-
58.
B.c. 4126% A.D.
28%
59.
T H E T W E N T I E T H YEAR OF ARTAXERXES.
"KNOW therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times" (Dan. 9:25). (of years), Notice that the period of 69 which pointed to the coming of the l'essiah, was to date from the goij~gforthoj- the cornmundnzcnt. T h e decree of Cyrus in 536 '36.c. authorised only the rebuilding of the tcvzple (Ezra. 1:1-3). Although this implied also the erection ot dwelling h o u s t . ~ , Terusalem was not then a walled city, but an open ;illage. When Ezra went u p to Jerusalem in the 7th year 315
59.
59.
T H E T W E N T I E T H Y E A R O F ARTAXERXES.
T H E T W E N T I E T H Y E A R OF ARTAXERXES.
of Artaxerxes, his coinmission was confined t o matters connected with the temple (Ezra. 7). A n attenlpr, indeed, was made by the followers of Ezra to restore the city walls (See Ezra 4:11-13), but when Artaxerxes was informed of this he immediately wrote: "Give ye now commandment t o cause these men to cease, and that this city be not re build ed, until co~nnzandrtzelztshall be given from me" (Ezra 4:2 1). T h i s coinmandment came from Artaxerxes in the 20th year of his reigtl (Neh. 2); a n d Nehemiah and his faithful helpers built the walls in "troublous times," even a s foretold by Daniel (Neh. 4).
flight of Themistocles from Greece to Asia. T h i s great Athenian general and statesman was obliged, on the discovery of some trea.sonablc documents, to fly from his country to escape arrest. Thucydides s a y s t h a t when Themistocles arrived in Asia,. Artaxerxes " had just succeeded to the throne " " (Book I, chapter 137). T h a t the reader may have before him the causes which led t o the Aight of Themistocles, and the
According to the lllarginal reference in Inany Bibles, the 20th year of Artaxerxes is 445 B.C. W e believe, however, that the correct date is 455I3.c. Chronologists are agreed t h a t Xerxes, the father and predecessor of Artaxerxes, ascended the throne in 4 8 5 ~ . ~ but . , opinions differ a s to the length of his reign; for although Ptolemy's Canon assigns 21 years, it i s recognised that this period is not astronomicnlly fixed. T h e Canon i s authoritative only where its dates are based upon astronon~ical observations. It was not compiled until about six centuries after Xerxes; a n d the records of several early writers disagree with it in this instance. Reliable history proves, rather, t h a t Xerxes reigned for 11 years only. T h e famous Greek historian, Thucydides, is regarded b y both ancient and lnodern critics to be the most exact chronicler of the period in question. H e was born in 471 B.C., and thus lived during the reign of Artaxerxes. Thucydides states that his reason for recording the events of his own times, was that n o one had undertaken this work except Hellanicus, who had only "mentioned them briefly, and not accurately with regard to their chronology." T h e principal event which enables us to determine the year when Artaxerxes began to reign, is the 3r6
*Several later writers say that Themistocles fled to Xerxes; but this contradiction may be accounted for when it is remenhered that Themistocles' flight occurred at the time of the transference of the throne from Xerxes to his son Artaxerxes. In the ancient manuscripts these names must have appeal.ed very frequently, and the error may have crept in through one being mistaken for the other. The works of Aristotle and Ctesias show instances of this. The statement of Thucydides, that Themistocles fled to Asia (Persia) when Artaxerxes had "lately come to the throne," is supported by the historian Charon, who lived in Asia during the reign of Artaxelxes. Plutarch (1st centuiy A.D.) expresses his confidence in these two ancient writers: "Thucydides, and Charon of Lampsacus, say that Xerxes was dead, and that Themistocles had an interview with his son Artaxerxes; but Ephorus, Dinon, Cltarchus, Heraclides and many others, write that he came to Xerxes. The chronological tables better agree with the account of Thucydides" (Plutarch, Them. c. 27). Thucydides' accuracy is also upheld by Nepos, a Roman historian of the 1st century B.C. Nepos wrote: "I know that most historians have related that Themistocles went over into Asia in the reign of Xerxes, but I give credence to Thucydides in preference to others, because he, of all who have left records of that period, was nearest in point of time to Themistocles, and was of the same city [Athens]. Thucydides says that he went to Artaxerxes" (Nepos, Them. c. 9). The earliest writer to express the view that Themistocles fled to Xerxes. namely. Ephorus, lived more than a hundred years after ~hu6ydides.The unanimous reliance of modern critics on Thucydides is voiced by the great chronologist, Fynes Clinton (1781-1851): ''Thucydides is allowed the praise abovc all historians of being scrupulously exact and accurate." Mahaffy, also, in "Problems in Greek History," says: "Thucydides gives us a sketch of the famous 50 years that elapsed between the Persian and Peloponnesian wars. H e proposes to correct the inaccuracies of Hellanicus, his only predecessor in this field, and there can be little doubt that what he has condescended to give us, is both 317
THE TWENTIETH Y E A R OF ARTAXERXES.
59.
particulars of the flight itself, we shall briefly suinmarise the history of that time. W e suggest frequent references to the map on page 318. Most of the names are very ancient, and cannot be found in the nlajority of maps. D a ~ i u s ,the father of Xerxes, after his second nnsuccessful attempt t o conquer Greece a t Marathon in 490 B.C. (his first failure was in 492 B.c.), was preparing for a third expedition when he died. Xerxes on coming to the throne (485 B.C.) carried forward his father's project, and in the year 480 B.c. brought a great army and n a r y against Greece. The fleet of the Greeks (composed of vessels contributed by the allied Grecian states, and therefore known as the "allied fleet") was stationed in the narrow strait between the isl~lndof Salamis and the Attic coast near Athens. I t was here that the famous "battle of Salamis" took place, when the Persian armada suffered defeat (480 B.C.). Although nearly two-thirds of the allied fleet was contributed by the Aihenians, over whom The~nistocleswas leader, yet to maintain unity among the allies, who would only follow Sparta the capital city of the Peloponnesians, they agreed that the chief command should be given to a Spartan admiral, Eurybiades. Nevertheless, the successful issue of the battle of Salamis was due t o the foresight and ability of Tl~emistocles. Xerxes, afraid of his personal safety, fled back t o his country by way of his bridge of boats across the Hellespont (479 B.C.), leavinu his general Mardonius to finish the war. Mardonius was d z e a t e d a t Platea by the Grecian army under the command of the Spartan Pausanias (479 kc.), and on the same day the remainder of the Persian fleet was destroyed a t Mycale. The Persians still held many places on the Thracian and Asiatic coasts; but in the year 477 R.c., the allied fleet, now under the command of Pausanias, captured Cyprus and Byzantium from them (See map). A t this time Pausanias began a treasonable correspondence with Persia. H e was recalled to Sparta and another commander was sent to take his place. I n the meantime, however, all the allies transferred their allegiance to Athens, being greatly offended at the conduct of Pausanias. They were also now of the opinion that the Athenians, with their superior accurate and valuable." Thucydides hiinself wrote: "Very likely the strictly historical character of my narrative may be disappointing to the ear. But if he who desires to have before his eves a true j3icture of the events which have happened ... ...shali pronounce what I have history is on written to be useful, then I shall be satisfied. MJ~ werlastingpossession, not a p r i ~ eco~npositionwhich is heard and forgotten" (Book I, chapter 22).
9.
THE T WEiVTIETH Y E A R OF ARTAXERXES.
navy, were the natural leaders and protectors of Greece. This was the beginning of the "Athenian Supremacy," an important landmark in history. (Our knowledge of the date when the Athenian Supremacy began, 477 B.c., which is agreed to by all modern chronologists, enables us to fix the time of Themistocles' flight, and hence the date of the accession of Artaxerxes to the throne.) Pausanias was acquitted because of insufficient proof, and immediately returned privately to Byzantium; but the Athenians, now in undisputed command of the fleet, drove him away by force. H e went to Troas to live there; but was again summoned back to Sparta on the charge of corresponding with the Persians. Positive evidence against him was still lacking, however, and he was released once more. Soon after his second release Pausanias resumed his communications with the Persians, and at this time he also began a correspondence with Themistocles, who had lately been expelled from Athens by his rivals, and was now living at Argos in the Peloponnesus (See map). Pausanias was betrayed by a servant, who opened and displayed to the authorities a treasonable letter addressed to the Persians. This furnished the evidence necessary for his conviction and death. The complicity of Themistocles was then discovered, and officers were sent from Athens to apprehend him. Themistocles fled trom Aigos to Coicyra; but unable to remain there he fled to the continent opposite, and took refuge with Admetus, king ot the Molossians. On the arrival of his pursuers "very shortly afterwards," Themistocles was conducted across country to Pydna, from which place he sailed in a ship t o Asia. In the voyage across the E g e a n Sea, the ship was driven southward by a storm and fell in with the Athenian fleet. T h e Athenians were besieging the island of Naxos, which had revolted from the alliance. Themistocles persuaded the master of the ship not to betray hiin; and a few days late1 he was landed at Ephesus. O n his arrival in Asia, Themistocles sent a letter to Artaxerxes who had lately ascended the throne of Persia, asking to be granted an audience, but begging first a year's time in which to learn the language of the Persians, after whicli he promised to lay before him plans for the subjugation of Greece. Artaxerxes granted his request; and a t the end of the year Themistocles appeared at the court. T h e king was greatly pleased with Themistocles, and conferred upon him great honours, making him governor of Magncsia, bcsides gives him the revenues of Lampsacus and Myns (See map). Soon afterwards Themistocles was called upon by Artaxerxes to fulfil his promise to lead the Persians against the Grccks, who were now aiding the Egyptians in their revolt against Pecsia. T h e Athenian fleet, under the command of Cimon, was then a t Cyprus and Cilicia, not far from the river Eurymedon in 320
THE TU7ENTIEI%I Y E A R U F A R T A X E R X E S . 59. Parnphylia, and it was a t Eurymedon that Artaxer+es9 first encounter with the Greeks took place. H e was defeated there by Cimon, both by land and sea (470 B.C.). Themistocles, however, fell sick and died before this engagement. I t is reported that he died voluntarily by taklng poison, rather than fulfil his promise to lead the Persians against his own countrymen. ( T h e portion of history which is directly connected with our subject, is related in Book I, chapters 93-100.) by T1i~:c~dides
Tiiucydides dicl not affix dates to his work; but from the "Universal History " of Diodorus, which w a s compiled in 8 B.C., we can get the dates of a few of the important events of which Thucydides wrote. Diodorus used the records of the O l y ~ n p i a d games a s the basis of his chronology. These games were celebrated at exact intervals of four years. Each year a chief magistrate, called an archon, was elected to office a t Athens. Thus, Diodorus indicated his dates by mentioning the llames of the archons, together with the Olympiad numbers.
Chronology of Diodorus. Olyp. Year
Archo9z
Book XI, Chc~p~rrs I to 13. Events
Date R.C.
75th
1st
Caliias
480
,,
2nd
Xantippua
479
,
3rd
Tio~osthenes
478
4th
Adinlantus
477
1st
Phedon
476
and
Dromoclides
475
,
,,
3rd 4th
Acestorides Menon
474 473
77th
1st
Chares
472
znd
Praxiergus
471
3rd
Deniotion
470
76th
, ,
Xerxes' expedition agalust Greece : and the sea fight at Salands. Victory of the Greeks oter blardonius a t Platea: and, on the same day, the battle of Mycale. Rebuilding of Athens hy the policy of Themistocles. The treason of Pausanias, and the transference of the supremacy to the Athenians. -~ ~ ~ Tlie -- . death of Pausanias. H'iero k ~ n gof Sicily prepares to heseige Agrigentium, etc. Threatened war between the Athenians and the Spartans for the dominion of the sea. Hiero wars with the Etruscans, etc. W a r between the Tarentines and the Jacygians, etc. The tiurn, death etc.of Theron, prince of AgrigenT h e banishment of Themistocles and his death. Battles on the Eurymedon. Cimon, the Athenian general.
According to Thucydides, the flight of Themistocles took place after the beginning of the U
321
59.
T H E TWENTIETH Y E A R OF ARTAXERXES.
T H E TWENTIETH Y E A R OF Al\'7'il.Yhl\'.\.Ii.,?.
Athenian Supremacy; and his death occurred before the battles on the river Eury~nedon(Book I, Chapters 128-138). From the chronological table of Diodorus given above, it will be seen that the date of the transference of the supremacy from the Spartans to the Athenians, was 477 B.C.; and that the date of the battles on the Eurymedon was 470 B.c. Consequently, between these two dstes, 477470 B.C., Themistocles' flight and death took place. Artaxerxes, therefore, began to reign previous to 470 B.C., because Thucydides states that when Themistocles arrived in Asia, Artaxerxes was on the throne. Diodorus gives the date 471 B.C. for the death of Themistocles," and a s the narrative of Thucydides shows that Themistocles was in Asia at least two years before his death, he arrived in Ephesus in 473 B.C. Thus the beginning of Artaxerxes' reign may be assigned to 474 B.C., and hence his 20th year to 455 B.C.
was Henry Dodwell, a great theologian w h o livc:tl between 1641 and 1711 A.D. Dodwell, when coinpiling his "Annals of Thucydides" from the records of ancient writers, misread a passage in Isocrates' " Panatheniakos " (436-338 B.c.). H e misunderstood Isocrates to say that, previous to the transference of the supremacy to the Athenians a t Byzantium, the Spartans had held the supremacy for ten years. H e thought this ten years commenced at the battle of Salamis in 480 B.C., because the Spartan admiral Eurybiades was then given sole command of the allied fleet. In consequence of this misunderstanding, Dodwell dated the Athenian Supremacy from 470, instead of 477 B.C., a n d thus Themistocles' flight, and the accession of Artaxerxes to the throne, were assigned to later dates than the records of history warrant. Clinton shows in his large and valuable work on chronology, that scholars are now agreed that the Spartan supremacy of ten years spoken of by Isocrates, did not precede, but followcd that of the Athenians. They support Diodorus, who placed the Athenian Supremacy in 477 B.C. (See table). Archbishop Ussher (1581-1656) held that Artaxerxes ascended the throne in 474 B.c.* But although the inscriber (probably Bishop Lloyd, 1627-1717), who uildertook to affix dates in reference Bibles, used the chronology of Ussher, he rejected Ussher's date for the 20th year of Artaxerxes, inserting instead the date given by Dodwell, i.e., 445 B.C. Corsini, in his " Greek Chronology," adopted Dodwell's views; and thus many have been misled. Clinton, even, although he successfully opposed Dodwell in a number of his opinions, was unable to shake off his influence in this particular case.
The foregoing evidence is decisive that the 20th year of the reign of Artaxerxes is not 445 B.C., but, rather, in agreement with the historical fulfilment . then, is of the 70 weeks of Daniel, 4 5 5 ~ . ~Why, the former date so generally accepted? Apparently the first to confuse the cl~ronologyof this period *Diodorus gives the date 471 B.C., the year before the battles of Eurymedon, for the death of Themistocles, which is quite in accordance with the sequence of events related by Thucydides; but he also appears t o confine the ostracism of Themistocles to the same year. Here, however, Diodorus is in error, for according to Thucydides some years must have intervened between Themistocles' banishment from Athens, and his death. Clinton, in a comparison of Thucydides and Diodorus, says: "Formerly the authority of Diodorus was too highly rated. T h e accuracy of Diodorus is now better estimated, and no critic would make it a matter of doubt or question which of the two writers should be followed. Where the dates of Diodorus are consistent with the course of events, and confirmed, o r at least not contradicted, by other authorities (as for instance the date of the Athenian Supremacy), we may receive them with confidence." 322
'it).
'Dodwell's deductions were thoroughly refuted by Vitringa (1659-1722), and again independently by Kriiger (1838). These celebrated writers agreed with Ussher in placing the accession of Artaxerxes in 474 B.C.; but their arguments, and those of Ussher, have been largely overlooked. 323
59.
T H E TWENTIETH YEAR OF ARTAXERXES.
T h e primary cause of the confusion has been too great reliance upon the authority of Ptolemy's Canon, and the want of independent research b y later writers.
In Jerome's Eusebius (264-340 A.D.), the arrival of Themistocles i n Asia is placed in the 4th year of the 76th Olympiad, that is, in 473 B.C., thus correctly placing the beginning of Artaxerxes' reign in 474, and hence his 20th year in 455~.c. Cicero (106-43 B.c.) indicates, though indirectly, the year of Themistocles' flight from Greece to Asia. In "12aelius," XII, 42, he draws an analogy between the actions of Themistocles, and the Roman patrician Coriolanus. Coriolanus was banished from Rome on account of some political matter. Greatly offended a t his treatment he fled to the Volscians, and taking sides with them led them in their war against the Romans. Cicero writes: "No person ever possessed a greater share of power, or was more eminently distinsuished among the Grecian states, than Themistocles. This illustrious general, who was commander in chief of the Grecian forces in the Persian war, and who by his services upon that occasion delivered his country fi-om the tyranny with which it was threatened; having been driven into exile by the jealousy his great talents had raised, did not acquiesce under the ingratitude of his fellow citizens with the submission he ought; on the contrary, he acted the same traitorous part under this unmerited persecution, as Coriolanus did amongst us [Romans] about twenty years before. But neither the one nor the other found a coadjutor among their respective friends: in consequence of which just dereliction, they each of them perished by their own desperate hands."
A s the flight of Coriolanus to the Volscians was in 492 B.C., Cicero therefore places the flight of Themistocles in 473 B.C., thus supporting the historical accuracy of Thucydides." * T h a t Cicero knew of the time when the flight of Coriolanus took place, is shown by a statement he makes in another place. In Brutus, X, he says: "For the dangerous war with the Volsci,
324
T H E I.WENTIE TH Y E A R OF ARI'AXERXES.
59.
Aelian (2nd ceniury A.D.) records a n incident in his "Varia Historia" (3:21), wllich enables us to approxin~atethe date of Thernistocles' death. He says: " Themistocles, while still a boy, was returning a t a certain time from a n elementary school, when Pisistratus met them [i.e., the boy and his tutor]. T h e tutor-slave asked Themistocles to withdraw a little out of the way as the tyrant was getting near. But he quite bo!dly replied: 'Not a little. Is not this s~!fficientway for him? T o such a n extent did something shine forth from Themistocles even a t that time betokening his nobleness and greatness of mind."
Plutarch states that Therllistocles "died at Magnesia in the 65th year of a life almost entirely spent in great political and military employments" (Them., book 12). According to Clinton, Pisistratus died in 527 B.C. Assuming that the episode narrated by Aelian toolr place in the last year of the life of Pisistratus, and t t a t Themistocles was then a boy of eight years of age, the date of Themistocles' death during his 65th year would be 471 B.C., thus confirming the chronology of Diodorus (See table, page 321). A modern writer (Kleinert) who supports the views of Dodwell, wants to substitute one of the sons of Pisistratus; because, according to Dodwell's theory, Pisistratus would have been dead s o n ~ e time before the birth of Themistocles. But this is really an acknowledgment of the force of the who were headed by Coriolanus, then a voluntary exile, happened nearly a t the same time as the Persia11 war.'' Accordingthe first Persian armament, under Mardonlus, was <> to - Clinton. -
in 492 B.C.
'
This testimony of Cicero is of some force, because he had as his chronological guide the annals of his learned friend Titus Pomponius Atticus, who bestowed much attention on chronology. Although none of the writings of Pomponius are now extant, we have a notice of his "Roman Annals" which is highly commended for its chronological accuracy and exactness. Cicero himself extols his friend in the words: " W h o m I may justly commend as a most exact and scrupulous ela at or of the Roman history."
59.
59.
THE TWENTIETH Y E A R OF ARTAXERXES.
THE -;'WEAITI~THY E A R OF ARTAXERXES.
argument. There can be no doubt that it was Pisistratus himself to whom Aelian referred. Thus the harmony of the Scriptures in connection with the prophetic period of the 70 weeks of Daniel is well supported by reliable history.
with the view which I have defended, of the period of Xerxes' reign [i.e., that Xerxes reigned 21 years], I am far from overlooking. My efforts to remove them may not always have been successful: a n d who Rizows whether it is possible to remove them at all?" H e goes on to say that he can still imagine the opposite opinion (i.e., that Xerxes reigned for 11 years only) fighting its way to victory, through all the objections that can be brought against it.
The famous German exegetist, E. W. Hengstenberg, to whose admirable work," Christology of the Old Testament," we are indebted for the arguments in this Section, draws attention to the perplexity of two able writers who endeavoured to reconcile Thucydides' account of the flight of Themistocles, with Ptolerny's Canon. Wagner, who contended for a twenty-one years' reign for Xerxes on the authority of the Canon, admitted that he was unable to harmonise this with the history of Thucydides. H e wrote: "These three things are certain, that Themistocles, before Olympiad 77:3 [i.~.,470 B.C., the date given by Diodorus for the battles of Eurymedon], or certainly not later, was carried by ship to Naxos, that he arrived in Persia [Asia] shortly after the accession of Artaxerxes to the throne, and that Artaxerxes began to reign before Olympiad 78:4 [ 4 6 5 ~ . c . the , date in Ptolemy's Canon]. There is only o w method" he continued "of reconciling these apparently contradictory facts: T h a t Themistocles, when he had embarked on the ship a t Pydna, did not immediately come to the king of the Persians [Artaxerxes]; but after the lapse of some five years." A n d we are to believe that all this time, during which Xerxes is supposed to be reigning, Themistocles remained concealed somewhere in Persia! Hengstenberg remarks: " W e need only to read the 137th chapter of Thucydides impartially, to see that this is impossible. T o such forced hypotheses are they driven, who are determined to abide by the authority of the Canon." The other writer, Kleinert, makes a candid confession. H e says : " T h e difficulties connected 3 26
Hengstenberg suggests a possible reason for the undoubted mistake in Ptolemy's Canon in assigning to Xerxes a reign of 21 years:-When compiling his list of king from the records of ancient chronologists, Ptolemy mistook lei for xk, which in the Greek represents the numerals 1I and21 respectively. We know of two ancient chronologists from whom Ptolemy may have derived his data, namely, Berosus and Manetho. Berosus, a priest of Belus living in Babylon in the 3rd century B.C., added to his historical account of Babylon a list of kings, chronologically arranged. Manetho, a n Egyptian priest, also of the 3rd century B.C., wrote in Greek a history of Egypt with an account of its Dynasties. Of these works only fragments now exist. Manetho (in fragments Nos. 68 and 69) confirms Herodotus as to the length of the reign of Darius, the fathcr of Xerxes. It may have been to the lists of these ancient chronologists that Plutarch referred, when he said that "the chronological tables better agree with Thucydides." This would prove that in Plutarch's time (1st century A.D,) the tables of Berosus and Manetho did not show 21, but / / years, for the duration of Xerxes' reign.
APPENDIX. TRIGONOMETRY is the science which investigates the relations between the sides and angles of triangles. T h e name is derived from two Greek words which signify respectively, Angle and Measure. In a right-angled triangle, if either of the two acute angles, as, for instance, A, in the diagram beiow, and the length of one of the sides be known, the lengths of the two other sides can be ascertained by means of the trigonometrical values of the known angle. These values vary with the size of the angle; but they are constant with the same angle, no matter what inay be the length of the sides, because with the same angles the sides bear the same relative proportion to each other.
I
h ' 0 i i l Z O M i ; l i LiN&
BASE
The three sides of a right-angled triangle are known as: Base, Perpendicular, and Hypotenuse. The trigonometrical values are known by the names: Natural Sine, Natural Cosine, Natural Secant, etc. In order to compute the length of any of the sides of a right-angled triangle, secure a standard book of niatheniatical tables, and find the trigonometrical values of the known angle. In the Great Pyramid, the angle of the Ascending and Descending Passages is 26" 18' 10" (Sec. 2). By consulting the niathernatical tables it is found that the trigonometrical values of the angle 26" 18' /Or' are a s follows:
-4431146 -8964648 = 1.1154926 = 2'2567524 = ' 4942911 = 2.0230994 RULE: To ascertain the length o f the Perpendicular: Multiply the length of the Hypotenuse by the Sine; or Multiply the length of the Base by the Tangent. To ascertain the length o f the Base: Multiply the length of the Hypotenuse by the Cosine; or Multiply the length of the Perpendicular by the Cotangent. To ascertain the length o f the Hypotenuse: Multiply the length of the Base by the Secant; or Multiply the length of the Perpendicular by the Cosecant. NOTE:T h e trigonometrical tables in most mathematical works Sine Cosine Secant Cosecant Tangent Cotangent -
=
=
do not extend to more than four or five places of decimals. But so carefully have the proportions of the Great Pyramid been planned in order to indicate the many time-features, almost all of which are represented to even the fraction of a gear, that a greater degree of accuracy was found necessary when working out the calculations. Accordingly, Chambers's Mat37ematical Tables (Edited by James Pryde, F.E.I.S., 1880 A.D.), in which the trigonometrical values extend to seven places of decimals, were used in making the calculations. With these, the various measurements were ascertained to agree with the corresponding Scriptural time-features with wonderful closeness. There was an apparelit exception to this, however, in every case in which the trigonometrical value of the Cnsi~ze was required. This is given in Chambers's tables as -8933932. In the instances referred to, the measurements were always short of the required number of inches. The thought suggested itself, therefore, that the Cosine of the angle 26" 18' 10" is not '8933932 as given by Chamhrrs. W e re-calculated these particular measurements by an alternative method (dividing by the Secant, instead of multiplying by the Cosine). When this was done, it was most confirmatory to find that the v a r i o ~ ~Pyramid-inch s mea-urements, and corresponding Scriptural time-features exactlv aerred with each other. It was ascertained later, by other mathematical tables, that t!le Cosine value of 26" 18' 10" is '8964648.
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I t is not sufficient that we go back a few centuries for the true light on God's Word. W e must go clear back to the words of Jesus, the Apostles and the Prophets. Their teaching was quickly lost in the great falling away from the faith, as foretold by the Apostle. Only of late have we been able to receive full enlightenment as to the eternal purposes of our loving heavenly Father. The powers of superstition and ignorance are now largely dissipated, and men dare to think and act for themselves. As the result of this greater liberty and freedom of thought, numerous excellent works have been written? opening up the truth on all subjects, and tending to the greater advancement of mankind in every way. Foremost among these works are the series of six books entitled "Studies in the Scriptures," to which frequent reference is made throughout the first and second volumes of "Great Pyramid Passages." If we have received great blessing through our study of these "Scripture Studies," why should we not urge others to read them? Indeed, we do urge all to read them with care, and ponder over them well; for we believe that they are God's gifts to his people, in order to prepare them for their heavenly inheritance. It is our conviction that if any are without the knowledge contained in "Studies in the Scriptures," they cannot know the Word of the Lord in its fulness; they cannot understand the purpose of God regarding his human creatures. These v o l ~ ~ m ecan s now bc procured in a large number of languages.
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Chart ol the Great
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This chart is the samt: as Plate IX in Volun~eI of "Great Pyramid Passages," except that it contains certain extra features which make it more complete and self-explanatory. Being much larger than the diagram in the Pyramid book, it will prove uscful f o r critical study, as the minute details are easily distinguishable.
The chart is drawn true to scale from actual measurements taken in the Great Pyramid by the authors in June-July, 1909 (See the Scale at the foot of the drawing). I t is the only diagram of the Pyramid which has the accurate lengths of the Descending Passage, and Small Horizontal Passage leading to the Subterranean Chamber or Pit; for no previous operator in the Great Pyramid has been able to secure the correct lengths of these two passages. In 1837, Col. Howard Vyse measured them roughly in feet, apparently along the roof-lines (his account is difficult to follow). Twenty-eight years later, in 1865, Professor C. Piazzi Smyth carefully measured the upper system of passages and chambers; but be could not penetrate the Descending Passage below the junction of the First Ascending Passage, for it was blocked up with sand and stones. The measurements of these lower parts which he gives in his published works are those of Col. Howard Vyse. Later, in 1881, Professor Flinders Petrie employed workmen to clear away a little of the obstructing debris, sufficient to allow him to descend and measure the lower passages with rods. H e confesses in his book, however, that owing to the difficulties with which he had t o contend, he could not be sure of his measurements; nor did he think i t necessary to be more particular. Before cominencing their own measuring operations, the authors of "Great Pyramid Passages" had the encumbering debris completely removed, and thus obtained a clear surface along the floors of these passages throughout their entire lengths. ( A full account of this work, together with numerous reproductions of photographs taken by flashlight in the interior of the Pyramid, is given in Volume I of "Great Pyramid Passages.") They were therefore able, for the first time known in history, t o
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CONTENTS Page Section 13 I The Great Pyramid of Gizeh in Egypt 15 A Scriptural Declaration : and Historical Notice The Great Pyramid the First Stone Building 17 19 11 The Discovery of the Scientific Nature of the Pyramid 22 I11 Earth's Standard Unit of Length 24 Earth's Grand Reference-Standard for Length The Precise Length of the Pyramid Inch 25 I V The Solar Tropical year-Length, Monumentalised in the Great Pyramid The King's Chamber Shows the Year-Length The Pyramid's Interior and Exterior Dimensions agree by a Recognised Proportion The Pyramid's Passage-angle shows the Day-value of the Solar Tropical Year V The King's Chamber and the Grand Gallery are Related Proportionately The Vertical Height of the Grand Gallery The Horizontal Length of the Grand Gallery VI The Synodic Month Duration Monumentalised in the Great Pyramid The First Ascending Passage and the Synodic Month The Horizontal Passage Leading to the Queen's Chamber, and the Synodic Month VII The Four Foundation Corner "Sockets" of the Great Pyramid The Levels of the Four Corner Socket-Foundations VIIl Important Levels in the Great Pyramid I X The Precessional Cycle of the Equinoxes X The Earth's Distance from the Sun, shown by the - . Great Pyramid's Dimensions X I The Great Pyramid's Orientation - . XI1 The Great Pyramid's Geographical Position XI11 The Great Pyramid's Connection with Bethlehem in the Holy Land The Scriptures Connect Bethlehem with Egypt The Great Pyramid-to-Bethlehem Distance and the Period of 2138 Years The Great Pyramid-to-Bethlehem Distanceand the Period of 1915 Years
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Section Page XIV The Capacity of the King's Chamber 73 The Granite Walls of the King's Chamber 75 The Lunar-Year Duration Indicated by the King's Chamber The Ratio .x in the King's Chamber The Precessional Cycle Duration Indicated by th'e King's Chamber The Second Height of the King's Chamber, and the Grand Gallery's Floor-Length Another Indication of the Solar-Year Duration Another Indication of the Lunar-Year Duration XV The Harmonious Proportions of the Great Pyramid The King's Chamber and its Dimensions Govern the Whole Pyramid The Floor-Level of the King's Chamber The Top-Surface Level of the Step The Subterranean Chamber Indicates the Dates 1874 and 1914 A . D . Another Method of Measuring t o the P i t The Duration of the "World t h a t Was" and the Date of the Flood The Geometric Harmony of the Vertical ' ' Flood-Line ' ' XVI The Coffer in the King's Chamber The Coffer is the Standard Capacity Measure for All Nations The Coffer P r e ~ e n t sa Standard for Mean Density and Weight The Pyramid Pint-Measure, Scientifically Accurate., the Origin of the Ancient Saxon Pint The Pyramid's System of Weights and Measures Better than the French Metric System The Pyramid Capacity Measure Contrasted with the Present Imperial British One XVII The Proportions bf the Coffer (together with a list of Scientific Features as presented by Professor C. Piazzi Smyth) XVIII Proportionate Features Connected with the Coffer based upon the Set of Standard Measures The Area of the Socket-Level Base of the Great Pyramid Indicated by the Coffer The Grand Gallery,Floor-Length The First Ascending Passage Floor-Length Another Grand-Gallery Length Indication Still Another Grand-Gallery Length Indication The Exterior Dimensions of the Coffer A g ~ e ewith the King's Chamber's Dimensions -
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XIX
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The Coffer's Standard for Weight Earth's Mean Density The Pyramid Ton and its Subdivisions Indicated by the Coffer's Capacity Professor C. Piazzi Smyth's Table of Weight Measures The Pyramid System of Specific Gravities
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The Coffer's Indication of the Precessional Cycle The Coffer's Exterior Dimensions are Proportifinate to its Interior Capacity The Socket-Level Base Side Length The Socket-to-Apex Vertical Height The Descending Passage Floor-Length The Complete Straight-lined Length of the Descendin4 Passage The Horizon*al Passage Floor-Length -
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XX The Cubical Bulk, and Weight, of the Earth agree with the Dimensions of the Great Pyramid The "Earth Pyramid" The "Earth-Pyramid" Calculations The "Earth-Pyramid" Indication of Earth's Bulk Compared with the Deductions of Science The Mass of the Great Pyramid Compared with the Mass of the Earth The Symmetry of the Mass-Comparison The "Earth-Pyramid'' Indication of Earth's Surface Area Compared with the Deductions of Science The Rcmarkable Harmony Between the Surface-Area of Earth, and the Great Pyramid's Dimensions -
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XXI
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Further Corrcspondcncies Connected with the Coffer in the King's Chamber The Coffer's Bulk is Proportionate to the Cubic D~agonalof the King's Chamber through the medium of a Sphere Another Indicatlon of the Sphere's Bulk The Day-Duration of the Solar Tropical Year Indicated by the Dimensions of the Coffer Another Indicatlon of the Solar Year Connected with the Coffer's Dimensions The Bulk of the Granlto Leaf in thc Ante-Chamber and the Intcrior Capacity of the Coffer l'hc Coller, and tlie Days in 1000 Solar Tropical Years 1"urthcr Corrosponclcncics botween the Dimensions of thc Coffer aiid tlie King's Chamber 'I'lic CoMcr 1s "Blintl Sarcophagus" Thc Widtli of the Queen's Chamber -
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Page 123
Section
Page The Length,of the Granite Plug in the First - - Ascending Passage The Meaning of the Granite Plug length The First Ascending Passage's "Extended" Measure of 1647 Inches shown in the Coffer's Dimensions Other Coffer Indications of the 1915 and 2915 Periods The 33) Years of our Lord's Earthly Sojourn The Number of the Spirit-begotten Overcomers of the Gospel Dispensation The Geometrical Connection of the Numbers 71,250 and 144,000 and 1915 Further Development of the Geometrical Figure The Capacity of the King's Chamber Related to the Capacity of the Coffer The 50th Part of the Lowest Wall-course Content and the Interior Capacity of the Coffer The Level of the Top of the Coffer in Relation t o the First Wall-joint Level The Capacities of the Lowest Wall-course and the Coffer, and a Lunar-Year Indication Temperature, and other Mensurations Mean Temperature of the King's Chamber Angle Measure Possible Money-System Indication The Great Pyramid of Gizeh Indicates the Date of its own Erection The Great Pyramid Marks the Date of its Erection by a convincing Time-measurement The Significance of the "Star-Pointings" of the Lord's Stone "Sign" and "Witness" in the Land of Egypt Jehovah Intended the Stars t o Serve as Signs The Misuse of the Constellation Signs by the Idolatrous Nations not a Contradiction of their Divine Origination Modern Astronomers Annoyed a t the Ancient Stellar fiigures, but must still Recognise Them The Original 48 Constellations have been carefully Preserved and Transmitted to this Generation The Originators of the Ancient and Authentic 48 Constellations Further Scriptural Allusions t o the Constellations The Signification of the Constellations "Hydra" and "Draco" The Great Pyramid's "Star-Pointings" form a Key to the Decipherment of the Stellar Signs
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XXII
XXIII
XXIV
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XXV
XXVI
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THE
GREAT PYRAMID ITS SClENTlFlC FEATURES PART 1 OF
1914 A.D. AND THE GREAT PYRAMID
SECTION I
GYPT is the only country where the perfect pyramid structure is to be found; that is, a stone building having a square base, with four triangular, sloping sides meeting in a point exactly above the centre of the base. Althougs there are over thirty of these monuments, erected in several groups along the western bank of the Nile, only one of them is of importance, namely, the Great Pyramid of Gizeh. I t is the most northern of a group of nine pyramids, built at the very border of the Sahara Desert on a low hill of rock, not far from the city of Cairo. Because of its antiquity and size, the beauty of its masonry, and exclusiveness of design both externally and internally; but above all because of the inscrutability of its purpose, this great edifice has been from the earliest times universally designated the first of the "Seven Wonders" of the world. Owing to its structural durability, tbe Great Pyramid is the only one of these apcient wonders which now exists. While the modern world can point with justifiable pride to its achievements in the engineering art, the masterly workmanship of the Great Pyramid's erectors of fully forty centuries ago, the skill everywherc displayed throughout its Vast bulk, not only in the preparation and meticulous fitting of the tens of thousands of immense stones, but of its
E
13
whole design, compels thoughtful admiration. And this sole survivor of the Seven Wonders 'of the ancients, even in the midst of the mechanical triumphs of the present epoch, still maintains its unique distinction of being earths's chief structural marvel. The Rev. Joseph A. Seiss named it "A Miracle in Stone"; and recent research proves that the monument justifies this title even more completely than that gifted author could have known. It is claimed by many students that the architect who designed the Great Pyramid must have been inspired; for it is inconceivable that the numerous Scriptural and scientific truths which are now known to be embodied in the dimensions and angles of the building could have been common knowledge at that early period. By laborious research, and careful accumulation of records taken at intervals during centuries, man has at last ascertained to a near approximation the size of the earth on which he lives, the distance separating the sun and earth, the durations in days of the solar tropical year, and lunar month, and the number of years in the precessional cycle of the equinoxes, along with many other related facts. With man such knowledge is progressive; and what is accepted a s truth today may tomorrow require correction as learning and understanding increases. But with God: surely He knows it altogether. If for some wise purpose, therefore, it was his intention to convince his intelligent and enquiring creatures on earth that He is an unerring Law-giver, and that all things are known to Him and are working harmoniously toward a grand consummation, it is not unreasonable to claim that in the Great Pyramid he monumentalised these very truths which our scientists have all along so eagerly sought to unravel. This is our claim. Built nearly five and a half centuries before the Tabernacle of Moses was erected in the wilderness, and twice as long before the Temple of David and Solomon appeared in Jerusalem (and both of these' edifices were designed under Divine inspiration), the Great Pyramid has withstood the ravages df at11 the cmturies till now, and will probably continue to stand for many more, testifying to earth's inhabitants the omnipotence of Jehovah. Completed two decades before 14
Abraham was born, it held hidden within its measures and angles a prophetic history of the world, not decipherable until history had run its course. In addition it contains, by means of its design and proportionate dimensions, important scientific facts, which never could be appreciated until precise knowledge of the laws which govern movement in the universe had sufficiently increased, to prepare the mind of man to unlock them.
A Scrifltural Declaration; and Historical Notice Although the Lord of heaven and earth caused his great stone Witness to be constructed over forty centuries ago, it has pleased him to reserve the understanding of its message to the Millennia1 Day, which we are now entered upon; as we read: "In that day there shall be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, even a pillar at the border thereof to the Lord. And it shall be for [shall serve for] a sign, and for a witness, unto the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt : for they shall cry unto the Lord because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them" (Isaiah 19: 19, 20). It is, of course, the popular belief that the Great Pyramid is a tomb; for there is no doubt that the other pyramids were intended by their builders for this purpose, as mummies have been found in some of them. And yet it is now a well known fact that the accredited builder of the Great Pyramid, Cheops, whose name has been found on some of the masonry blocks, roughly painted in red by the ancient quarrymen, was not buried inside his great monument. His tomb, where he was buried, has been identified by Egyptologists with a deep, and elaborately-cut sepulchral pit, which is situated about a thousand feet away from the Pyramid. Cheops (usually pronounced Keops) , therefore, did not intend .the Great Pyramid to serve as a tomb; nor, indeed, if we are to believe the reasonable deductions which are based upon historical accounts, did he or his Egyptian subjects know what purpose this immense edifice was intended to serve! 15
When we piece together the fragmentary historical records of this pyramid-building period, preserved to us in the writings of Herodotus and Manetho, it appears that Egypt was a t that time invaded by a nation who came frvm the East, and who easily subdued the Egyptians by their power "without a battle, " and compelled them to close their idolatrous temples and engage in the work of building the Great Pyramid. When the work was completed the invaders, who were called "Shepherd Kings," vacated Egypt, and, according to Manetho, went, East to Palestine, where thcy built the city of Jerusalem. The fact that these Shepherd Icing's easily subdued tho Egyptians without resorting to warfare, and were able to compel thcm to stop idolatrous worship and exert their energies in constructing the Great Pyramid, proves that they were endowed with a mentality immeasurably higher than that of the Egyptians. I t is believed by some scholars, notably by Professor C. Piazzi Smyth, Astronomer Royal for Scotland, that thc leader of t h e Shepherd Kings was none other than Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God. Certain statements by Herodotus, read in conjunction with some historical records in the Bible, support the opinion that the Shepherd Philition, or Philitis, referred to by Herodotus, and Melchisedec were one and the same; and that he was the real architect of the Great Pyramid, being inspired of God. Rut Cheops, named Khufu by modern Egyptologists, who was the reigning king in Egypt at the time of the extraordinary invasion, was merely enlisted along with his subjects in thc actual work of construction. The historical notice of the builders of the Great, as well as of the Second, Pyramid of Gizeh, as given by Herodotus, shows that the later Egyptians had conceived intense hatred of the two kings associated with that pyramid-building period. It is thought, however, by a number of authorities, such as Professor Rawlinson, that this hatred was engendered by n much later invasion of "Shepherd Kings, " who had nothing in common with the earlier Shepherd Kings of the 4th Dynasty (For the other Shepherd Kings were of the 15th to 17th Dynasties, long after the building of the Great and Second Pyramids). 16
The fact, however, that the original Shepherd Kings of the 4th Dynasty compelled the Egyptians to close their idolatrous temples, may have seemed t o the Egyptians of later times to have been an insult to their country; and idolatry being rife in these later Dynasties, priests and people alike could not then understand the godly motives that dictated the suppressiorl of false gods, and hated that "ignoble race," as Manetho named them, who "had the confidence to invade our country," and so easily subdue it without even requiring to fight for i t ! In any case, both Sir G. Wilkinson and Professor Kawlinson, and others, make it evident that the recorders of Egyptian history had thoroughly mixed up the sequence of events, and named successive kings out of their proper order. But the builder of the Great Pyramid is identified by one named Philition, or Philitis, who a t the time the building was being erected "fed his flocks about the placc, " as Herodotus states; and this item of history is accepted by all critical authorities as being correct.
The Great Pyramid tlze First Stone Bztildirtg I n his valuable book, The Antiquity of Intellectual Man. Professor C . Piazzi Smyth brings forward a mass of literary material which establishes the priority of the Great Pyramid as a stone building, proving that this monument must have been reared before any other edifice of importance. He also shows that none of the subsequent stone erections can vie with their great forerunner in fineness of workmanship; and points out that this fact demonstrates a sudden uprise in excellency of masonic construction. Professor Smyth comments upon the closeness of the masonryjoints of the building, especially in the walls of the interior Queen's Chamber: "The joints are so close, that the edges of the two surfaces of worked stone, and the filling of cement between, are comprisable often within the thickness of a hair." The famous Egyptologist, Professor (now knighted) W. M. Flinders Petrie, adds: "To merely place such stones in exact contact a t the sides would be careful work [because the stones are so large and heavy], but to do so with cement in the joints B 17
seems almost impossible. " In another place Professor Petrie again refers to the marvellous skill of the workmen who built the Great Pyramid: "Their skill in cementing joints is hard to understand. How, in the casing of the Great Pyramid, they could fill with cement a vertical joint about 5 feet by 7 feet in area, and only averaging one-fiftieth part of an inch thick is a mystery ; more especially as the joint could not be thinned by rubbing, owing to its being a vertical joint, and the block weighing about 16 tons. Yet this was the usual work over 13 acres of surface, with tens of thousands of casing-stones, none less than a ton in weight." The celebrated architectural authority, Mr. James Fergusson, also, gives his testimony as to the excellency of the workmanship displayed in the Great Pyramid: '!No one can possibly examine the interior of the Great Pyramid without being struck with astonishment at the wonderful mechanical skill displayed in its construction. Nothing more perfect mechanically has ever been erected since that time."
SECTION I1 THE DISCOVERY OF THE SCIENTIFIC NATUREO F THE GREATPYRAMID
J
OHN TAYLOR of London, to whom Professor C. Piazzi Smyth dedicated all his works on the Great Pyramid, has the honour of being the first to suggest that the Great Pyramid was intended by its builders to monumentalise important scientific truths. He published a book entitled : The Great Pyramid: Why was it built? Who built it? This book appeared as early as 1859, and has commanded the attention of all thoughtful students of the Pyramid. After drawing attention to the precise angle at which the sloping sides of the Pyramid rise from the rock to the apex of the building, as calculated from the base-side length and vertical height of the whole monument, John Taylor wrote: "What reason, it may be asked, can be assigned for the founders of the Great Pyramid giving it this precise angle, and not rather making each face an equilateral triangle? The only one we can suggest is, that they knew the Earth was a sphere; and they had measured off a portion of one of its great circles; and by observing the motion of the heavenly bodies over the earth's surface, had ascertained its circumference, and were now desirous of leaving behind them a record of that circumference as correct and imperishable as it was possible for them to construct. "They assumed that the earth was a perfect sphere; and as they knew the radius of a circle must bear a certain proportion to its circumference, they then built a pyramid of such a height in proportion to its base, that its perpendicular would be equal to the radius of a circle equal in circumference to the perimeter of the base. "To effect this they would make each face of the Pyramid 19
present a certain ascertained angle with reference to its base (supposing a vertical section made of it), which angle would be that of 51" 51' 14", if modern science were employed in determining it. . . . How the thought occurred to them we cannot tell; but a more proper monument for this purpose could not have been devised than a vast Pyramid with a square base, the vertical height of which Pyramid should be the radius of a sphere in its circumference equal to the perimeter of that base.
"It was impossible to build a hemisphere of so large a size. I n the form of a Pyramid, all these truths might be declared which they had taken so much pains to learn; and in that form the structure would be less liable to injury from time, neglect, or wantonness, than in any other. " At the period when John Taylor wrote these words (1859), the dimensions of the Great Pyramid were not known t o such exactness as they now are. His actual figures can now, therefore, be improved upon; but his suggestion as- to the reason why the builders of the ancient Great Pyramid chose the precise angle for the rise of the sides of their edifice, which gives t o its vertical height the same proportion to its square base, as the radius of a circle has t o its circumference, remains substantially the same. Elis deductive reasoning has received much confirmation during the years which have passed since 20
his day , but with this necessary correction, namely, that whatever the actual working-builders may have understood about the shape of the earth, the inspired architect was caused to embody in the monument those dimensions which prove a knowledge by someolze of the true shape and size of the earth. I t is Professor C. Piazzi Smyth to whom we are indebted for fuller knowledge of the scientific features monumentalised in the Great Pyramid, as well as to the beginnings of our understanding of the monument's religious teaching. The religious tcaching is, in reality, more essential to us than the scientific aspect of the building, for it is a corroboration of the Plan of Salvation contained in the Bible. The value of the purely scientific features, however, is that they prove the correctness of all the measures of the Pyramid, and demonstrate a oneness of design which is too wonderful to be credited to human beings unaided by a higher intelligence. They prove, therefore, that God Himself must have been the true Architect; and proving this establish a t once the claim that the Great Pyramid is His "Sign" and "Witness" for the great Day now begun. John Taylor's work, therefore, laid the foundation for the researches of Professor Smyth and all later students. Not only did he point out the precise mathematical relationship that the Pyramid's vertical-height bears to its square base jwhich mathematicians denote by the symbol of the Greek letter " n " [pi], i . e . , the proportionate ratio between the lengths of the diameter, and the circumference, of a circle), but he also drew atttmtion to the remarkable fact that the unit of linear measure enlployed in the Great Pyramid is earth-commensurable. That is, this unit is based upon the actual size of the earth. He named it the "Sacred Cubit," believing that it was the cubit communicated by Jehovah to the people of Israel; but it is now more popularly known as the Pyramid cubit. Additionally, John Taylor demonstrated that the inside capacity of the "Coffer," or granite chest which lies in the King's Chamber of the Great Pyramid, was meant by the Architect to serve as the Standard Capacity Measure for all nations of earth. We shall examine some of these matters in detail as we proceed. 21
SECTION I11
too short; and instead of being as at present equal to 39.370789916, aught, rather, to be 39.3741576608+, British inches in length, according to the more accurate estimate for the entire quadrant. (This value is about 8558 metres of the present, inaccurate, length, more than the round 10-millions for earth 's quadrant. )
T
HE remarkable discovery of John Taylor is this: The
polar diameter of the earth, the axis of earth's rotation, is the best possible reference-line upon which to base the standard unit of Long Measure for the daily use of mdnkind. The even 500-millionth part of this long straight line is the precise length of the Standard Unit, and is named The Inch ; and 25 of these inches is named The Cubit. As there are 500-millions of inches in the full length of the polar axis of earth, and 25 of these in the cubit, there is therefore an exact, round, 10-million cubits in earth's semiaxis of rotation. And because this inch-length, and cubit-length, are everywhere evident in the dimensions of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, they have been appropriately named The Pyramid Inch, and The Pyramid Cubit. For this reason it is, properly, claimed that the linear unit of measure employed in the construction of the Great Pyramid is earth-commensurable, and thus the most scientific unit that ever could be devised for the use of man, whose everlasting habitation is Earth. I t was in the attempt to create a system of measures which should be regarded as pre-eminently scientific, that the French scientists of the time of the Revolution, discarding the system previously in use, introduced their earth-commensurable metric system, the linear unit of which, they claimed, is the exact, round, 10-millionth part of the quadrant of the earth's circle passing through the poles, that is, the 10-millionth part of the curved line from the north pole, through Paris, to the equator. This linear unit, the French metre, has since been found to be in error; for the French savants did not know what was the precise size of the earth. Their metre is slightly 22
Diagram illustrating the length of the Earth's Axis of Rotation, 500,000,000Pyramid Inches ; and its Senzi-axis of 10,000,000 Pyramid Cubits
But not only did they err in their estimate of the dimensions of the earth, but they erred in judgment too. For it is much more scientific to base the Standard Unit of length upon the straight line of earth's axis of rotation, than upon a curved line, especially as that curve is not a true quarter circle owing to the flattening of the figure of the earth a t the poles. Furthermore, nothing can be more fitting as the grand reference standard for length than earth's polar diameter; for, 23
unlike the Meridian of Paris upon which the French metrelength is based, this straight line upon which the standard inch and cubit are based is common to all nations; for all revolve around it once in every 24 hours. There is an appropriateness in this connection which characterises it as of Divine arrangement. John Taylor, therefore, did not hesitate to declare his belief in the Divine origination of the, system of measures which had as its basis the grand standard length of earth's polar axis of rotation. Sir Isaac Newton, in his Dissertation on Cubits, proves that the sacred cubit of the nation of Israel was almost exactly 25 British inches in length. Pursuing the investigation as to the origin and length of the sacred cubit, Professor C. Piazzi Smyth came to the conclusion that the cubit used by Moses when Jehovah commanded him to construct the tabernacle, had been used by the builder of the Great Pyramid many centuries before, and earlier still by Noah when making the ark. And as the 25th part of the cubit, namely, the inch, is practically the same as the inch-length in use today by English-speaking peoples, it was his conviction that the British nation had inherited the "Sacred" inch down through the ages from the day when this standard unit was first Divinely communicated to earth. The fact that there is now a mere one-thousandth part of an inch difference between the length of the present British inch and the original earth-commensurable inch, is explained by the many changes of the official standard-rod used for reference. l'he present reference rod is the yard of 36 inches; but the yard was not always the length of the reference standard. The now almost forgotten ell of 45 inches, proves that the British inch was originally longer than it is at present.
Eartlz's Grand Refereme-Standard for Lelzgth To show how close are the estimates for the polar-axial length, as computed by modem astronomers, to the iheoretical requirement of the Great Pyramid's scientific dimensions, we here repeat what we have said on page 242 of Vol. I Great Pyramid Passages: In the 9th Edition of the Encyclop~dia 24
Britamzica, Vol. 11, page 792, Sir John Herschel is noted as having stated the length of the polar axis from the data supplied by Col. A. R. Clarke. (Col. Clarke is the recognised authority on geodesy.) His figure is 41,707,796 British feet. On the other band, Sir R. S. Ball, also taking Col. Clarke as his authority, but at a later date, states in his work Elements of Astronomy, paragraph 184, that the polar-axial length is 41,708,954 feet. Col. Clarke's original data are thercfore capable of slightly differing conclusions, according to the method of computing them. But if the earlier estirnate of Sir J. Herschel was slightly too short, Sir R. S. Ball's later estimate errs on the opposite side of being too long, as evidenccd by the Great Pyramid's scientific indication of the true length of earth's polar diameter. Remarkably enough, the actuaL mealz of the two careful estimates given above, both of which are based upon the data supplied by the world's recognised authority on geodesy, namely, 41,708,375 British feet, is the precise polar-axial length required by the Great Pyramid's scientific dimensions; for this number- of feet, converted to Pj~ramidunits, yields exactly 500,000,000 Pyramid inches.
T h e Precise Length of the Pyramid Inclz It is now well established that in a measured length of exactly 1000 British inches, taking these inches at their prescnt value, there are 999 Pyramid inches. Therefore, to convert any known number of British inches into their corresponding value in Pyramid inches, we only require to deduct a 1000th part of the British-inch measure from itself; the remaining 999 parts represent the Pyramid-inch measure. To convert a known Pyramid-inch measure into the corresponding value in British inches, we diaide the Pyramidinch measure by ~999. I t is Pyramid units, and not any other units of length, which unlock the symbolic and scientific secrets of the Great Pyramid. Therefore, all measures of the Pyramid must be expressed in Pyramid units. 25
SECTION IV
ROFESSOR C. PIAZZI SMYTH discovered that earth's
P
standard cubit of 25 inch-units, that is, the even 10-millionth part of earth's semi-axis of rotation, divides into the Great Pyramid's base-side length as many times as there are days in the solar tropical year. He was led to this unique discovery by the presentation to him of one of the building's casing-stones, which a civil engineer, Mr. Waynman Dixon, had rescued from the large mounds of broken stones which lie against the Pyramid on all four sides. This particular casing-stone happened to be exactly one cubit in length; and although the stones originally forming the outside surface of the monument must have varied a great deal in their sizes (as is now known because of the unequal sizes of the long row of nineteen casing-stones laid bare within rccent years at the northern foot of the building), the fact of this presentation-stone being one cubit in length suggested the thought that the cubit-length would divide into the entire base-length the exact number of times, to the odd fraction, necessary to agree with the days in the year. But this was only the beginning. For Professor Smyth himself, and other enthusiastic students of the Pyramid, found, and still continue to find, that this wonderful edifice was constructed in such a way that its dimensions indicate the year-length many times over, and all with mathematical exactitude. What a t first, therefore, was put forward as a reasonable suggestion, is now an established certainty, namely, that the great Architect, even in those remote days of over four thousand years ago, had absolute knowledge of the precise day-value of the solar tropical year, to the minutest 27
fraction. And not only so, but he knew how to monumentalise his wonderful knowledge by methods beyond the origination of man; for not the greatest scientist could have thought of them.
Half of chamber's width xsquare-root of 4 gives ,, x ,, ,, 5 ,, x , , 9 ,, ,, ,, ,, x .. 16 ,, ,, >, x ,, ,, 30 ,, ,, x ,, ,, 21 , , ,, , x , ,, 25 ,, >, 7 8
..
8 ,
0
9
7 8
Tlze King's Chamber shows the Year-Length
-
And the sum is exactly
One of the mathematical methods by which the Great Pyramid was made to show the number of days in the year, is in the size of the King's Chamber. This grand apartment, beautifully constructed with large polished granite stones, was designed to exact geometric proportions. 'The careful measurings of, first, Professor John Greaves, then of Professor C. Piazzi Smyth, and finally of Professor Flinders Petrie, all of whom published their figures, demonstrate that the ancient Architect arranged that, (1) the length of the chamber should be exactly double its width, and (2) the height of the ceiling above the floor should be exactly one-half the floordiagonal. These proportions, quite apart from measures, prove that the builder possessed geometric knowledge of a very high order indeed. For instance, the famous "3, 4, 5" rightangled triangle is built into this chamber, a feature of interest. Proportionally: the end-wall diagonal is 3, the length of the chamber is 4, and the cubic diagonal is 5. These three dimensions represent the perpendicular, base, and hypotenuse, of the right-angled triangle respectively. I t was Mr. James Simpson of Edinburgh, Scotland, who perceived this symmetric arrangement in the size of the King's Chamber, by carefully studying the measures of the apartment previously published by Professor Smyth. He saw that onehalf of the chamber's width (quarter of the chamber's length), when taken as a unit of measure, gives the proportionate measures of all parts of the chamber, through the multiplication by square-roots, in this way:-
the width. ,, height. ,, end-diagonal. ,,length. ,, floor-diagonal. , , side-diagonal. ,, cubid-diagonal.
=
100
As for the actual number of earth-commensurable, Pyramid inches in the full width of this granite chamber, the inspired architect arranged that this number should be just the exact total of such inches, including a very small fraction of an inch, that when multiplied by the square-root of the ratio .ir, it would agree with the precise day-value of the solar tropical year. (The standard width of the King's Chamber, which is within the limits of the practical measures taken by Professors Greaves, Smyth, and Petrie, is 206 -0658+ Pyramid inches. The square-root of the ratio T is 1.7724538509+. The one multiplied by the other equals 365.242198+, the number of days in the solar tropical year.) As all the dimensions of this chamber are proportioned to the width of it, through the medium of square-roots, as shown, it is appropriate that the actual measure of this width should itself be proportioned to the day-value of the year, also through the medium of a square-root, and this square-root the highly scientific one of the ratio of the mathematical .ir. And when we remember that the units of measure taken to represent the days in the year are those very units that are based upon the actual size of the earth, a round, even, 500,000,000 of them going to make up the length of earth's polar axis of rotation; and that the earth in revolving once round this axis marks off the duration of the day; and that in completing a circle round its centre the sun it revolves on its axis 365 -242198+ times, thus marking off the duration of the solar tropical year, and that all of this is built into the Great Pyramid's principal chamber, we can sce clear evidence of intentional design. But no man living four thousand years ago could have of himself known so many scientific 29
truths, nor known how to monumentalise them in masonry, unless directed by a higher intelligence. And there is no man living even today who knows sufficient to execute a work like this, unless he will acknowledge that the symmetric proportions, and the actual dimensions, of the King's Chamber agree with the polar-axial size of the earth, and the number of days in the year. Based upon the foregoing proportions, the precise, standard, dimensions of the King's Chamber are these:
. . .
Length . .. Width . .. Height . .. Floor-diagonal Side-diagonal . End-diagonal . Cubic-diagonal
. .
.. .. .. .. ..
..
..
. . 412.1316879208+Pyr. ins. .. .. .. .. .. ..
206.0658439604+ 230.3886174681+ 460.7772349363+ 472.1561640467+ 309.0987659406+ 515.1646099010+
.
,, , ,, ,. ,, , ,, ,, , , ,,
.
.,
,,
Except that, in the above list, we have extended the decimal fractions, for the sake of greater accuracy in calculations, Pytamid students have now for many years accepted these measures for the King's Chamber as being theoretically correct. They are all, as Professor Smyth has said, contained within the limits of the actual, practical, measures secured by himself and others who have measured this chamber.
The Pyramid's Interior and Exterior Dimensims agree by a recognised proportion In the scientific features, the Pyramid sometimes indicates Sometimes, also, a day and year are indicated by an even number of inches or cubits. Thus, the length of one base-side of the monument a t the mean Socket-level, the full solar year -length is indicated, each day by one cubit. But if we take all four base-sides as representing the complete cycle of the year, each day is then indicated by an even 100 inches. Or we can say instead, that there are as many inches in the perimeter of the Pyramid's Socket-base level, as there are days in 100 solar tropical years, making it, therefore, that each day is represented by one inch.
a day, or a year, by an inch, or a cubit.
30
(In some time-features a Pyramid unit of measure may represent a week, or a month, or any definite and symmetric period.) Now, the dinleilsions of the interior King's Chamber were so proportioned that, by a recognised mathematical method peculiar to the Great Pyramid itself, these dimensions agree with the building's exterior measures. We may, for instance, regard the length of the King's Chamber as being the diameter of a circle. When we compute the area of this particular circle, and then make a square of exactly the same area, we shall find that the side-length of this square is as many inches as there are cubits in the side-length of the Pyramid's Socketlevel base. Inches in the small square are reproduced by cubits in the large one. Therefore, there are as many inches in the side-length of the small square as there are days in the solar year. Here, then, we have a very good example of the Pyramid's proportionate dimensions. That is, while the size of the King's Chamber does not agree in a direct way with the outside size of the building, yet we can see that the agreement is absolutely exact in their mathematical proportions, and according to the Pyramid's own scale of a cubit to an inch, or other even numbers of Pyramid units. I t is by means of these proportions, that the Great Pyramid was made to prove its own dimensions.
The Pyramid's Passage-Angle shows the Day-value of the Solar Tropical Year Professor C. Piazzi Smyth observed the angle of the Pyramid's interior passage-ways very carefully. He found that the ascending angle of the Grand Gallery is more nearly correct, according to the indicated theory, than the angle of the other passages. This he explained from the fact that the builders bestowed more care in constructing the Grand Gallery, because the angle of this passage was intended by them to be representative. The theory demands that the precise passageangle should bc 26' 18' 9".7; and the Grand Gallery angle is only about half a minute of arc from this requirement. 31
Commenting upon his observed angles of the other two passages, the First Ascending, and Descending, Professor Smyth says: "One of them is more, and ;he other less, than the theoretical quantity; their mean, or 26' 16' 30", being within 2' distance therefrom ; and looking like a case of probable error of construction on the part of honest workmen, who knew the right theoretical angle, and wished to hit, but had practical difficulty in hitting, it exactly. " The observations of Professor Flinders Petrie confirmed those of Professor Smyth. The claim of Professor Smyth, namely, that the theoretical angle of 26" 18' 9".7 is the one clearly intended by the Architect, is abundantly supported by the scientific features of the Great Pyramid. We have therefore no hesitation in accepting this theoretical angle for both ascending and descending passageways. One of the first of these scientific confirmations of the angle of the Pyramid's passages to be revealed, is connected with the length of the King's Chamber and the day-value of the solar year. When we measure off on the floor-line of, say, the Grand Gallery a section equal to exactly twice the length of the King's Chamber, and regard this measured-off section as the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle, we shall find that the length of the perpendicular of the triangle is as many inches as there are days in the solar tropical year, Q.E.D. I t is manifest that if the angle at which the passage-floor rises had been more or less than the exact 26" 18' 9".7, or if the length of the King's Chamber were different from that which it is found to be, the precise day-value of the year could not have been monumentalised in the Great Pyramid by this unique method.
SECTION V THE KING'S CHAMBER AND
THE
GRANDGALLERY
A R E RELATED PROPORTIONATELY
TILL another method by which the Great Pyramid was
S
made to monumentalise the duration in days of the solar tropical year, is in the length of the Grand Gallery. The calculation requires the recognition of the dimensions of the King's Chamber. The longest straight measured line of the King's Chamber, the cubic diagonal, when multiplied by the number of days in the solar tropical year, yields a number which is exactly an even, round, 100 times the floorlength of the Grand Gallery in inches. (When we multiply 515-1646-t by 365.2421+, and divide the result by 100, we get 1881 -5985-t Pyramid inches. This is the theoretical, standard, length of the Grand Gallery. But as in all the dimensions of the Great Pyramid, slightly varying measures are permissible, and, indeed, were purposely arranged for by the inspired architect, within limits. A measurement of a passage along the east side is found to be slightly longer or shorter along the west side. This was intended, that a little variation might be provided for in measures of the passage. The standard measure, founded upon a definite scientific calculation, and supported by other calculations, is always, of course, within the limits of the practical measures.)
The Vertical Height of the Grand Gallery As the practical, measured, floor-length of the Grand Gallery is confirmed by the scientific dimensions of the King's Chamber, through the medium of the day-value of the solar year, so we find that the precise vertical height of this passage is also shown by the measures of the King's Chamber, C 33
Every m a r ~ e d section of the ascending and descending passage-ways has its corresponding vertical and horizontal measures; that is, the perpendicular, and the base-line, measures. For the floor-lines in each of these marked-off sections of the inclined passages can be considered a s being the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle; and hence the perpendicular and base are the vertical height, and horizontal length, of such section.
If we regard the cubic diagonal of the King's Chamber as being the side-length of a square, the vertical height of the Grand Gallery is proportionate to it in this way: Multiply the area of this exact square by the ratio n. The result is equal to precisely 1000 times the Grand Gallery's vertical height. (The square of the King's Chamber's cubic diagonal multiplied by 3.1415926535+, which is the value of T , equals 833761.6480+ Pyramid inches. When we divide this by an even 1000 we get the standard vertical height of the Grand Gallery. But when we multiply it by an even 100, we get the precise area of the Great Pyramid's Socket-level square base in square Pyramid inches. Both of these calculations 34
are Q . E . D . , that is, absolutely exact. They serve as good examples of the proportionate way in which all parts of the Pyramid are related b each other; and also of the decimal system of the whole building's scientific design.)
The Horizontal Length of the Grand Gallery By still another proportion connected with the length of the King's Chamber, and with the angle a t which the floor of the Grand Gallery rises, we get the horizontal length of the Grand Gallery. Rlark off on the inclined floor of the Grand Gallery a section equal to the length of the King's Chamber, and let this be the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle. The area of this triangle is exactly 20 times the horizontal length of the Grand Gallery. (At the precise angle a t which the floor-line of the Grand Gallery is inclined, we can find the area of any rightangled triangle, such as this, by first squaring the length of the hypotenuse, and then multiplying this square by the ratio .1986179741+. Thus, the square of the King's Chamber's length multiplied by this ratio, and the result divided by 20, gives us the standard horizontal length of the Grand Gallery, 1686.7882-+ Pyramid inches, Q.E.D.) Another way of stating this feature is as follows: Construct an isosceles le. Make the length of its ine as many inches as there are n the solar tropical year. Make length of its two equal sides same number of inches as the th of the Icing's Chamber. I t will be found that the area of the triangle equals precisely 40 times the Grand Gallery's horizontal length. 365 '242 + inches = DAYS IN SOLAR
YEAR
SECTION VI
N E important scientific feature now found to be embodied in the structural proportions of the Great Pyramid (drawn attention to for the first time in Voi. I of Great Pyramid Passages, 2nd Edition), is the exact duration in days of the Swodic, or Lunar, Month, or that period which the moon apparently takes to complete one revolution round the earth. Professor C. Piazzi Smyth was not aware of this feature; and had he known of it, it must have encouraged him in his well-nigh life-long work of making known to the world the Divine origination of the building of the Great Pyramid. As with all subjects that are worth while, the truth regarding the Great Pyramid has expanded, and has become more convincing, as year by year it has been carefully studied, and further light brought t o bear upon it.
0
The First Ascending Passage and the Synodic Month The section of the Great Pyramid where the synodic month duration in days was first found to be monumentalised, is in the length of the First Ascending Passage. (We are indebted to a clever student of the Great Pyramid, Hugo KarlCn of Stockholm, Sweden, for this feature.) Just as the length of the Grand Gallery is proportionate to the dimensions of the King's Chamber to which it leads, through the medium of the day-value of the solar tropical year, so, by a proportion, the length of the First Ascending Passage is related to the dimensions of the Grand Gallery to which it leads, through the medium of the day-value of the synodic month. And this relationship of dimensions is, in each case, 37
appropriate to each part of the building; for, in the religious symbolisms of the Pyramid, the King's Chamber represents the heavenly inheritance and Kingdom to which the overcoming saints of the Gospel Age laboriously ascend, the GospeI Age itself bcing well symbolised by the Grand Gallery, while the
Ascending, by the a i d of the side R a m p s , tlte G r n d Gallery i n the Great P y r a m i d of Gizclz; slzowing, also, the low doorway of the Horizontal Passage leading f o the Qrccerz's Chambey
First Ascending Passage represents the Age during which the people of Israel were led under the Law "Schoolmaster" to Christ. And Jesus Christ himself is represented as standing, as it were, at the upper terminal of the First Ascending Passage, ready to aid those who were "Israelites indeed" to escape 38
from under the exacting requirements of the Law, illustrated so graphically by the steep, slippery, low-roofed First Ascending Passage, and usher them into the glorious liberty of faith in the Age of Grace, pictured by the lofty Grand Gallery with its side-ramps (See the first of this series of books entitled: The Great Pyvamid: Its Spiritual Symbolism). For these "Ramps," or low stone benches, run up the whole length of the Grand Gallery on each side of the floor. By means of them one is enabled to ascend the slippery floor of the passage safely, and with some degree of comfort. These ramps represent, in the symbolism of the Pyramid, the "exceeding great and precious promises" of God, by means of which the spirit-begotten called-out ones of the Gospel Age may gain the Divine spirit nature represented by the King's Chamber. This is in marked contrast to the First Ascending Passage, in which no such aid in ascending is found, so that if one should slip and fall here there is nothing to hold on to, and thus nothing to prevent a rapid descent backward along the steeply inclined floor. There was no hope held out under the eld Law Covenant of Moses; for during that Age even a single offence against the perfect Law of God meant condemnation to death. But the Law of Moses served as a schoolmaster to lead the people of Israel to Christ; and a remnant, we read, received Jesus as the Christ, and therefore were accorded the privileges of the Gospel Age. The rest of the nation were blinded in part, the Apostle explains, until God makes with them the New Covenant, through the operation of which they, as well as all mankind in due time, will attain perfect life on the human plane of being. They will become as father Adam was before the entrance of sin, but with greatly added experience and knowledge. By rightly exercising their experience and knowledge, restored mankind may continue to live into the Ages of Glory to follow; for all the former things, sin, sickness, pain and death, will by then have passed away, and God will make all things new. As the Old Law Covenant is symbolised by the First Ascending Passage, so the New (Law) Covenant, in operation 39
during the Millennial Age when Christ and his joint-heirs will reign in righteousness, is symbolised by the Horizontal Passage leading to the Queen's Chamber. The Queen's Chamber, in its turn, symbolises the perfect human nature to which all the repentant and willingly righteous of mankind will ultimately attain, and maintain everlastingly. In the figures of the Scriptures, the sun represents the Gospel Age, while the moon represents the Law Age of Moses. Therefore, in the proportionate dimensions of the Great Pyramid, the length of the Grand Gallery, which syrnbolises the Gospel Age, is appropriately connected with the solar tropical year, the duration in days of earth's circuit of the sun. And the length of the First Ascending Passage, which symbolises the Law Age, is fittingly connected with the synodic month, the duration in days of the moon's apparent circuit of earth. For when we multiply the length of the Grand Gallery to which the First Ascending Passage leads, by the number of days in the synodic month, and divide the result by 36, a special Grand-Gallery number, we get a figure equal to the exact floor-length of the First Ascending Passage. (The precise number of days in the synodic, or lunar, month, that is, the mean period of days between one new moo11 and the appearing of the next new moon, is given to no less than nine places of decimals by Sir J. Norman Lockyer, the eminent astronomer. His figure is 29.530588715+ solar days. The standard length of the Grand Gallery floor-line is 188 1 .5985+ Pyramid inches, as already determined. The one figure multiplied by the other, and the result divided by 36, gives us the standard length of the First Ascending Passage, namely, 1543.4642+ Pyramid inches. This is the floor-length , beginning from the "Point of Intersection" on the floor of the Descending Passage, and terminating at the north wall of the Grand Gallery. This standard length is within the limits of the actual, practical, measures of Professors Smyth and Petrie. )
The Horizontal Passage leading to the Queen's Chamber and the Synodic Month The full floor-length of the Horizontal Passage leading to the Queen's Chamber, like that of $he First Ascending Passage, is also regulated by the duration in days of the synodic month. But this time it is not through the medium of the Grand Gallery length, but through the medium of the dimensions of the King's Chamber. And this fact, namely, that the Horizontal Passage length is proportionate to the dimensions of the King's Chamber, and to the number of days in the synodic month, is in keeping with the symbolical meaning f: this passage. For, as we have explained, the Horizontal Passage represents the New (Law) Covenant of the Millennial Age; and it is under the righteous rulership of the Kingdom of Christ, as symbolised by the King's Chamber, that the perfect arrangements of that New Covenant will be administered, that restored mankind may reach the Queen's-Chamber condition of human perfection. Hence the Sci-iptural figure of the Law, namely, the moon, and the dimensions of the King's Chamber (which dimensions, as we have seen, depend directly upon the earth's dimensions, and upon the duration of the solar year), are both recognised in the length of this Horizontal Passage to the Queen's Chamber. We recall that the floor-length of the Grand Gallery is standardised by the dimensions of the ' ~ i n ~ Chamber, 's and the days in the solar year; that is, by the multiplication of the cubic diagonal of the King's Chamber by the number of days in the solar year, and dividing the result by an even 100. So, by the same method of proportions, the floor-length of the Horizontal passage to the Queen's Chamber is standardised by the King's Chamber's dimensions, and the days in the synodic month, as follows: Multiply the cubic diagonal of the King's Chamber by the number of days ,in the synodic month, and divide the result by 10, and we get 1521.3114+ Pyramid inches as the standard length of the Horizontal Passage. This floor-length is within the limits of Professor Smyth's, Professor Petrie's, and our own, practical measures for this passage.
and its measures, we note a still furth&r significance in the fact that the dimensions of the Great Pyramid agree proportionately with the actual dimensions of the earth. Apd this agreement is very exact, as we have alieady seen, and as we shall note by other featuih yet to be considered.
SECTION VII
A
NOTHER important truth to be first expounded by John Taylor is the identification of a text in the book of Job with the Great Pyramid of Gizeh. And this identification is so pointed, that it establishes the Great Pyramid, to the exclusion of all the other pyramids of Egypt, as the particular altar and pillar, sign and witness, to the Lord of hosts, spoken of by the Prophet Isaiah. The text in Job reads: "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, i f thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon i t ? Whereupon are the sockets thereof made to sink? or who laid the corner stone thereof; when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy ? "-Job 38 : 4-7, marginal reading. The Lord here first refers to the foundations and measures sf the earth; and then to the socket-foundations and comer stone of a building, clearly of the form of a square-based pyramid capped with a corner-stone. I t was the discovery of four rectangular, flat-bottomed, sinkings into the roak a t the four foundational corners of the Great Pyramid, that proves that this Pyramid is the one referred to in the 38th chapter of Job; for none of the other pyramids possesses such socket-foundations. I t was in 1799 that the French savants, under Napoleon, discovered two of the sockets; and in 1865 all four were uncovered by Messrs. Aiton and Inglis, civil engineers of Glasgow, Scotland, with the assistance of Professor C. Piazzi Smyth. And as the Great Pyramid of Gizeh is thus pointedly indicated by the Lord, in connection with a primary reference to the earth 42
Tlze Levels of the Four Corner Socket-Fozlrtdatiorts Careful measuring has revealed that the floors of the four corner sockets of the Great Pyramid, which sockets, or sinkings into the rock originally contained large foundation cornerstones, each a fitting terminal to the long sloping corner arris-lines of the immense building, are not all on one level. Each socket is cut down to a distinct level of its own. The vertical distance between the highest and lowest of these four levels is nearly 17 inches, according to the levellings of Professor Flinders Petrie. A close mean of all four levels is that which is generally accepted by Pyramid students as the building's reference base-line; and this is called the Mean Socket Level. From this mean Socket-level base the vertical height of the Pyramid is reckoned. The perimeter of the monument's square base at this Socket-level, also, corresponds in inches witti the days in an even 100 solar tropical years. The mean Socket-level base is nearly 9 inches vertically below the level of the natural rock, and nearly 29g inches vertically below the top surface of the Platform on which the building's outer casing-stones immediately rest. There are therefore three distinct base-levels of the Great Pyramid, namely, the Platform-level which is the highest, the Rock-level, and the mean Socket-level. Each of these three levels has its own meaning in the scientific and symbolical teachings of the Pyramid, in addition to their architectural use. Also, the four distinct levels of the Socket-floors are required to enable the Pyramid to show further scientific truths.
SECTION VIII
L
IKE every dimensional feature of the Great Pyramid, the levels at which prominent parts of the structure are placed are most significant. These levels are so carefully fixed with reference to each other, that their distances apart form still another evidence that the whole structural design of the Great Pyramid was not only scientifically intentional, but of an order far above the origination of uninspired man. The three base levels, that is, the mean Socket-level, the Rock-level, and the Platform-level, we have already spoken of in Section VII, and will refer to it again later. The level indicated by the north edge of the Descending Passage Basementsheet is one of the prominent levels. I t lies at a vertical distance above the mean Socket-level of the building, which agrees with the dimensions of the King's Chamber; for the precise number of inches which separates these two definite levels is equal to the sum of the length, and the height, of the King's Chamber. 'The ancient north-beginning of the Descending Passage floor is situated at that level which also recognises the King's Chamber's dimensions, as well as the exact length of the Pyramid cubit. This is shown by the inclined distance between the Platform-level, up the casing-stone surface to the floor-edge of the ancient Entrance. The number of inches in this inclined distance is equal to the sum of twice the length of the King's Chamber, plus one Pyramid cubit of 25 Pyramid inches. This is one of the methods by which the Great Pyramid was made to monumentalise the absolute length of the cubit, the even 10-millionth part of the sem i-axis of earth 's rotation. The Queen's Chamber floor-level is very important in the 45
symbolical features of the Pyramid, as well as in the scientific features. Its vertical distance above the level of the north edge of the Basement-sheet of the Descending Passage, is equal to an exact 25th part of the full Socket-to-apex vertical height of the whole Pyramid. Thus there are as many inches in the vertical distance of the Queen's Chamber floor-level above the Basement-sheet north-beginning, as there are cubits in the Pyramid's full vertical height. Still another very important level in the Pyramid is that level indicated by the upper, virtual, floor-terminal of the Grand Gallery. The "Step" a t the head of the Grand Gallery intervenes a t this point; but the existence of the Step does not affect the actual length of the passage, which length is determined by the north and south walls. The inclined floorline of the Grand Gallery is, therefore, produced upward a t the same angle, through the Step, to the vertical line of the south wall. The terminal of this produced floor-line, which marks the end of the total floor-length of the Gallery, and called by Professor Flinders Petrie the "virtual floor-end, " is situated a t a vertical distance above the floor-level of the Queen's Chamber which corresponds to the King's Chamber's dimensions as follows: The total number of inches in this vertical distance is equal to the sum of the length, width, and height, of the King's Chamber.
SECTION IX
T
HE vertical distance between the mean Socket-level, and the level of the uppei floor-end of the Grand Gallery, may be stated in another way to that just mentioned in Section VIII. We can say that this vertical height is governed by the dimensions of the King's Chamber. For the sum of (1) the width, (2) twice the length, (3) the floor-diagonal, of the Icing's Chamber, plus an exact 25th part of the Socket-to-apex vertical height of the whole Pyramid, is equal to the vertical height of the upper end of the Grand Gallery floor above the mean Socket-level base of the building. And even the 25th part of the Pyramid's vertical height is related to the dimensions of the King's Chamber, through the medium of the angle a t which the passages ascend. This relationship is shown by a right-angled triangle, the perpendicular of which is equal to the 25th part of the Pyramid's height, and the hypotenuse being a t the same angle as the Pyramid's interior passages. If we regard the length of this hypotenuse as the diameter of a circle, we shall find that the quadrant of this circle is exactly the same as the length of the King's Chamber. (The perpendicular of the right-angled triangle multiplied by the natural cosecant of the passage angle, gives the length of the hypotenuse; i.e., gives the length of that particular section of the ascending floor of the passage. Thus, 232.5204+, multiplied by 2.256758334+ equals 524.7423-I-, which is thc length of the hypotenuse. This hypotenuse regarded as the diameter of a circle, we multiply it by the ratio 7t for the circumference; and onequarter of this circle is equal to the King's Chamber's length, Q.E.D.)
Or a simpler way of showing the relationship between the D
49
vertical distance in question (i.e., from the level of the north edge of the Basement-sheet of the Descending Passage floor, and the level of the Queen's Chamber floor-line), and the King's Chamber's dimensions, is to regard this vertical distance, not as the perpendicular of a right-angled triangle as above, but as the length of the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle, this hypotenuse rising at the same angle as the passage floors. I t will be found that in this case the length of the perpendicular is exactly one-half of the width of the King's Chamber. (The hypotenuse of the right-angled triangle multiplied by the natural sine of the passage angle, gives the length of the perpendicular. Thus, 232.5204+, multiplied by -44311346274- equals 103.0329+, which is exactly one-half of the King's Chamber's width. Q.E.D.) As the level of the upper floor-end of the Grand Gallery is thus very definitely fixed above the Socket-base according to the dimensions of the King's Chamber, we would naturally expect to find that such an important level would indicate some outstanding features in the Great Pyramid's teachings. Nor are we disappointed. For this very level is just a t that exact distance above the Socket-base of 'the building, that the perimeter of the building a t this precise level agrees in inches with the number of years in tll:: great precession of the equinoxes, namely, 25,694-35+. In his Elements of Astronomy of 1896, page 365, Sir Robert Stawell Ball states the duration of the precessional cycle as 25,694.8 years. Messrs. Barlow and Bryan, on page 427 of their work Elementary Astronomy of 1893, give the figures of the precessional cycle as 25,695 years, which is evidently a round number. I t is correct to say, therefore, that the number of years in the precessional cycle lies between 25,694, and 25,695. Thus we find in the Great Pyramid's proportionate dimensions three periods of time intimately connected with man's wellbeing upon earth, namely, the period in which the earth revolves once round its primary the sun; the period of the moon's apparent revolution round the earth; and the period of years which the pole of the earth takes to revolve once round the pole of the heavens, that slow constant movement which is connected with the equinoctial precession. 50
The year-value of the precessional cycle is monumentalised many times in the Great Pyramid, just as are the day-values of the year and the month. Because of the multiplicity of these indications, and their exactness, we know that they are intentional, and that they were incorporated in the building by the great Master Architect to give us confidence in the other, and in many respects more important, symbolical message of the Lord's stone "Witness." Not only does the number of inch-units in the perimeter of the Pyramid a t the level of the upper floor-terminal of the Grand Gallery agree with the years in the precessional cycle, but the sum of the building's diagonals a t the Platform-level base also agrees in inches with the years of the precession. The total of inches at each of these two levels, the perimeter in the one case, and the two diagonals in the other, are absolutely the same, 25,694.35+. And if we repeat the vertical distance between these two levels to a higher, third, level (thus making the Grand Gallery upper floor-end level midway between the Platform-level and this other, third, level), we shall find that the sum of the perimeter, and of the two diagonals, a t this third level is also exactly 25,694.354- Pyramid inches. Here, then, we have three distinct levels, equal distant from e'ach other, all yielding in a harmonious manner the exact number of earth-commensurable inches required to agree with the years in the great precession of the equinoxes. But this important astronomical period is shown by the Pyramid's measures an infinite number of times, as follows: Of the three levels spoken of above, that of the upper floor-end of the Grand Gallery is exactly half-way between the other two. If, now, we measure the vertical distance that lies between the upper, third, level and the apex of the building, and fix a fourth level a t exactly half-way up this vertical line, there, a t this definitely fixed fourth level, the sum of the perimeter and of the two diagonals, when multiplied by 2, is also exactly 25,694 -35+ Pyramid inches. And a t a fifth level, exactly half-way between the fourth and the apex of the Pyramid, the sum of the perimeter and two diagonals, when multiplied by 4, is the same total of inches, 51
25,694-35+. And so on, ad infiniturn, each succeeding higher level being always midway between the previous level and the apex, and the multiplying number, by which we multiply the sum of the perimeter and diagonals of the level, being always double that of the previous lower level. While, as mathematicians will tell us, in so far as the proportions govern this feature, namely, lowest level the diagonals, second level the perimeter, third level the diagonals and perimeter together, etc., all true square-based pyramids agree ; there is only the one Pyramid in the world in which the measurement itself corresponds with the number of years in the precessional cycle. And it is in this one Pyramid only where the precise number of inches necessary to agree with the precession coincides with the diagonals of the Platformlevel base of the building. For none of the other pyramids in Egypt are large enough to enable their base-diagonals to contain so many earth-commensurable inch-units, as the scientific precessional cycle feature requires. And there is only the one Pyramid in the world, the Lord's Sign and Witness in Egypt, where the perimeter and the second level, agreeing with the sum of the two diagonals of the first level, coincides with the time-measurement that points directly to the date 1914 A . D . For this second level, as already seen, is fixed by the upper floor-end of thh Grand Gallery, which floor-end, in the Pyramid's wonderful t i m e measurements, marks the date 1914 A .I>., the most momentous year in modern history, and one, at least, of the most important in the entire history of mankind. I t is not by accident that the date 1914 A . D . , and the precessional cycle, are found connected with the same level in the Great Pyramid.
SECTION X
w
ILLIAM PETRIE, the Father of Professor Flinders Petrie, was the first to suggest that the height of the Great Pyramid should, in some convincing way, indicate the distance of the earth from the sun. He based his suggestion upon the discovery previously made, that the perimeter of the building's square Socket-level base agrees in measure with the number of days in the solar tropical year (each day being represented by an even 100 inches); and also that the vertical height of the monument is equal to the radius of the circle, whose circumference is the same as the perimeter of the square base. Because of these two facts he came to the conclusion that the Pyramid's topstone might very well represent the sun, and the perimeter of the base represent the orbit of the earth around its centre the sun. The distance of the base from the Pyramid's topstone would, therefore, by some geometric, or mathematical proportion, indicate the mean distance of the earth's orbit round the sun. This problem, the elder William Petrie found to be very clearly monumentalised in the Great Pyramid in an ingenious, and pre-eminently characteristic Pyramid way. And the figures are so accurate that we know that man alone could not have embodied this scientific feature in any building, except he had been guided by a higher intelligence. For in the days when the Great Pyramid was erected the human race could not have ascertained this important truth by its own efforts. The learned Greeks reckoned that the distance of the sun was ten miles! Later in the world's history the distance 53
was thought to be 10,000 miles; and as knowledge increased the sun-distance estimates grew. But even the astronomer Kepler did not guess it t o be more than 36-million miles! The extraordinary preparations now made by all the governments of the world t o secure accurate observations from various parts of the earth, has resulted in the estimates of the sun-distance being narrowed down to what must be a very close approximation to the actual mean number of miles. The celebrated astronomer, Richard A. Proctor, estimated the mean distance of the earth from the sun to be about 91,850,000 British statute miles. This very careful estimate is as close as scientific men may hope to reach by their own activities in astronomy. For it is an estimate of the mean distance, that is, the mean between the maximum distance called the aphelion, and the minimum distance called the perihelion, and allowing for the fluctuation within limits of these two distances from year to year. We consider that the estimate of Richard A. Proctor for the mean sun-distance is close to the actual, or true, mean; for it is close to the Pyramid's scientific indication of this distance. For our understanding is that the Great Pyramid furnishes the figures for the true mean distance of the earth from the sun, just as it furnishes the figures of the true mean solar tropical year-duration in days, and of the synodic month, as well as the number of years in the precession of the equinoxes. The Great Pyramid's indication of the mean sun-distance is 91,837,578 British statute miles. Richard A. Proctor's estimate of 91,850,000 miles is only about 12,000 miles more, a difference which is negligible in such an immense number of miles. I t is evident, also, that Proctor's figures are stated in a round number, which is always thought to be sufficiently accurate when dealing with great totals. The method by which the Great Pyramid indicates the mean sun-distance is very simple, and the calculation is entirely representative of this wonderful monument. The apex topstone represents the sun, and the Socket-level base represents the earth. Therefore, the actual vertical distance between the Pyramid's apex and the Socket base yields the actual figures which express the distance between the sun 54
and the earth. For when we multiply the Pyramid's Socketto-apex vertical height by the grand number of a round 1000-millions, we have the required sun-distance. A round, even, 1000-million times the Pyramid's vertical height is 5,813,010,134,372 Pyramid inches. To convert this Pyramid-inch measure into its corresponding value in British statute miles, for comparison with the estimates of astronomers, we divide the Pyramid inches by .999 to get the number of British inches. By the usual rule the British inches are converted to British statute miles, the number of which is, as given above, 91,837,578.
SECTION XI
RIENTATION, when applied to a building, ineans the direction of its sides with reference to the cardinal points of the compass. Buildings erected for astronomical purposes are carefully oriented. Professor C. Piazzi Smyth took observations at and around the Great Pyramid, to test if its sides lay due north and south, east and west. These observations demonstrate that the central meridian line north and south of the Pyramid deviate only about 5' (five minutes of arc) west from the direction of the true astronomical north. And Professor Flinders Petrie's later, and more numerous, observations confirm the accuracy of Professor Smy th 's result. Both Professors Smyth and Petrie found that the amount of deviation west of the true north, S f , is also observable in the meridional line of the Second Pyramid, which lies close to the Great Pyramid. As the Second Pyramid was built soon aftrr the Great Pyramid, it is possible that its builders used the original Pyramid as their model in some respects. As the deviation from the true north is exactly the same in both buildings, Professors Smyth and Petrie came to the conclusion that, originally, the orientation of these monuments when constructed over four thousand years ago was absolutely exact, the four sides pointing due north, south, east and west. The small amount of deviation of only 5' now observable they attribute to the slow and progressive change in the crust of the earth. This change in the crust of the earth (but not in the axis of the earth's rotation, which will never change-Genesis 8: 22; Ecclesiastes 1 : 4) is so slow that, if it is maintained constantly in the same direction, it will take nearly 50,000 years to make 56
0
one degree (lo) of dcviation between the Great Pyramid's meridional line and the true astronomical meridian. As Professor Smyth points out, no builder could ever orient the sides of a monument with the aid of the magnetic compass; for the magnetic north is many degrees away from the true north. To accurately lay the four sides of the Great Pyramid due north, south, east and west, as they were originally, necessitated either the knowledge of exact scientific astronomy, or the knowledge that can be communicated by Divine inspiqation. The Great Pyramid gives many evidences of Divine supervision, both in its dimensions, and in its exact location on earth.
SECTION XI1
OWER EGYPT lies within the confines of the Delta of the Nile. The delta is rather of a sector shape, the coastal line on the Mediterranean Sea forming the curve of a quarter circle. The chief hydrographer to the United States Coast Survey in 1868, Mr. Henry Mitchell, was impressed with the'regularity of the circular coast-line of Lower Egypt, and wondered if he were to complete the circle where the centre of it would fall. With the aid of a good map and a pair of compasses he "tried out" his idea, and was greatly interested to discover that the centre of the circle which evenly swept all the prominent coastal points of Egypt's sector-shaped land, coincided with the actual site of the Great Pyramid! Because thus standing a t the sectorial centre of cultivated Lower Egypt, and a t the same time on the very edge of the great uncultivated desert which reaches out from it to the south, east and west, the Great Pyramid was seen by Mr. Mitchell to wonderfully fulfil the peculiar requirements of Isaiah's prophecy. For the "altar" and "pillar" spoken of by the prophet was to be at one and the same time both in the midst, or centre, of the land of Egypt, and at the border thereof! (See Isaiah 19: 19, 20). And not only is the Great Pyramid in the practical governing centre of Lower Egypt's fan-shaped land, it also marks the centre of the land-surface of the whole earth. For, as Professor C . Piazzi Smyth points out, its location on the 30th degree north latitude, and the 3Ist degree longitude east of Greenwich, places the building in that unique position. There is more land-surface in both its meridian and its latitude than in any other meridian and latitude. Its nether meridian, i . e . , the 59
L
longitude continuous with it on the other side of the earth, has its whole length through water except for a short distance near Behring Straits. Professor Smyth claimed, therefore, that the Meridian of the Great Pyramid is the natural zero of longitude for all nations, much more suitable than the artificially fixed zeros of either Greenwich or Paris. But the wonders connected with the geographical position of the Lord's Sign and Witness by no means end here. We are only beginning to have them revealed to us.
The Scrifitures Connect Bethlehem with Egypt This angle-connection of the centre of Egypt's sector-shaped land with Bethlehem we now see is more appropriate than if the line had run to Jerusalem; for in the Great Pyramid's symbolical teaching the Descending Passage represents, not only the downward course of the human race into the death-state
The I~escending Passage of the Great Pyramid of Giaelr. trs viezucd front inside tlre lowerope~zi~zg of tltc IVell-shaft, looking east :showing i t s steepness.'und its low roof
owing to Adam's original sin of disobedience, but also the descent of Jesus from heaven to earth. And the Ascending Passage, being at the same angle upward as the Descending Passage is downward, represents our Lord's subsequent 64
ascension from earth to heaven ; as we read :"He that descended, is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fulfil all things" (Ephesians 4 : 9, 10). When Jesus descended to earth he was born as a Man-child in the city ol Bethlehem; and from Bethlehem he was carried by Joseph and his mother Mary into Egypt to escape the fury of Herod. This, thc Scriptures declarc, was done that it might bc fulfilled
7 he L)cacoztlirtg Pnsstrge of tlrc (;reat Pyramid o,f Cizeh : sltou~irrgin the IVest wall the
lotc-er 0 ~ e l t i l l g0.f Ihc IVclL-sltlrft
which was spokcn of the Lord by the prophet Hosea: "Out of Egypt h a w I called my son" (See Matthew, 2nd chapter). It is gerlcrally acknowledged that in Scriptural usage Canaan, symbolises heayen, and Egypt the present cvil world. Thus when Jews was sent from Bethlehem into Egypt, it illustrates E
65
the heavenly Father sending His beloved Son from the glory of heaven into this world of sin and sofrow to be "perfected through sufferings," and so become qualified to be installed as the Headstone of the Great Antitypical Pyramid of God's glorious Plan of Salvation, of which the stone Pyramid in Egypt is the figure (See Acts 4 : 10-12).
I n the present small treatise we could not hope to do justice to the various features connected with the Pyramid-Bethlehem distance to which we refer above. We shall here, however, give the explanation of the problem we speak of, as well as an additional one, which is directly related to the subject-matter of this treatise.
T h e P y r a m i d - t o -Bethlehem Distance and tlie Period of 2138 Y e a r s
The geographical mile-length, indicated in the direct distance between the Great Pyramid and Bethlehem, is found to be monumentalised iri the dimensions of the Great Pyramid itself. For, twice the perimeter of the Pyramid's square base at the level of the leuelled natltrnl rock, is precisely one geographical mile. Bccause this mile-16ngth is esactly contained .in the base-measure of the Great Pyramid (and not in the base-measures of the other pyramids in Egypt, as none of them is large enough to contain i t ) , we shall speak of it as the "Pyramid mile," just as we speak of the Pyramid inch and the Pyramid cubit. As Bethlehem is a city, and hence covers a greater area than the Pyramid, it follows that inore than one straight-lined distance, within limits, connect these two locations. I t is the recognition of this self-evident fact that makes it possible for the Pyramid-Bethlehem line to embody a number of different features with exactness. The calculations show that the limits of distance lie approximately between 2334 and 232B Pyramid miles. A Pyramid mile contains 2917.467+ Pyramid cubits, or 6084-141+ British feet. This value for the length of the Pyramid mile, as indicated by the Great Pyramid's Rock-level base, practically corroborates the estimated length of the presently accepted Standard Geographical Mile, being barely a foot and a half more: There is every reason to believe that, as in other scientific matters, the Great Pyramid presents the world with the accurate value of earth's geographical mile. (NOTE: I t was after our having discovered the Great Pyramid's exact indication of the length of the geographical mile during our studies of the building's various dimensions, that we noted Professor Flinders Petrie's reference to the same feature. Professor Petrie, however, merely draws attention to the close 67
Not only does the angle-line connection between Bethlehem and the Great Pyramid, Egypt's centre, agree wlth the passage-anglc of the Pyramid, but the actbal distance between these two places on the earth's surface agrees most wonderfully with the period of years which elapsed between the date of the building of the Pyramid in Egypt, and the birth of the Man Christ Jesus in Bethlehem. This interesting feature was suggested to us by Sir Charles W. F . Craufurd, Bart., of Ayrshire, Scotland. Its actual solution he left to us, believing that with our more complete data, we might be able to convincingly prove the truth of his idea. Nor was he willing to set aside this idea, but over a long period he continued to lay it before us, hoping that ultimately a solution would be found. By the leading of the Lord, we are persuaded, we were enabled to solve the problem to the satisfaction of Sir Charles Craufurd and ourselves; and we are confident that All students will agree, when once they grasp the true significance of this feature, that no better way of indicating the dates of the building of the symbolical Great Pyramid, and the birth of the Man Christ Jesus 2138 years later, could well have been devised. And when later, in the 3rd volume of Great Pyramid Passages, we show the still further development of the Pyramid-toBethlehem line, proving that it embodies a large number of important scientific features, both connected with the Great Pyramid itself, and also with the earth and its rotation round the sun, etc., every one who can claim to have their eyes open will admit that this line is /the most wonderful and most itnportant straight line on, literally, the face of the earth! 66
agreement between his own estimated base-side length of the Pyramid to the Standard Geographical Mile, without pressing the investigation iurther to its logical conclusion. But it is interesting to find that this correspondency did not escape the astute observation of this eminent Egyptologist, even through he apprehended it in an approximate way only.) The precise period of years intervening between the dates of the erecting of the Great Pyramid, and the birth of the Man Christ Jesus in Bethlehem, Autumn of the year 2140 R . C . in the one case, and Autumn of the year 2 B.C. in the other, is 2138. Taking a direct distance between ,the Pyramid and Bethlehem of 233.266+ Pyramid miles, which is within the above-noted limits of distance, and converting these miles into Pyramid cubits, we find that the total number of cubits corresponds with the year-period by the following characteristic Pyramid method of calculating : Regard the direct straight-lined distance as the diameter of a circle, and divide the circumference of the circle by an even, round, 1000. The result of this calculation yields precisely 21%. That is to say, every even 1000 Pyramid cubits measured round the circumference of the circle, of which the straight-line distance between the Pyramid and Bethlehem is the diameter, equals one solar tropical year, and there are precisely 2138 such 1000-cubit divisions of the circle. Or still another way of expressing this feature, is to reckon that a small circle having a circumference of exactly a round 1000 cubits represents one year. If we placed a row of such small 1000-cubit circles side by side in a straight line, it would take exactly 2138 of them to reach from the Great Pyramid to Bethlehem. (The number 10 is the basic number of the Pyramid; and multiples of 10, and divisions of 10, arc definite factors in the scientific dimensions of the building. The fact that an even 1000 [or 10 x 10 x 101 cubits represents in this feature one solar tropical year, is thoroughly characteristic of the Pyramid, as is also the very frequent use of the ratio z, the ratio between a circle and its diameter.)
The Pyramid-to-Retlzlelzem Distance and the Period o f 1915 Years When thc foretold birth of the world's Saviour took place a t the foreknown (to God) date, at the close of the first period of 2138 solar tropical years, the other most important period then began to run its course, namely, the 1915 solar tropical years till Autumn of the year 1914 A.D. The three dates which define the durations of these two exact periods are all related to each other in a very convincing way; or, rather, the events which occurred a t these three dates are related. Autumn of the year 2140 B . C . saw the completion of the building-operations on the Great Pyramid (and 2170 B . c . , 30 years earlier, probably saw the commencement of these operations; for Herodotus informs us that the Pyramid took 30 years to complete). This date, 2140 B . c . , is monumentalised in the dimensions of the Pyramid, and is proved to be correct in a number of ways, as we shall see later. As completed, the Great Pyramid stood a symbol of Jesus Christ, perfect in every particular, for there is no geometric figure which can represent perfection-of-being so well as the pyramid form. And while thus standing complete in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a t the border thereof, the Pyramid in its outward perfection symbolised not only Christ Jesus personally, it also symbolised his body-members with him. For the Scriptures that speak of our Lord as the chief Corner-stpne, also liken the members of his body, his jointheirs of the Kingdom, to "living stones" built up to him as their heavenly head-stone. The Great Pyramid, therefore, as it stood complete with top-stone and casing-stones in the year 2140 B . c . , was a beautiful symbolical figure of the Christ, head and body, united as one. Internally, also, the completed Pyramid embodied by means of its measures, angles and symbols, every detail of the glorious Plan of God, pointing specially to the Kingdom of Christ as the hope of the world. And in Autumn 2 B . c . , the Man Christ Jesus was duly born into the world, and was proclaimed both Saviour and King, and later was declared to be the head of the Church his body. Then, after he himself had been glorified, the members of his 70
body began to be separated from the world. And during the whole Gospel Age this work of selection has been carried t o completion, until in 1914, at the termination of 1915 years, the second period, H e took to Himself his great'power and began his reign as-earth's invisible King, his joint-heirs being with him, not excepting those who are "alive and remain, " the members of the "feet of him" who stand upon the mountains (the kingdoms), publishing the glad tidings, proclaiming salvation, and proclaiming that Christ has indeed begun his reign of righteousncss. I t is to this mission of the "feet, " or last members of the Church in the flesh, who will declare upon the mountains the reign of Christ begzrn, that Isaiah 52: 7 refers. (See Vol. I1 of Stztdies in the Scri@tures, page 142.) I t should not be surprising, therefore, to find that the Pyramid-Bethlehem distance not only indicates the first period of 2138 years, but also the succeeding period of 1915 years. And this it does in a similar way, but along a different, though harmoniously-connected, line; because the second period is shorter than the first (compare the two diagrams on pages 62 and 68). I n this instance the direct line connecting the Pyramid and Bethlehem is to be regarded as the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle. The angle at which this hypotenuse rises from the base of the triangle is the same as the passage-angle of the Pyramid, namely, 26O 18' 9".7, as already proved. The base-line of this right-angled triangle is the parallel of latitude on which the Great Pyramid is built. The perpendicular of the triangle is the parallel of longitude of the city of Bethlehem. The kngth of the hypotenuse, i . e . , the distance between the Pyramid and Bethlehem., is in this feature 233.066+ Pyramid miles, or about a 5th of a mile less than the distance which indicates the 2138-year period.. This shorter length for the hypotenuse is still well within the city's precincts. As in the former feature, so here also, we convert the Pyramid miles into the corresponding value in cubits. But in this case we do not use the hypotenuse-length directly, but the base-line kngth of the right-angled triangle connected with this hypotenuse; for, as we said, the period of years to be indicated is shorter. Thus, regarding the base-side length 71
as the diameter of a circle, it will be found that the circumference of this circle is as many times an even 1000 Pyramid cubits ( i . e . , 1915 x 1000), as there are years between the birth of the Man Christ *Jesus in Bethlehem, and the date Autumn of the year 1914 ~ . b .when , the great Antitypical Spiritual Pyramid of God, of which the Pyramid of stone in Egypt is the figure, is complete, head and body; or with thc "living-stones" in alignment with their heavenly head-stone, even to the feetmembers who are yet on earth doing their neccssnry share in present Kingdom work.
SECTION XIV
'E have seen how wonderfully related to each other are the dimensions of the King's Chamber, and the other parts of the Great Pyramid, We have also noted that this chamber's exact size indicates the precise duration in days of the solar tropical year. And. we have clearly perceived that all of these proportionate measures must be reckoned in earth-commensurable units, that is, in Pyramid cubits and inches. I t is therefore very stimulating to our faith in the Divine origination of the Great Pyramid to find that, the cubical capacity of this noble granite chamber agrees with the length of earth's axis of rotation in the scale of 25 to 1, or in inches in the Icing's Chamber, and cubits in earth's polar axis. For as half of the polar axis of rotation measures exactly a round 10-million Pyramid cubits of 25 Pyramid inches each, so the cubical capacity of half of the King's Chamber is almost a round 10-million Pyramid inches. The amount of cubical inch'es by which one half of the capacity of thc chamber is short of the cxact, cvcn, 10-millions, is just that number which enables the dimensions of this chamber LO indicate the day-value of the Lunar Year of 12 Synodic months. The method by which this lunar-year indication is calculated is an integral part of the Pyramid's scientific system of proportions; it is proved to be an intended fea.ture in the building's dimensions, becaiise it occurs frequently, as we shall see.
Tlze Granite W a l l s of the K i n g ' s Chamber The King's Chamber has, in a sense, two distinct heights: ( I ) the direct floor-to-ceiling height, and (2) the height of the granite walls. .For the four walls of the chamber dip down below the level of the floor to the extent of about 5 inches. At this distance below the floor-level the granite walls rest on linlestone; and as the whole of the apartment is constructcd of granite, thc fact that its walls dip below the floor-level a uniform distance all round, it may be said there is a second, greater, height to the chamber, namely, that of the granite walls alone. Both first and second heights are required in the scientific features of the monument. The first, or floor-to-ceiling height of the King's Chamber is equal to exactly one-half of the floor-diagonal, as already noted. This first height is an essential dimension of the chamber, and must therefore be regarded as a fixed measure in the Pyramid. The second, or granite-wall, height is 4.8546+ inches more than the first height, or 235.2432-t Pyramid inches in all. Each of the four walls of the chamber is composed of five masonry courses, and each of these courses is of one uniform height. The height of every stone used in the construction of the Icing's Chamber's four walls, therefore, is an exact fifth-part of the total vertical height of the walls. Each of the five wall-courses is thus 47.0486+ Pyramid inches high.
T h e Lunar-Year Duration indicated by the King' s Chamber CHAMBER
Reckoning with the second, or granite-wall height, the cubical capacity of half of the King's Chamber is, in cubic Pyramid inches, 9,989,165 .06348+. (See the length and width of the King's Chamber on page 30. When calculating, allowance must be made for a little extra in the results, as indicated by the plus [-+I sign in the dimensions.) Now, this cubical Pyramid-inch capacity of half of the King's Chamber is nearly 11,000 short of the exact 10-million. But the precise shortage is just that exact number of inches that 75
enables the chamber to indicate the day-value of the lunar year of 12 synodic 'months in the following proportionate way: The shortage under the even 10-million inches is 10,834,93651+ . Wcmdivide this shortage by 8, and deduct from the result an even 1000. The remainder is 354.367061- ; and this, according to the best astronomical estimates, is the number of days in the lunar year. (The day-value of the synodic month, 12 of which make a lunar year, is noted on page 40. ) Another way of stating this feature of the King's Charnher is: l o the cubical capadity of half of the King's Chamber add ' as many inches as there are days in the lunar year multiplied by 8, and a round 1000 cubic inches multiplied by 8 . The resultant sum is exactly 10 millions of cubic Pyramid inches.
f i e R a t i o n in the Dimensions of the K i n g ' s Chamber Because of this cubical capacity of the King's Chambcr, as detailed above, the length and height of the granite wall on the north, or south, side of the chamber is such, that the complete circuit, or perimeter of this wall bears the same proportion to the length of the chamber, as the circumference of a circle bears to its diameter. Or, in other words, if the complete circuit of the north side wall, reckoning with the second height of the chamber, he divided by the r a t lo ' 7i, we get the length of that wall. (With the climensions given above, this proportionate feature does not yield the length of the chamber absolutely Q . E . D . , but practically s o ; for the figures come to within less than a 250-tl~ousandthpart of an inch of the precise theoretical length, or correct to five places of decimals.)
Tlze Precessional Cycle Duration indicated by tlzr K i ~ z gs' Chamber Another feature shown by the circuit of the King's Chamber's side walls is their indication of the number of years in the great cycle of the precession of the equinoxes. This feature requires the recognition of the Pyramid's basic number 10. 76
We find that this niimbcr 10, which is the complete number, enters very largely as a factor in the Pyramid's scientific and symbolic indications. As Professor C. Piazzi Smyth points out, the etymological n~eailirig of the word "pyramid" is, literally, "division of ten. " The precessional cycle indication is shown thus: From the perimeter of the granite north side wall of the King's Charrlber, that is, 1294.74986-1 Pyramid inches, deduct 10. Multiply the remainder by 10. As this pertains to the north wall of the chamber, double the result to include the south ~ 7 a l las well. The resultant sum is as many inches as there arc ycars in the precession, namely, 25,694,9974-. As hitherto sl~own, the year-value of tht, prrctssional cycle is bctwecn 25,694, and 25,695.
T h e Second Height of the K i n g ' s Chamber and the Grand Gallery's Floor-lengtlz I t will be noticed that in thc calculations for the even 10-million feature of the King's Chamber, we used as one of the factors the number 8 . The number 8 we find is frequently required in t h c Scientific features. When we multiply the second, or granite-wall, height of the King's Chamber bj7 8 , wc get, to within about a 3rd of an inch, thc floor-length of the Grand Gallery. For eight times the second height is 1881.9459+ inches, while the theoretically correct, or standard, length of the Grand Gallery is 1881.5985+ Pyramid inches.
.tl,tzotlzer I7zdicati07z of the SoLnr Y e a r Duvatiorz When wc regard the 10th part of the cubic diagonal of the King's Chamber (reckoning this time with the first height of thc chamber) as the diameter of a sphere, and calculate the number of cubic Pyramid inches in this sphere, we find that this number agrees with the number of days in 196 solar tropical years. The esact number of cubic inches in the sphere is 171,587.-l1569+, while the number of days in 196 solar years is 171,58747093-+. The difference is little more than a 20th. part 1-1f a day ;n the full 196 years. 77
The precise number of days in 196 solar tropical years is shown by the total number of inches in twice the perimeter of the Great Pyramid, at that level above the Socket-level base which is equal to the length of the Ante-Chamber (98 x 2 = 196). The standard length of the small Ante-Chamber is 116-2602026+ Pyramid inches; and this is the diameter of the circle, whose circumference is as many inches as there are days in the solar tropical year, 365 2421986+.
Another Irzdication of the Lunar Year Duratiou There are many ways by which the Great Pyramid's dimensions indicate their correspondencies with scientific truths. Some are indirect indications as we have seen, others are direct. But whether direct or indirect, all are in keeping with the py;amid1s own system of proportions, and all are convincingly exact; for where the correspondencies are not absolute (but the most important ones are exact), the differences in the results are barely noticeable. There is another way in which the Icing's Chamber's dimensions yield the lunar year duration; and although this indication is by means of a proportion, it is more direct than the one already noted. I n this instance we require to recognise the existence of the single inch-unit, the even 500-millionth part of earth's axis of rotation. Any one dimension of the King's Chamber takes into account all of the chamber's dimensions, as all are dependent upon one another (See top of page 29). The basis for the calculation is in this instance the length of the side diagonal, given on page 30. Regard three times the side diagonal, plus one inch, as the perimeter of a square. The side-length of this square in Pyramid inches is, to within less than a 17-thousandth part of an inch, equal to the number of days in the lunar year of 12 synodic months. Except for the infinitesimal fraction of an inch the agreement is exact, being correcL to four places of decimals. (Three times the side diagonal of the King's Chamber, plus one inch, equals 1417.468492+ Pyramid inches. The fourth part of this total is the side-length of the square, namely, 354.367123+ ; while the days in the lunar year number 78
354.367064+. The difference is only .000058+ of an inch, or less than a 17-thousandth part. The side diagonal on which this lunar year indication is based is calculated with the chamber's first, or floor-to-ceiling, height. ) The addition of a single inch to the total of inches in three times the side diagonal, to make the agreement exact, is one of the ways by which the Great Pyramid points to the earthcommensurable inch-unit. In the feature on page 45 we noted how the precise length of the earth-comn~ensurable cubit is also pointed to in a similar way. We shall notice other examples as we proceed.
SECTION XV
HEN it is seen that all the various dimensions of the Great Pyramid were designed to bear harmonious proportions Po one another, our confidence in the time-measurements and symbolical features based upon these dimensions is strengthened. These geometric and mathematical proportions prove, at least, that our deductions as to the true meaning and teachhg of the Great Pyramid are leasonable. Somc of these harmonies, of which there are many throughout the building, appear a t first to be almost accidental ; but as our knowledge of the syste~nof measures on which thc design of the monument is based increases, we become less and less inclined to believe that there is anything of an accidental nature connected with thc Pyramid. We begin to perceive, instead, that these harmonies exist because of the unique design of the entire building. They arc the little parts bf which the whole grand edifice is composed. Just as there is beailty in the general outward aspect of the monument, so there is beauty in every detail, both in the actual material building itself, but especially in its geometric and mathematical truth, and in its symbolisms.
The King's Chamber and its Dimensions Govern the whole Pyramid Professor C. Piazzi Smyth has well said of the noble King's Chamber, with its beautifully squared and levelled blocks of dark polished granite, that it is the chief apartment in the Great Pyramid, the one "to which, and for which, and toward which, the whole edifice was originally built." I t is a remarkable fact that the King's Chamber, in its dimensions, 80
governs the dimensions of all other parts of the building, either directly, or indirectly. Some of these connections we have already noted, and we shall draw attention to others as we develop our subject. The basic number of the Pyramid, as we know, is 10. This is the complete number, for when we have counted up to 10 we must^ begin again. The number 8 enters very often into the Pyramid's scientific proportions, and so also does 7, the perfect number. Besides denoting perfection the number 7 is, in the Scriptures, specially connected with time. The understanding of the Great Pyramid, in its geometric and mathematical aspect, is largely an understanding of numbers. So far as we are able, we prefer to know the reason for the frequent use of certain numbers in the proportionate features of the Pyramid. The use of some of them, a?, for instance, 10, and 7, seem obvious, but the use of some others are not so clear at first. It is only as our comprehension of the whole teaching of the Pyramid comes through study, that we perceive meaning in all of the numerical features of the building. We have noticed the use of the number 3, in that feature in the King's Chamber which indicates the day-value of the lunar year (See page 78). Whatever other meaning may attach to this number, we can call it the triangular number, representing the three equal sides of an equilateral triangle. 4 may be considered to be the square number; and 5 is proved to be the "sacredJ' number of the Great Pyramid. But as we deal with the particular features where such numbers enter as factors, we shall speak of them more fully. With the dimensions of the King's Chamber as we have used them in all the features referred to so far (See page 30 for these dimensions), we find that the cubical capacity of the lowest, first-wall-course section of the chamber, is 3,583,380.4698+ cubic Pyramid inches. The height of the first wall-course, measuring from the floor-level, is less than the height of the other four wall-courses above, because this first course dips down below the floor-level 4-8546+ inches, as mentioned on page 75. The cubical capacity of the lower section of the chamber, therefore, between the level of the floor and the level of the top of the first wall-course (for the F 81
masonry joint between the first and second courses runs along the chamber's four walls at a uniform level), is less than it would have been had the walls rested directly on the floor, instead of dipping down below the floor in the manner described. The level of the floor has been so adjusted with reference to the top of the lowest wall-course, that the number of cubic inches contained within the confines of these two levels is equal to, first, one half of a round '/-millions, and, second, an even 100 times the vertical height of the approaching Grand Gallery, to within about a 25th part of an inch of the theoretical standard vertical height. We do not consider this correspondency to be of itself of great importance, but it is an example of those harmonious details of which we speak. If we take the length of the King's Chamber as being the side-length of a perfect cube, the number of cubical inches in this cube is almost an exact, round, 70-millions. (The contents of the cube is about 1609 inches more than the exact 70-millions. A length for the chamber of less than a 300th part of an inch short of the precise standard length, would make the contents of the cube the exact 70,000,000 cubic inches. ) The Floor-Level of the King's Chamber The floor of the King's Chamber is on a higher level in the building than the level touched by the upper terminal of the Grand Gallery. I t was an earnest Bible student of Glasgow, Scotland, Mr. Adam Rutherford, who first directed our attention to the fact that the perimeter of the Great Pyramid a t the level of the King's Chamber's floor could not agree in inches with the years in the precessional cycle. In our earlier editions of the volumes of Great Pyramid Passages, to which he referred, we had merely quoted the words of Professor C. Piazzi Smyth in this connection, without at that time testing his calculations. But we see now that the calculations of Professor Smyth are wrong as applied to the King's Chamber floor-level, and the mean Socket-level diagonals; but are right, as Mr. Rutherford showed, when applied to the level of the upper floor-end of the Grand Gallery, and the Platform-level 82
diagonals. The beauty of the Great Pyramid's indications is always more apparent when we can ascertain the true measurements, or the correct method of applying the measurements. There is an appropriate. proportionate, harmony between the two levels (i.e., the King's Chamber floor-level, and the upper floor-end of the Grand Gallery), as shown by the following calculation, in which the perfect number 7 is the prominent factor. The upper terminal of the Grand Gallery floor marks the end of the 1915-inch time-measurement, and the dimensions of the King's Chamber also indicate this 1915 period of years (See the companion brochure of this series entitled : The Great Pyramid : Its Time Features). I t is appropriate, therefore, that the difference between the two levels in question should yield an indication of the 1915 years. This 1915-year indication is contained in the number of cubic inches which lie within the limits of the two levels, the vertical distance between which is 6.61713- inches. The proportion is: Take an even I-millionth part of the number of cubic inches in the masonry of the building between the level of the upper floor-end of the Grand Gallery, and the floor-level of the King's Chamber. Multiply this millionth part by 7, and add 7. The result is 1915.189+. (The total number of cubic inches between the two levels is 272,598,502.5526+, according to the standard measures of every part of the Pyramid.)
The to#-surface ievel of the Stefi By still another proportion the level of the King's Chamber's floor indicates the 1915-year period, thus again pointing to the momentous year 1914 A . D . , the date of the King's entry into his Kingdom. This indication is connected with the size of the "Step" at the head of the Grand Gallery. The top surface of the Step is on a lower level than the floor of the King's Chamber, to the extent of about 2 of an inch, or, more particularly, -765793- of an inch. This Step-level is geometrically related to the vertical height of the Grand Gallery, and to the area of the Socket-level square base of the 83
whole Pyramid. For the vertical distance between the top surface of the Step, and the apex of the building, is equal to the side-length of a square, the area of which square is precisely one-fifth of the area of the Pyramid's Socket-level square base. Another way of expressing the geometric position of the
Thc great Stefi at the hcad of the Gralzd G a l k r y of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh; showing the t w o side Ramps terminating ugainst the Northern face of the Step : and the low #assage leadine to - - the Ante and Ir'lng's ?lzn,ttbers 0
Step-level is: Twice the vertical height of the Grand Gallery, multiplied by an even 10-thousand, equals the area of a square, the side-length of which is equal to the vertical height of the Pyramid's apex above the top surface of the Step at the head of the Grand Gallery. And the area of this particular square, also, is as many inches as there are days in the square of the 85
solar tropical year, multiplied by 125. (A11 of these correspondencies are, of course, mathematically exact, and are related to one another.) The actual vertical distance, then, from the upper surface of the Step to the building's apex, is 4083-53192+ Pyramid inches. And as the vertical distance between the level of the Grand Gallery's upper floor-end and the apex is 4089-38327+ inches (being equal to the radius of the precessional cycle), it follows that the vertical distance between the upper floor-end of the Grand Gallery, and the top of the Step, is 5.85135+ Pyramid inches. Now, the dates 1874 and 1914 A . D . are both indicated in, a connected way by the Step-height, and by the higher level of the King's Chamber floor-line. The Step projects into the Grand Gallery 61 inches, as all Pyramid students know, and its front-riser height is 36 inches. As has been pointed out by many writers on the Pyramid, the 36-inch riser represents the yard-length, while the length of the top surface of this Step, from north to south, is equal to the sum of the yard, and the cubit, 36+25 =61 inches. These measures are correct as expressing the dimensiohs of the Step in round figures. The accurate Pyramid-inch measures are: Length, from north edge of Step to the south wall of the Gallery, 60-95946+, and front-riser height, 35.98297+. Or up to the level produced floor-line of the King's Chamber, the front-riser height is 36-74877-1- Pyramid inches. These measures are correct according to the mean of the careful practical measures of Professor Flinders Petrie. The front-riser of the Step may be said to form the perpendicular of a right-angled triangle, if we produce the inclined floor-line of the Grand Gallery upward through the masonry of the Step, till it reaches the level of the top surface of the Step. The top level of the Step will then be the baseline of the triangle, and the produced floor-line of the Grand Gallery (with its upward angle of 26" 18' 9".7) is the hypotenuse. This right-angled triangle indicates the 1874 A.D. date by the following proportion: Multiply the sum of the three sides of the triangle by the square of the ratio n, and we get 1875-0789-1- Pyramid inches. And if we take the front-riser
86
of the Step up to the produced level of the King's Chamber floor as the length of the perpendicular of the right-angled triangle, the sum of the three sides of this slightly greater triangle, when multiplied by the square of the ratio n, yields 1914.9849+ Pyramid inches. These two results are, practically, 1875, and 1915, inches respectively. They represent the two period of years from the birth of earth's King in Bethlehem in Autumn 2 B.c., to, first, Autumn of the year 1874 A . D . when Christ came again in his Second Advent preparatory to setting up his Kingdom in power ; and, second, to the date Autumn of the year 1914 A . D . when this Kingdom began to exercise its power. The first outward manifestation of this power was the precipitation of the great world-war in 1914 A . D . , the first clear evidence that the "kingdoms of this world" are now due to give place to the Kingdom of Christ and his joint-heirs. The Scriptures, and the corroborative "Witness" in Egypt, unite in showing that the transition period from the old order to the new was due to begin in 1914 A . D . The social conditions in the world today manifest that the change is in progress. Every thinking man perceives, and numbers of the world's prominent men say, that we are now in a transition period, and all recognise that the year 1914 A . D . was the turning-point. But only those who are instructed by the Lord's Word understand why this change is taking place; and while men's hearts are "failing them for fear" because of the trouble they see upon the earth, the instructed people of the Lord rejoice, not because of the anguish upon poor humanity, but because they know the Lord now reigns, and that righteousness and everlasting peace are now assured. But troublous times at tend the inauguration of the Kingdom of Peace, because before peace can be established the old evil order, of which Satan is the instigator, must be destroyed. Speaking about the Kingdom-work which the "feet" members of the body of earth's new Ruler, the Christ, who are "alive and remain" during the troublous period of the change from the old to the new conditions, the late Charles T. Russell, who first drew our attention to these things, wrote: "All this is in haimony with the Scriptural declaration that the Kingdom 87
of God must first be set up before its influence and work will result in the complete destruction of 'the powers that be' of 'this preserir evil world, ' political, financial, ecclesiastical, by beginning with] the close of the 'Times of the Gentiles, ' October A . D . 1914." (See Vol. IV of Studies in the Scriptures, page 6 2 2 . )
I t is appropriate to the symbolical meaning of the upper end of the Grand Gallery, and of the King's Chamber, as well as of the Pyramid as a whole, that the two prominent Biblical dates, 1874 and 1914 A . D . , should be thus geometrically and mathematically indicated by the symbolical Step. There is symmetry in all this arrangement which cannot be ignored; for we see in it the hand of the Master Designer. The "presence" of earth's invisible King, according to the Scriptural timefeatures, dates from 1874 A.D. And according to the Scriptures the "sleeping saints" or those who "fell asleep in Christ" during the Gospel Age, were raised from their sleep in death in Spring of the year 1878 A . D . , the date which is parallel to the year 33 A . D . when Christ rode into Jerusalem and was proclaimed King of Israel. From 1878 A.D. all who "die in the Lord" are immediately changed to their spiritual condition, for the "chief resurrection" began from that date. In 1914 A.D. the Christ began to reign over mankind; and the manifestation of this reign will become more evident as time passes; and it will last for a 1000 years. All of this is corroborated many times over by the symbolism and mathematical dimensions of the Great F'yramid. As we now see, the ratio z , and its square, and square-root, are constantly required in the Pyramid's dimensional proport ions.
The S.ubterranean Chamber Indicates the Dates 1874 and 1914 P~oportionatemeasurements in the Great Pyramid, though exact and of interest, would be nothing of value unless they taught, or supported, vital truths. The most vital truth of all pertains to the world's Saviour, the Son of God: for without Him we could have no life. We constantly keep before us this
T h e Strbtcrrnnenn Chrznzber, or Pit,h e w n in the rock a hundred feet below the base-level of the Great Pyramid of G i z e h ; showing its v e r y r.rneven floor (looking W e s t )
necessary phase of the Pyramid-subject, remembering that the building's scientific features are a means to an end, namely, to give us strong confidence in the Lord and His work of salvation, and in the times and seasons which measure off the various phases of that work. I t is a fact not to be lost sight of that the only ones who have had revealed to them any matters of true interest regarding the Lord's Sign and Witness in tho on
land of Egypt, have been earnest believers in Jehovah and His Word. The Scriptures are consistent in declaring that the first part of the work of Christ as King over all the earth, is to bind Satan, the "god of this world, " and destroy the evil kingdoms of this world which have for so many weary centuries oppressed
humanity. The thought of this necessary destroying-work which is to bring to a close the "present evil world," is particularly symbolised by the Subterranean Chamber in the Great Pyramid. The extremely rough floor of the large, dark Pit is illustrative of the utterly chaotic condition into which the "kingdoms of this world" are plunged, when Jesus Christ begins to break them in pieces like a potter's vessel when struck with an iron rod, as we read: "Thou shalt break them with a 40
rod of iron: thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel" (Psglm 2 : 9). The two dates which witnessed, first, the presence, and, second, the assumption of Kingly power, of Christ, namely, 1874 and 1914 A . D . , are connectedly marked by the Subterranean Chamber. We show in the companion brochure entitled: The Grwt Pyramid: Its Time Featawes, that the length of the Descending Passage agrees in inches with the
number of years in the duration of the "present evil world." The point on the floor of the passage a t the upper north end which is vertically under the roof-commencement marks the date of the drying-up of the Flood, when the present evil world began. The date 1914 A . D . , when the permitted rule of the kingdoms of this world legally ended, is marked by the end of the produced floor-line of the passage. This produced line of the inclined floor of the Descending Passage ends in vertical alignment with the floor-terminal of the Small Horizontal Passage. We have called it No. 4 terminal in the "Timc Feature" book. If instead of continuing the downwartl 91
measurement of the Descending Passage to this No. 4 terminal, we turn a t the junction of the Small Horizontal Passage, and measure along this horizontal floor to its terminal 5 inches beyond the Pit's north wall (i.e., No. 3 terminal), the date marked by this floor-end is 1874 A . D . For the difference in the lengths of the horizo~italfloor, and the produced line, is in a round number 40 inches; and between 1874 and 1914 is 40 years. (The full length of the Small Horizontal Passage,
of the one considered above. I t is already proved that the line of demarkation between the First Ascending Passqg,e and the Grand Gallery marks the date of our Lord's death and resurrection, 33 A . D . Measuring up along the floor of the Grand Gallery from this line of demarkation, at the scale of
to its floor-terminal, is 350.40314- Pyramid inches. The length of the corresponding produced inclined floor-line of the Descending Passage is 390.87184- inches, the precise difference being 40.4687+. )
7'lrc lower sclfcai*c tcyt?ziiznl of tlrc D [ ~ x c n < € i l rPassage g o,f the Gveat Pyrrr71rirlof Gizclr ; sltowing the c r ~ t r n ~ t c c o f tlta very low Sin[rll H o r t r o ~ t t n l P~rssrrgc which lerrris Solsthzorrr~lt o tlze P i t
Another Method of Measurirqg to the Pit These two points at the Subterranean Chamber mark the same dates, 1874 and 1914, by another method of measuring in the passages; and this additional method is corroborative 92
an inch to a year, shows that the upper floor-end of the Grand Gallery marks the date 1914 A . D . , as already noted. If we now measure backward from the line of demarkntion, down the floor-line of the First Ascending Passage till we reach the "Point of Intersection," this point will mark a datc B.C. Having now secured a e.c. date at a definite point OII 93
the floor of the Descending Passage, which is directly connected with the date-marks in the Grand Gallery, we may measure downward to the Subterranean Chamber. When we do this we find that the measures again prove that the two terminals (called for convenience Nos. 3 and 4) mark the dates 1874 and 1914 A.D. respectively. This method of showing the dates 1874 and 1914 A.D. at the Subterranean Chamber is quite independent of the other method of measuring directly down the Descending Passage from its north-beginning. The one method, therefore, is confirmatory of the other.
The Duration of the "World that Was" and the Date of the Flood That the roof-commencement of the Descending Passage marks the date of the flood is corroborated by a number of distinct time-measurements. This roof-commencement is that point of the roof which is at right-angles to the northcommencement of the Descending Passage "Basement-sheet,"
that is, at right-angles to the present floor-beginning of the Descending Passage. Dropping a vertical line from the roof-commencement, we find that it intersects the floor of the passage about 234 inches down from the floor-commencement. I t is this point on the floor of the Descending Passage which marks the date of the flood, which ended the "world that was," and began the "present evil world. " The period of the "world that was" before the flood, from the
time that evil entered through the disobedience of father Adam, namely, 1654 years in all, is' corroborated by the Great Pyramid in a unique, yet, when we understand the Pyramid's methods of recording time, convincing way. Continuing the roofcommencement vertical line down to the Platform-level base, we have what we may call the "vertical flood-line." All of the Pyramid.to the north of this vertical line pertains to the "world that was" before the flood; and all to the south of this line to the "present evil world," and the time beyond. The 1654 years of the "world that was," dating from the titne that sin entered two years after the creation of Adam, are indicated by a measurement of 1654 Pyramid inches as follows: Measuring from the point where the vertical flood-linc intersects the Platform-level, along this Platform surface to the bottom edge of the Pyramid's casing (the casing-stones rest immediately on the Platform), then upward along the casing-stone surface to the ancient Entrance floor-beginning, and, finally, down the floor of the Descending Passage to the vertical flood-line, the total number of inches in these three connected straight lines is 1654. (The precise sum is 1654.048+ Pyramid inches.) According to the Bible Chronology, a complete period of six millenniums, that is, 6000 years, dating from the fall of Adam two years after his creation, ended in Autumn of the year 1874 A.D. The fall of Adam was in 4127 B . C . in the Autumn. 1654 years from the fall of Adam, therefore, gives the date of the drying-up of the flood, namely, Autumn of the year 2473 B . c . , or 2472f years before the 1st of January A.D. 1. (The date of the flood is usually stated as being 2472 B . c . , which is sufficiently accurate. ) The Great Pyramid corroborates this date for the flood, as well as the dates for the creation and the fall of Adam. The whole tenor of the Biblical times and seasons show that there was a period of two years of innocence in the Garden of Eden, before evil entered through the disobedience of Adam; and the Great Pyramid's timemeasurements are in harmony with this time-arrangement of the Scriptures. (See further details connected with the Pyramid's corroboration of the Scriptural times and seasons in: The Great Pyramid: Its Time Features.)
The Geometric Harnzony of the Vertical "Flood-Line" The vertical line dropped from tlle north-commencement of the roof of the Descending Passage (or from where the roof would commence, a t the point in transverse alignment with the north-edge of the passage's floor "Basement-sheet," if the missing roof-stones at this part were restored), and continued vertically down through the floor of the passage to the building's Platform-level base, is, as explained above, the "Flood-line, " marking the Biblical date of the deluge, 2472 B.C. According
to the measurements, the length (or the height) of this vertical line, between the top surface level of the Platform, and the point where it passes through the floor of the Descending Passage, is 602 -4192+ Pyramid inches. If we regard this vertical live of 602.4192+ inches as being the perpendicular of a right-angled triangle, the Platform level being the base, and the hypotenuse being a line pavallel to the casing-stone surface of the pyramid, we find that the exact area of this definitely fixed right-angled triangle, when G 97
divided by 2, agrees with the Coffer capacity, and t h e perfect number 7. (As the incline of the hypotenuse of this rightangled triangle is the same as the casing-stone angle, 51" 51' 14".3, and as the length of the vertical "Flood-line" up to the floor of the Descending Passage is 602.4192+ inches, we can find, by the rules of trigonometry, that the hypotenuselength is 766.0087+, and the base-length along the Platformsurface is 473.1389+, Pyramid inches. The area of the triangle formed by these three lines, when divided by 2, equals the sum of the Coffer's interior' capacity, 71,250, plus the perfect number 7 . ) According to the words of our Lord, as recorded in Matthew's Gospel (24: 37-39) the time when He, the Son of Man, is present, establishing his Kingdom while the kingdoms of this world are being destroyed, is like the days of Noah, and the destruction of the Old World "of the ungodly in the flood. The ending of the Old World prefigured the ending of the "Present Evil World, " particularly from the date of the ending of Gentile Times, 1914 A . D . ; for Christ himself must be present as earth's New Ruler, setting up llis own righteous ~ i n g d o m on the ruins of the old. I t is appropriate, therefore, that the measurements connected with the vertical "Flood-line" in the Great Pyramid, which marks the year of tlle flood when the Old World was destroyed, should contain within their proportions the figures that point to the ending of the Present Evil World, beginning a t the date 1913; A . D . when Christ took to himself his great power as earth's invisible King. As in many of the. Pyramid's time-indications, so here also, the date of Christ's second coming as King, 1914 A . D . , with the overthrow of the present evil order which attends his advent, is connected with the date of his first coming as the Man Christ Jesus, when he was born in the city of Bethlehem .and proclaimed to be the future King of Israel and the world. These two advents are made prominent by the 1915-inch measurements in the Pyramid, representing the 1915 years between 2 B.C. and 1914 A . D . By a proportion, therefore, the vertical "Flood-line" not only marks the date of the ending of the "World that was," but also the date 1914 A . D . , when the destruction of the "Present 98
Evil World" was due to begin, as prefigured by the destroying flood. This further indication is contained in the length of the hypotenuse of the right-angled triangle just referred to above, and by the following proportionate means: If we take an even 10 times the length of this hypotenuse, and consider the total of inches as the perimeter of a square, we shall find that the side-length of this square equals 1915 Pyramid inches. (The precise side-length of the square is 1915.0218+ .) Then, if we take one-half of the base-length of the above mentioned right-angled triangle, and multiply this half-length by the perfect number 7, we get, practically, the same'number of inches as there are years in the complete period of the Old World, counting this time from the creation of Adam, to the drying up of the flood, 1656 years in all, according to the Bible chronology. (The length of the base'of the right-angled triangle, which runs along the surface of thc Platform of the Pyramid, is, as already stated, 473-1389+ inches. Half of this multiplied by 7, or the whole base-length multiplied by 34, is equal to 1655.9863+ inches, which is not a 70th part of an inch short of the exact 1656.) The fact that the capacity of the Coffer, 71,250 inches, in conjunction with the perfect number 7, is contained in the measures connected with the vertical "Flood-line, " and with the duration of the Old World, may be regarded not only as one of those proportionate correspondencies which help to convince us that the measures are an intended feature in the Pyramid's design, but also as a quiet reminder to us that, even in those days that were before the flood, when, as the Scriptures declare, "the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually," yet was the Lord still there, overruling the affairs of mankind for his ultimate reclamation and benefit. For the Coffer in the King's Chamber, in one of its symbolical aspects, stands in the same relationship to the Pyramid as the "Ark of the Covenant" did to the whole tabernacle arrangement. The Ark in the Most Holy of the tabernacle ~epresentedthe presence of the Lord, overruling the affairs of the people of Israel; and that nation was, in God's dealings 99
with it, representative of the whole world; for the Scripture3 speak of Jehovah as "the Lord of Hosts. " We read that "His tender mercies are over all His works,'" and that, ultimately, "the wrath of man will praise Him." The world will yet realise, just as the Lord's people now do, that Jehovah, the Father of Mercies, has during the whole 7 millenniums since the fall of Adam, worked mightily to reclaim the world of mankind from sin and death. All who have died in the past will return from the death-state, and all flesh shall see the salvation of the Lord (Isaiah 35: 10 ; 40 : 5).
SECTION XVI
T
HE only movable article in the Great Pyramid is the Coffer in the King's Chamber. Professor Flinders Petrie proves, by his measurements, that this granite box must have been placed in the chamber before the roof of that apartment was built over, because the entrance into the chamber is too small to allow the Coffer to pass through. It is movable within the confines of the King's Chamber only, therefore. Incidentally, also, .when the builders set the Coffer in the King's Chamber, they put it there to stay for all time; for if it could not have been carried in through the entrance, neither can it be carried out.
The Coffer is the Standard Capacity Measure for all Nations I t was John Taylor's remarkable suggestion that the Coffer was placed in the King's Chamber, and built in permanently, that it might serve as the standard for the capacity measure suitable for the use of all nations. He pointed out that the standard quarter measure for wheat in use by the British people from the earliest times is, actually, a quarter of the total capacity of the Great Pyramid's Coffer. John Taylor based his deductions on the wonderfully accurate measures of the Coffer secured by Professor John Greaves many years before. The independent measures of Col. Howard Vyse, and of the French savants, did in the main agree with those of Professor Greaves. Professor Smyth, however, secured measures which are more accurate, both for the interior and exterior of the vessel; and the later, more numerous measures of Professor Petrie, corroborate those of Professor Smyth. 101
Both Professors Smyth and Petrie show that, within narrow limits, it is possible to obtain more than one set of measures for the Coffer. But within these narrow limits it is possible to obtain one for each dimension, that is, for the length, width, and depth, both exterior and interior, which can be consistently used in a great many proportionate features. This one measure for each separate dimension is the mean of the careful practical measures, and may be named the standard for reference. The standard measures of the Coffer which we adopt are primarily based upon the theory that the interior capacity of the vessel is exactly 71,250 cubic Pyramid inches. The limits of the exterior and interior measures of the Coffer, a s published by Professor C. Piazzi Smyth, and the standard measures which lie within these limits, we present here: EXTERIORMEASURES I N PYRAMIDINCHES : Prof. Srnyth's Limits : 41.23 ( 38.68 Breadth Height 1 38.61 Standavd : Length -89.7839756+ Breadth =38.6876101+ Height =41.2131687+
The interior dimensions of the Coffer, as given by Professor Smyth, are said by him to be "true within half a tenth of a n inch, ". meaning, apparently, that the figures he gives may be added to, or deducted from, to the extent of .05 of an inch in each case. Below Professor Smyth's figures we also give the standard .dimensions which we. use in our calculations: Prof. Smyth: Length 777.85 Standard : Length =77.8013897 +
Width =26.70
Depth =34.31
Width =26.7050242 +
Depth -34.2929256+
As to the thicknesses of the Coffer's four sides and bottom, we give Professor Sn~yth'sfigures, with which we compare the standards : Prof. Smyth : Side thickness =5.99 Standard : Side thickness =5.9912929
Bottom thickness =6.92
+
Bottom thickness =6.9202431+
Best
Because it is possible to get more t l ~ a n ,say, one exterior length for the Coffer, some might liastily assume that the workers erred through carelessness when shaping the vessel. But this by no means follows, fur the master builder who designed the dimensions of the Coffer clearly intended that there should be more than one exterior length, and had the workers made the Coffer to one exterior length only, they would have been careless of their instructions, and have erred. What a t first secms to be lack of finish is, indeed, proved t o be of set purpose. The designer intcnded that there should be a limited range of exterior and interior measures of the Coffer, because no one set of measures could show all of the scientific features connected with this Coffer with absolute exactness. I t will be seen that in all of the foregoing dimensions the standards which we make use of in our calculations agree very closely with Professor C. Piazzi Smyth's practical measures, Professor Smyth conducted his measuring-operations in the King's Chamber and its containing Coffer with great care, and thus any later measurer, using the same carefulness, could only confirm the figures of Professor Sinyth . Following John Taylor's hypothesis that the Coffer was intended by the Pyramid's Architect to serve as a standard for capacity measure, Professor Smyth contended that, theoretically, the interior cubical contents is exactly 71,250 cubic Pyramid inches. Writing on this Professor Smyth says: "The grand standard of capacity in the Great Pyramid, as already stated, is given by the internal cubical measure, tested by theory, of the granite Coffer near the further, or western, end of the King's Chamber; and that, the final and crowning apartment of the whole of the interior of our earth's earliest and most gigantic monument of stone. . . . "Though the Coffer as a capacity measure is larger now than anything on the British Statute-book, being indeed four times the size of the quarter which is at the head there, yet one single Coffer-measure is a very small thing to set before the whole world, and ask all nations to accept it as a standard 104
in prcference to any other box or cylinder, or other-shaped or differently-sized measure which they might have already made, or be thinking of making, for themselves. "But all this difficulty seems to have been perfectly foreseen by the inspired architect, and therefore it was that he identified t h e Coffer by certain rather abstruse, yet positively identifiable, scientific features with the King's Chamber in which it is placed. And that chamber, with the enormous mass of the Great Pyramid itself. That building, too, with the sectorshaped land of Lower Egypt. And Lower Egypt with the centre of the inhabited land surface of the whole world. So that, small though the Coffer may be in itself, there cannot b e another vessel of such central and cosmically indicated -importance as this to the whole of mankind, when explained."
TJze Coffer Presents a Standard for M e a n Densit-y and WeKqht Professor C. Piazzi Smyth, after reviewing all the available d a t a on the subject, was of the opinion that the mean density of the whole earth is 5.7 times heavier than a mass of distilled water of the same size, such water being a t the temperature of 68" Fahr., and the barometric pressure being 30.000 Pyramid inches. The barometrical pressure of 30.000 Pyramid anches is that which naturally obtains in the ventilated King's Chamber, by the law of the atmosphere over all the region of the Great Pyramid. And the temperature of 68' 'Fahr. is, a t that barometric pressure, exactly one-fifth above t h e freezing point of water, and four-fifths below the boiling point of water. The temperature of 68" Fahr. .is therefore, ,under these conditions, an appropriate one to the King's Chamber; for the "sacred" number of this chamber has long been known by students of the Pyramid to be the number 5. (In Sectipn XXIV we detail more fully this matter of the Great Pyramid's scientific indication of earth's mean temperature, and barometric pressure. ) Professor Smyth draws attention to certain architectural features in thc King's Chamber which, in that numerical way peculiarly characteristic of the Great Pyramid, points to the 105
very figures that express the mean density of earth, 5.7. F o r the Great Pyramid must be allowed to interpret its own scientific features, even if its method of doing so is not observable in any other material edifice. And when we find that any such interpretation is consistently sustained, not only in t h e Pyramid's dimensions, but also in the dimensions of the earth, we can have every confideqce in it. The architectural detail in the King's Chamber which points to earth's mean density is connected with that chamber's walls. That this scientific feature should be connected with the walls of this apartment is clearly consistent, for, as we have already shown, it is because of the lengths of these walls, a n d their height, that the polar-axial length of earth is indicated by the capacity of the King's Chamber, a cubit in the one being represented by an inch in the other. Professor Sniyth shows, then, that the large granite stones of which the four walls of the King's Chamber are constructed, are an even 100 in number. They are built up in 5 even courses, the joints between each masonry-course running round thechamber a t the same level. But the strange thing is that, while the number of stones in the four first, or lowest, wallcourses average a quarter over 23 for each course, and hence total to 93 in all, the fifth and topmost course has but 7 stones. This is a conspicuous architectural detail; for to have only 7 stones distributed over four long walls means that the stones must be very large in comparison to the others in the four courses below. The fact that there are 5 masonry-courses in the King's Chamber's walls, and that the topmost contains 7 stones, suggests the number 5.7, and also suggests that this number is related to a pre-eminently scientific system of capacity measures and weights, because of the approved agreement, by proportion, between the size of the earth, and the size of the King's Chamber. Additionally, the number of stones in the lowest course of the east and west, north and south, walls are 5, 5, 7, and 10, respectively. As we have said, other features which uphold this interpretation of the numerical meaning of the walls of the King's Chamber, give us confidence that it was intended by the great Architect. 106
earth as a whole, apd not any one material in it alone), 5 - 7 cubic Pyramid inches of pure, distilled water, a t t h e temperature and baiorrletric pressure spoke11 of, would equal. exactly one cubic Pyramid inch of earth's mean density material. Professor Smyth explained that 5 cubic Pyramid inches of earth's mean density material is equal to one Pyramid pound weight. As there are 5 . 7 cubic inches of pure water to each one cubic inch of earth's mean density material, then one Pyramid pound weight (being equal to 5 cubic inches of earth's density) wo~ildbe equal to 28.5 cubic inches of pure water (for 5 times. 5.7 is 28.5). In other words, 28.5 cubic Pyramid inches of pure water weighs exactly one Pyramid pound. The interior cubical capacity of the Coffer is 71,250 cubic Pyramid inches. If we divide this coffer-capacity by 28.5, we shall get the exact weight of water that the Coffer will hold. 71,250 divided by 28.5 equals 2500. Thus, a Coffer-measure of pure water, i.e., 71,250 cubic Pyramid inches of pure water, weighs 2500 Pyramid pounds; and 2500 Pyramid pounds equal one Pyramid ton. The Coffer, therefore, can hold one Pyramid ton of pure water, if this water be a t the temperature of one-fifth above f.reezing point, or 68" Fahr., and the barometric pressure a t 30 -000 Pyramid inches.
The Pyramid Pint-measure, Scientifically acczrrate, the origin o f the ilncient Saxon Pint A Pyramid pound-weight of water is equal to a Pyramid pint-measure. A pint, therefore, according to this Pyramid system of measure, is equal to 28.5 cubic Pyramid inches of pure water. This value for the Pyramid pint, Professor Smyth shows, is very close to the value of the ancient Anglo-Saxon pint and pound, just as the ancient inch-unit of linear measure is practically identical with the Pyramid inch. I t is because of this near approach of the early measures of the Anglo-Saxon people to the Pyramid measures, t h a t 107
Professor Smyth and illany other s t ~ d e n t sarc persuaded that English-speaking nations of the present , d a y have inherited t h e true earth-commensurable weights arid measures, first Divinely communicated to the Hebrew nation. We know that the God of Israel gave strict injunctions through his servant Moses that the chosen nation were to observe just weights and measures. These weights and measures, thus strictly enjoined upon Israel, must therefore have been of God's own choosing, and be, naturally, based upon the grand standard of earth itself, the creation of God. And why n o t ? If every environment of man, the air he breathes, the food he eats, the water he drinks, his very stature and weight, are all adjusted absolutely to his place of habitation, as they are, it is not too much to claim that the standards for his weights and measures were adjusted for him too, and by~lthesame Creator who made him. Speaking of the now-altered value of the imperial pint, and contrasting it with the ancient Anglo-Saxon pint, Professor Smyth writes: "But the chief unit of the imperial ,capacity system is a p i n t ; and it is, moreover, the very important centre of connection between tHat system for large ordinary quantities, and the apothecaries' system of scientific and medical small quantities. The pint occupies, therefore, the position of all others on the scale which should be round and complete, testable also a t a moment's notice by an equally round, well-known, and frequently employed standard of weight, So it was, too, in the days of the wisdom, wherever tthat was derived from, of our Anglo-Saxon forefathers. But under the reign of George IV, the pint, from having bc-en measured by one pound's weight of water, was expanded into -the odd quantity of 1 and P pounds. And the change was .attempted to be electroplated with brilliant proverbial mail, by giving out this jingling rhyme, to be learned by all good subjects: ' A pint of pure water weighs a pound and a quarter. ' "But we may well venture to doubt whether every peasant does not rather still ruminate in his family circle and about -the old hearthstone, over the far more ancient and pithier rhyme: 'A pint's a pound, all the world round.' An expression, too, in which there may be vastly more than 108
immediately meets the eye; seeing that the Pyramid system appears to restore that principle. And, what with the United States of North America (true, except in the persons of a few ultra professors, to their ancient hereditary covenant), and all the existing British colonies, these form, as prophesied of old, the measuring line of Israel round the whole world" (021~ Inheritance in tlze Great Pyramid, 5th E d . , pages 189, 190).
T h e P y r a m i d ' s S y s t e m of Weights and Measures better than tlte Frenclz ddetric S y s t e m That the ancient, God-given, system of weights and measures should be claimed to be based directly upon the weight and size of the earth, is not by any rpeans to claim something that i s unscientific. On the contrary, identification with sacred things must constitute that which is truly scientific; for t h e literal meaning of the word "science" is "truth. " I t was in their endeavour to be ultra scientific that t h e savants of the French Revolution, overthrowing the longestablished system of weights and measures, seeking a t t h e same time to overthrow the sacred authority of the Bible, instituted their supposedly earth-commensurable metric system. The French savants recognised that, to be "scientific " in the highest degree necessitated their basing their system of measures upon the size of the earth; but they unfortunately neither adopted the correct method of doing this, nor did they rightly estimate the dimensions of the earth. I t is because this is so well understood, that Sir John Herschel and Professor C. Piazzi Smyth, and very many competent authorities have, and do, oppose the adoption into Britain a n d the United States of America, and all their colonies a n d possessions, of the French metric system. I t is not because these authorities object to the decimal system, which has much to commend it, but to the faulty methods, and erroneous measures, of the ljrench metric system. As the basic number of the Great Pyramid is 10, the whole system of measures in, and connected with, the Great Pyramid,, is essentially a decimaC system. Writing with reference to the steady rejection of the French, 109
metric systeni by the authorities in America, in spite of the efforts of some to make this system compulsory on the nation, Professor Smyth says: "The same almost unexplainable activities of a particular class of revolutionary agitators have of late been troubling the people of the United States, as well as those in England; and trying to induce them, in an unguarded moment, to throw away their, as well as our, birthright of ages, in their hereditary and traditional weights and measures; and to adopt the newly-invented measures of France instead. But now, at last, the people there are getting their eyes open to the real nature of the change which it was proposed they should make; and how do they express themselves upon i t ? Following a pamphlet recently published in Cleveland, Ohio, by Mr. Charles L a t h e r , Chief Engineer of the railway there: "'If we loolc abroad we can see no evidence of decay in our civilization, or prosperity, or diminution of our business, because we have not adopted these French measures. Certainly .our Centennial exhibited a most wonderful spectacle; and did we notice that the French were in advance of u s ? Is their flag seen in every port on the face of the globe, because of the superiority of their measures? Is not the Anglo-Saxon world (the United States and Great Britain) in advance today? What superiority or advantage can the French point to on account of their system? ' "Then seizing happily the religious thread of the matter, Mr. Latimer exclaims, to the Boston Society of Engineers he was then addressing, and who had very nearly been inveigled .a fcw days before into petitioning Congress to make the adoption of French measures compulsory over the whole United States, You may rely upon it that these Pilgrim ancestors of yours a r e not resting easily in their graves on account of your action. They were sticklers for Magna Charta; they loved just weights and measures. ' "'Think for a moment. This French system came out of the "Bottomless Pit" [See commcnt on Revelation 11 : 7 in Vol, VII of Studies i n the Scri;btures]. At that time, and in *he place whence this system sprang, it was hell on earth. The people defied the God who made them; they worshipped the Goddess of Reason. . . . Can you, the children of the Pilgrim 110
Fathers, consent to worship at such a shrine. . . I t is true indeed that our weights and measures in the present day require some remodelling; but how shall it be done? Not by uprooting a l l our traditions, cutting ourselves loose from the past. No, we must come back to the perfection of olden sacred history, and of that religion which proves that our race is not the result of a spontaneous natural development, but that man came from his Maker a living soul. ' "'But where shall we find such perfection? I answer, in the Great Pyramid of Gizeh. For within that grand primeval pillar of stone have been found the standards of weights and measures, so earth and heaven commensurable, and so assimilated to our own ancient and hereditary system, that it does seem as if the Almighty Himself had given to us an inheritance, to be kept precisely for the emergency of the present day and hour. ' "'And I beg that our American fellow-citizens will most carefully examine into this subject, deeply worthy of their attention. . . . Shall we indeed find our units, as well as standards, of weights and measures there? I can confidently answer that they are there. The inch is there; the yard is there; .our Sabbath is there; Christ is there; our past, our present, yea, perhaps our future. But let no man judge for you in this matter. The subject is too deeply important, indeed too vital to our nationality. Let every citizen study for himself. '" (See Oztr Inheritance i n the Great Pyramid, 5th Ed., pages 175-177.)
The Pyramid Capacity Measure Contrasted with the Present Imperial British One In contrasting the scientific systeni of measures presented b y the Great Pyramid, with the present unsatisfactory system s f imperial measures, Professor C. Piazzi Smyth shows that, in the imperial system there is no provision made for any smaller quantity than the pint-measure. The gill-measure, h e points out, is merely an addition to that system, tolerated t o suit special wants. Apothecaries and druggists, who must deal with very small measures, have had to manufacture a 111
capacity measure for'theniselves ; and this they did by beginning with the pint-measure and working down by stages, the wine-glass, teaspoon, etc., to the smallest quantity, t h e drop, which they name the "minim." Speaking of this, Professor Smyth says: "This apothecaries' fluid measure was established only in 1836; and we inay assume, with Lord Brougham ' s Peutlty Cyclopadia , that its fluid ounce, when it is an ounce, is an ounce avoirdupois; although it is stated elsewhere that medical men are never to use anything but troy weight. "This incongruity renders the break between imperial, i.e., the present British capacity, and apothecaries' capacity, measures peculiarly trying; followed as it is by a break of connection between apothecaries' capacity, and apothecaries' weight, measure also. "In the Pyramid arrangement, however, there is no halting half-way. V'hen it is a question of capacity, the scheme goes right through from the biggest bulks ever dealt with in commerce, and through all the measures required by the people further in dealing- with coal, corn, wool, potatoes, beer, wine, peas, meal, oil, medicines, photographicals, and chemicals, down to the smallest quantity ever judged of by capacity measures of specified name. " In putting the system of measures presented by the scientific Great Pyramid into practice, Professor Smyth begins with the Coffer-capacity as the largest quantity, "a vessel measuring, as its archsect -originally intended that it .should, 71,250 cubic Pyramid inches," and subdividing that exact earthcommensurable quantity in to approved lesser quantities, down to the smallest of all, the "Drop. " The numbers by' which the Coffer-capacity is subdivided to give the various smaller quantities are derived from the Pyramid itself, beginning by a division by 4 , the square number, as represented primarily by the four sides of the Pyramid's square base. This division by 4 givcs the useful "Quarter" measure, very near to the value of the ancient Saxon Quarter. The next even division of the Coffer-capacity is by the Pyramid's basic number 10, which yields the "Sack" measure, also not far removed from the ancient measure of that name 112
I
in the English language; and approached also very closely by similar measures used by other nationalities, according to the list of measures given in Dr. Kelly's Universal Cambist, published in 1821. The next subdivision of the full capacity of the standard Coffer is by the characteristic Pyramid number 25, the number of inches in the Pyramid cubit, the even 10-millionth part of earth's semi-axis of rotation. This appropriate division by 25 yields the "Bushel" measure, 2850 cubic Pyramid inches in capacity; which measure is likewise coincided with very closely by similar measures used in commerce throughout the world, as shown in Dr. Kelly's work for the guidance of those who deal in international notes or bills of exchange. From this 25th part of the Coffer-capacity, further smaller divisions come naturally and symmetrically by the use of the Pyramid's decimal system. Thus, the 10th part of the Bushel is the "Gallon"; and the 10th part of the Gallon is the "Pint"; the 10th part of the Pint the "Wine-glass" or "Fluid Ounce." The "Teaspoon," or "Fluid Dram" is the 10th part of the Ounce; the "Drop," or "Minim" the 100th part of the Dram. There are, therefore, 25-million Drops, or Minims in the entire cubical capacity of the Coffer (But see further in Section XXIV). This drop is the cubical space occupied by a drop of water falling freely in air at the given Pyramid temperature and pressure. TABLE OF PYRAMID MEASURES DIVISIONOF COFFER
!
CAPACITY I N WEIGHTI N PYRAMID INCHES PYRAMID POUNDS MEASURE jAME OF
Coffer Quarter Sack Bushel Gallon Pint Ounce Dram Drop
SECTION XVII
A
FTER giving a list of measures of the Coffer that practically agree in yielding the same number of cubic Pyramid inches for the interior capacity, Professor C. Piazzi Smyth comments: "Here, then, we have a vessel whose cubic contents are not only something, on the whole, excessively near to 71,250 cubic Pyramid inches, but i t was pretty evidently intended, by enabling us so nearly io bring out that number in several different ways." "And we must now strive to ascertain, on methods both .absolutely new to Egyptology, and which must have been totally unknown to all the Pharaonic serfs of old Egypt, what the Great Pyramid itself may have to add to this; viz.: its own preliminary setting forth of some very high science reason why this vessel before us, the Coffer in the King's Chamber, is not only a symbolical sarcophagus, but one adapted likewise t o something further, and more"expressive1y connected, with ca$acitv measure. " Professor Smyth then goes on to draw attention to the very nunierous admeasurements of the Coffer by Professor Flinders Petrie, and shows that, in the main, they are confirmatory of the capacity-theory advocated by himself. Professor Smyth adds: "I am rather inclined, notwithstanding the mere number of his measures, to fall back on my own mensurations, which realise in the Coffer the same principle of limits which has been already accepted in the case of the linear dimensions of other portions of Great Pyramid work. For there is a graduated difference of dimensions in length and breadth between the top and bottom of the Coffer, such, that while a length at the top is absolutely too great, and one near the bottom as absolutely too small, yet there must be, at a certain height between them, 114
where the length, breadth, and depth give the exact cubic contents required by theory, viz. : 71,250 Pyramid incbes. There are plenty of granite sarcophagi, of the Pyramid-building age too, and smooth-sided as well, but none with, or in aqy way pointing to, the 71,250 cubical inches measure. " "I am strongly impressed there is an intentional high and low limit in the Coffer measures, " writes Mr. Frederick Gass in the 1889 volume of the Banner of Israel. "Its slight inequalities of shape favour this, as there can be no doubt the workers could have finished it better had they wished to do so, as was done with the Coffer of the Second Pyramid, a building that does not, in the whole, show by any means such good workmanship as the Great Pyramid." While it is acceded to by Pyramid students that there is intention in the limited range of measures for the Coffer, it must be understood that the "slight inequalities of shape," t o quote Mr. Frederick Gass, are not at all externally visible to visitors who examine the Coffer personally; for to all appearances it is perfectly rectilinear in shape, and its exterior and interior sides and bottom quite smooth. Even the broken corner, clearly seen in photographs, and the chipped arris edges, do not materially detract from the vessel's general symmetry of form, and polished-like finish. It is by careful and minute measuring only, that the very slightly differing lengths and breadths at top and bottom are known to exist. By taking advantage of these small differences in measures, both Mr. St. John Vincent Day, of Glasgow, Scotland, and Professor Hamilton L. Smith, of New York, U.S.A., as well as other well known students of the Great Pyramid, have shown that the Coffer's proportions contain' many remarkable commensurabilities between it, and other important parts of the Pyramid, and also some natural data, such as the number of days in the year. We shall here repeat some of the Coffer's proportionate features as presented by these calculators, with the reminder that they did not, in their calculations, adhere to any one set of exterior and interior dimensions. They took advantage, as we say, of the slight range of measures, always, of course, within the limits of the practical measures of Professors Smyth 115
and Petrie. Thus, one feature will require a high limit of length, say, while another will require a low limit, etc. The proportionate feature connected with the Coffer, that is generally given prominence, is its bulk, as follows: The exterior cubic size, is equal to the interior contents (nearly). The cubic bulk of the four sides, is double that of the bottom (nearly).
I t is well to notice, however, that both df these proportions are stated as being approximate only, and not absolute. They are sufficiently close to be interesting, and are not without significance. Further on we shall present other proportions connected with the Coffer's bulk, based upon one set of dimcnsions only (i.e., the standard set given on page 102). The chief line of the whole King's Chamber is geometrically its cubic diagonal, now well known to be 515.16464- Pyramid inches (See page 30). Using this as a basis, we get the following proportions : 515.1646 x 1 0 equals the side of a square, the area of which square is exactly the same as the area of the triangle formed by the Pyramid's right vertical section, Q.E. D . 515.1646 is equal to twice the exterior horizontal circuit of the Coffer, nearly. 515- 1646, divided by 10, equals (1) the mean length of all the Coffer's (2) arris edges. . . Diameter of a circle, whose area is equal to the Coffer's inside floor area. (3) The side-length of a square, whose area equals the mean arca of thc four cxterior sides of the Coffer. (4) The diameter of a sphere, whose cubical bulk (71,587.4+) comes near to that of the Coffer's interior contents, and does, in a. sense, exist there [Note: When we deal with the more exact proportionate features of the Coffer, as indicated by the standard dimensions given on page 102, we shall further refer to this Sphere capacity]. (5) The radius of a circle in which the natural tangent of Alpha Draconis (the Polar star a t the date of the Pyramid's erection, pointed t o by the Pyramid's Descending Passage) was a t its higher culminatioil, viz. : 33' 41' 20" =34.344 Pyramid inches =Coffer's interior depth [This depth is an extreme one]. The exterior height is simply equal t o a 10th part of the length of the King's Cha.mher which contains the Coffer. While the exterior breadth of the Coffer is given thus: In a circle whose circumference is as many inches as there are days in the solar tropical year, the natural tangent of 33' 41' 20" mentioned above equals 38.753 Pyrailiid inches, the exterior breadth of the Coffer. This is also equal to the Ante-Chamber length divided by 3.
116
The square of the interior depth of the Coffer, bears the same proportion to the square of the exterior height, as the area of one exterior side bears t o the combined areas of an exterior side and end. We have noticed that one half of the width of the King's Chamber is an important measure [See page 291, as i t is the basis of all t h e dimensions of the chamber. We find that this measure is also related to the Coffer's dimensions; (1) The square of this measure equals, to a close approximation, the sum of the areas of the two exterior sides and two exterior ends of the Coffer. (2) The square of this measure, divided by the double of the ratio a, equals the square of the exterior height of the Coffer, approximately. (3) This measure divided by 3 equals the interior depth of the Coffer, using the extreme depth.
Continuing with his list of the proportionate measures of the Coffer, Professor Smyth shows that Mr. St. John Vincent Day drew attention to the existence of the ratio n as a prominent factor in the calculations 'of these proportions. Professor Smyth writes: "Profiting by small inequalities between the sides of the Coffer, as shown to exist by my measures of them, it can be proved that the height of the Coffer is to the length of two adjacent sides (viz. : a side and an end), as 1 to ;rr. And now to that good beginning, Mr. Simpson adds : " The Coffer's interior floor has a boundary whose length is equal t o the circumference of a circle, the area of which circle is equal to the area of the exterior bottom. The square of the exterior height of the Coffer, equals the sum of the side and end areas divided by the ratio n. The area of a circle, the diameter of which is equal to the exterior breadth of the Coffer, is equal to the area of an exterior side divided by the ratio n. The area of a square, the side-length of which is equal t o the interior depth of the Coffer, is also equal to the area of an exterior side divided by the ratio n. If two vertical, right, sections be made through the middle of the Coffer, then such are the proportions of lengths, breadths, and thicknesses, that ( 1 ) the area of the sections of the walls, is t o the area of the whole section included, as 1 to the ratio n. And (2) the area of sectional walls, equals the square of the Coffer's exterior height. The Coffer's length and breadth added, equals the height multiplied by the ratio n.
T h e Area of the Socket-level Base of the Great Pyramid irtdicated by the Coffer
SECTION XVIII PROPORTIONATE FEATURES CONNECTED WITH THE COFFER BASED UPON THE SET 01: STANDARD MEASURES PRESENTED ON PAGE 102
T
HE intrinsic value of the proportionate. features connected with the Coffer's dimensions is this: They prove conclusively that the granite chest in the King's Chamber is an integral part of the whole design of the Great Pyramid, and was not merely deposited in the building as a haphazard piece of furniture. And having proved by these many proportionate correspondencies between the dimensions of the Coffer on the one hand, and the whole Great Pyramid on -the other, that the Architect who designed the monument also designed the Coffer, we can place thc greatest confidence in the high purposes of this wonderful granite box, namely, that it is indeed the world's standard for capacity measure, and for weight. And in addition to these purely scientific purposes, it still further establishes the spiritual, religious teaching of Holy Scriptures, as seen to be symbolised elsewhere throughout the Pyramid. In every one of the following features we base the calculations on the one set of measures for the Coffer's exterior and interior dimensions, which we believe may be called the standard measures, as they not only express a fair mean of the limits of practical measures secured by Professors Smyth and Petrie, but because they recognise the Standard Capacity theory of the Coffer, which demands that the cubical contents of the interior be precisely 71,250 cubic Pyramid inches, as hitherto explained. Students of the Pyramid theory are agreed that there is every reason for accepting this figure for the Coffer's interior contents as being the intention of the inspired architect. 118
Taking, therefore, the standard set of measures for the Coffer given on page 102, we find that the interior length and d e p ~ hof the vessel have been so proportioned, that the area of one interior side corresponds with the area of the Pyramid's Socket-level square base by the following method: Multiply the interior side area by 50, remembering that this number 50 is the Icing's Chamber's special number, as is drawn attention to by most writers on the Pyramid, and we get as many square Pyramid inches as there are square Pyramid cubits in the Socket-level base of the building. This feature, of course, shows that the interior length and depth of the 'Coffer are proportioned according to the duration' in days of the solar tropical year; because 50 times the interior side area yields as many inches as there are days in the square of the solar year. Or another way of expressing this feature is to compare the interior side area of the oblong Coffer, with the area of a square : The side-length of the sq.uare is in inches equal to the days in the solar year; and the area of this square, when divided by 50, is equal to the area of the Coffer's interior side. (Note: When calculating with the standard set of Coffer measures given on page 102, allowance must be made in the results of every such calculation for the little extra implied by the plus sign after the decimal fractions.)
T h e Grand Gallery Floor-Length The interior depth of the Coffer is proportioned to the floor-length of the Grand Gallery: When we take 4 times this interior depth as representing the side-length of a square, we find that a 10th part of the area of the square is as many square inches, as there are linear inches in the Grand Gallery's total floor-length, to within less than a 100th part of an inch of the Gallery's standard length. (This proportion of the Coffer yields 1881.6076+, while the standard length of the Gallery is 1881.5985+, Pyramid inches. The correspondency is therefore practically exact.) 119
The two features mentioned above, even if they were only approximately indicated in the Coffer's dimensions, are sufficiently wonderful to establish the claim that the Coffer was designed, as to its interior size, to correspond with the dimensions of the building which holds it. For the interior length and depth might quite easily have been any odd measures, not in the least agreeing by any method of proportions with the entire building; just as, for instance, the dimensions of the Second Pyramid's coffer, or sarcophagus, does not bear proportionate relationship to that building's base, or passage, lengths. But we are only beginning to show the convincing corroborations of the opinion Ilelcl by M I . John Taylor, Professor C. Piazzi Smyth, and others, that the Great Pyranlid's "Coffer" is the most important stone chest in the world.
1I
I I 1
acknowledged by all who enter that granite apartment. For the total length of the north wall of the King's Chamber is so divided: On the extreme east end of this north wall is the low entrance-doorway, the width from east to west of which is a 10th part of the whole wall's length. Thus, the length
The First Ascending Passage Floor-Ler~gtlz. Not only is the interior depth of the Coffer proportioned to the length of the Grand Gallery, but to the length of the First Ascending Passage also. And yet, so far as length of floors is concerned, these two passages are totally dissimilar; although, as we have seen, they are harmoniously connected through the medium of the day-value of the synodic month (See page 40). The interior depth of the Coffer, then, when multiplied by the King's Chamber's special nufnber, 50, gives a total of inches which, when reduccd by an even 10th part, agrees with the floor-length of the First Ascending Passage, to within about a 2 of an inch of the standard length for that passage. (The Coffer's interior depth multiplied by 50 equals 1714.6462+ inches. Reduce this by a 10th part; the remaining 9/lOths are 1543.1816+. The standard length of the First Ascending Passage is 1543.4642+ Pyramid inches. ) This proportion of 9/lOths of any given number, is frequently recognised in the Pyramid's proportionate features. And there is, in the Pyramid, at least one concrete example of the 10th and 9jlOths proportion; and this example is in the King's Chamber itself, and must, consciously or unconsciously, be 120
The King's Chamber of the Great Pyramid of G i z e h ; showing the doorway of the low Passage w h i c h leads from the Ante-chamber; also, on the left, the opening of the Air-channel i n the North w a l l
of the north wall, along the floor, is divided into a loth, and 9110th~; seeming to accord to us "King 's-Chamber " authority for using this particular proportion in other dimensions of the Pyramid. We find, indeed, that we require to use it very often; and the next feature connected with the Coffer is another instance of its use. 121
Anoth.er Grand Gallery length indication This indication in the Coffer's dimensions of the floor-length of the Grand Gallery is quite distinct from the one already detailed. When we take 10 times the interior-floor circuit, or perimeter, of the Coffer, and reduce the total of inches b y a 10th part, the remaining 9110th~equal to the floor-length of the Grand Gallery, to within less than half an inch of the standard length of the Gallery. (Nine-tenths of the circuit of the Coffer's inside floor-that is, the sum of twice the interior Iength, and twice the interior width, reduced by a 10th part-when multiplied by 10, is equal to 1881-1154+ inches; while the Gallery's standard length, as given above, is not half an inch longer than this, i.e., 1881.5985+.) We repeat again, however, that all of the Pyramid's passage-ways have more than one floor-length, within limits, depending on whether the measurement be taken along the east, or the west, sides; but for easier comparison we think it better to, as a rule, cite the standard lengths.
Still another Grand Gallery 1e.ngtlz indication Another method by which the dimensions of the Coffer agree with the length of the Grand Gallery, is by a calculation employing the prominent ratio n ;and in this indication also the perfect number 7 is recognised. Thus, take the sum of the areas of the two interior ends of the Coffer, plus t h e interior-floor area, and thc area of a supposed ceilingcorresponding to the floor-area (or, double the sum of the Boor and one end-area). Regard this sum as the length of the diamcter of a circle; and multiply it by the ratio n to obtain the circumference of this circle. To this circumference add the perfect number 7 , and we shall find that a 10th part of the. sum is equal to the floor-length of the Grand Gallery, to within less than a 25th part of axi inch of the standard length. This feature is also distinct from the other indications. (The sum of the four areas formed by the two interior end-walls, a n d the floor and assumed corresponding ceiling, is 5986.9628+ square Pyramid inches. Multiply this figure by the ratio n, 122
and to the result add 7 ; and we shall find that an even 10th part of the sum is 1881.5598+, or not quite a 25th part of a n inch difference from the standard length of the Grand Gallery, which is 1881.5985+ Pyramid inches.)
Tlre Exterior Dimensions of the Coffer agree with the K i n g ' s Chamber's Dinzensions The exterior height of the Coffer is already accepted to be equal to exactly a 10th part of the length of the King's Chamber. There are other connections between the Coffer's dimensions and the dimensions of the chamber. The "sacred" number of the King's Chamber is known t o be the number 5, as primarily represented by the 5 Equal wallcourses of that chamber. This number may also be looked upon as representative of the Pyramid as a whole; for the perfect square-based Pyramid has five exterior plane surfaces, counting the base as one, and it has five corner-stones, the one a t the apex being the "chief comer-stone." There is close agreement between the exterior dimensions of the Coffer, and the dimensions of the chamber which contains it, through the medium of the number 5. For 5 times the sum of the exterior length, breadth, and height of the Coffer, is equal to the sum of the length, width and height of the King's Chamber. The agreement is tnue to within less than a 6th part of an inch. (The sum of the Coffer's three exterior dimensions, when multiplied by 5, is equal to &18.4237+, and the sum of the three principal dimensions of the King's Chamber is 848.5861+ Pyramid inches. See the lists of dimensions on pages 30 and 102.)
T h e Coffer's indication of' the Precessional Cycle The Coffer's exterior measures agree also with the Pyramid's esterior measures, a t that most important level touched by the upper floor-end of the Grand Gallery, namely, the 1914 A.D. level. And the agreement is a very direct one, although, like nearly all these features of the Pyramid, a proportionate one. 123
The proportionate feature is simply this: An even 100 times the exterior horizontal circuit of the Coffer, is equal to the circuit of the Pyramid at the 1914 A . D . level. There is a slight differencebetween the two totals of inches, but it amounts to only about a 30th part of an inch, and may therefore be considered as negligible. As the perimeter of the Pyramid at the 1914 A.D. level agrees in inches with the number of years in the precessional cycle, it follows that an even 100 times the exterior horizontal perimeter of the Coffer also agrees with the year-value of the precession. But the Coffer contains, through its proportionate dimensions, a large number of indications of the precessional cycle, although the one just explained is the most direct. (The exterior horizontal perimeter of the Coffer, when multiplied by 100, is 25,694.3171+ Pyramid inches. The perimeter of the Pyramid at the 1914 A.D. lcvcl is 25,694.3529+ Pyramid inches. The number of years in the precessional cycle is, as we have said, between 25,694 and 25,695.) In all of these proportionate features we have used the one set of standard measures for the Coffer, as presented on page 102. If we take advantage of the slight limits of measures which the Coffer was specially made to contain, all of the above-mentioned indications, as well as others we shall speak of, can be shown to be exact. But the advantage of consistently using the one set of dimensions as a standard set is that, whatever disagreement there is between any proportion of the Coffer, and the particular feature that that proportion indicates, the student can see at a glance on which side this disagreement lies; whether a slightly smaller dimension for the Coffer would indicate the feature exactly, or one slightly larger. The disagreements, however, are in most of these features so little, as to be practically negligible. Nevertheless, they show us why the Coffer was, of set purpose, not made perfectly smootll and rectilinear, as it could very easily have been made by such perfect masons as constructed the Pyramid. For in actual working-mathematics and geometry, no one set of dimensions for the Coffer could show so many different proportionate features-with absolute exactness in every case. We have already referred to one of the methods by which 124
the Pyramid indicates some of its proportionate features, namely, the method of deducting, or adding, a specified number peculiar of the Great Pyramid, such as the numbers 5, 7, 10, etc., or, sometimes, a Pyramid cubit or Pyramid inch; as well as also multiplying or dividing by these numbers, in oider to bring out the agreement sought. The frequency with which factors like these enter into the calculations, and the accuracy in the results obtained, are sufficient to establish them as intended. In no other way, indeed, could so many different features be indicated.
T h e Coffer's Exterior Dimeasions are firo~ortiohate to its Interior Capacity The following is a good example of the necessity of recognising the Pyramid 's basic number 10, in conjunction with the Pyramid cubit, and the single Pyramid inch. By the recognition of these definite Pyramid numbers we can see how the exterior dimensions of the Coffer are harmonious with the interior capacity. Before the interior hollow was drilled and chiselled out, the rectilinear block of granite forming the Coffer had six exterior s'ides, that is, the exterior surfaces of the four walls, and the top and bottom. The areas of these six surfaces were so proportioned, that the cubical capacity of the interior hollow afterwards made, agrees with them by the following method: To the sum of the six exterior areas add 1 Pyramid inch, and 1 Pyramid cubit of 25 inches, and 16 Pyramid cubits. The final sum is equal to the cubical capacity of the "Quarter Measure," and, therefore, 4 times this final sum is equal to the full interior capacity of the Coffer. (The sum of the six exterior areas is 17,536.4971+ square Pyramid inches. Add to this 1 Pyramid inch, 1 Pyramid cubit of 25 inches, and 10 Pyramid cubits of 25 inches each, and we obtain the final sum of 17,812.4971+ Pyramid inches. The cubical capacity of the quarter part of the Coffer's interior hollow, that is, the "Quarter Measure, " is 17,812.5 Pyramid inches. The difference is of little account, being little more than a 350th part of an inch. ) 125
I t will be noticed how necessary it is to recognise the existence of the Pyramid inch, and the Pyramid cubit, both earth-commensurable, not only in the above feature, but in all the features connected with the Great Pyramid. The Egyptian cubit, which is, in our present knowledge of it, somewhat mythical, because no one has yet found an absolute length for the Egyptian cubit, is not recognised by the scientific proportions of the Great Pyramid.
The Socket-level Base Side Length There is still another proportionate feature connected with the Coffer's dimensions where the single Pyramid inch is recognised. In this case the base-side length of the Great Pyramid, at the Socket-level, is indicated by areas in the Coffer, each area being first reduced by one Pyramid inch. Both exterior and interior areas of the Coffer enter into this calculation; and because they are the principal areas the entire dimensional-size, and shape, of the Coffer is seen to be esactly designed to agree with the Pyramid's principal length, namely, the Socket-level base length. This base length is shown by the CoTfer 's measures by the following method : From each of the four areas of the Coffer here named, one Pyramid inch is to be deducted, viz. : ( I ) The area of the interior floor. (2) The area of the exterior bottom. (3) The area of the interior side. And (4) the area of the interior end, After deducting one Pyramid inch from each of these four areas, we add the remainders. The sum of the remainders is as many square inches as there are linear inches in the Pyramid's Socketlevel base side, to within less than a 100th part of an inch. (The above-meritioned sum of the remainders is 9131.0461+ Pyramid inches; and the Socket base length of the Pvran~id is 9131.0549+ .)
the Coffer's exterior breadth; and the Pyramid's basic number 10, and sacred number 5, enter as factors. Add together: 100 times the Coffer's exterior breadth; and 50 times this breadth ; and the basic number 10. The resultant sum is equal to the Socket-to-apex vertical height of the Pyramid,lto within less than a 7th part of an inch. (The sum is 5813.1415+, while the vertical height is 5813.0101.+ Pyramid inches. ) Thus we perceive that by proportions, all based upon the standard set of measures for the Coffer, this unique stone box in the King's Chamber not only yields the base length of the whole Pyramid, but the vertical height as well, in addition to the length of the perimeter at the 1914 A.D. level.
Tlze Descending Passage Rloor-Length We have noted how the lengths of the Grand Gallery and the First Ascending Passage are both contained in the Coffer's measures. So also is the length of the Descending Passage. The floor-length of the lower reach of the Descending Passage, between the "Point of Intersection" and the junction of the Small Horizontal Passage leading to the Pit, is indicated by a proportion connected with the Coffer's exterior horizontal area, i.e., the bottom area. Divide the exterior bottom area of the Coffer into 8 equal parts. Deduct from the sum of 7 of these parts the characteristic Pyramid number of 5 inches. The result is equal to the floor-length of the Descending Passage detailed above, to within less than a 6th part of an inch of the standard length. (The sum of 7 of the 8 equal parts of the complete area of the Coffer's exterior horizontal area, minus 5 inches, equals 3034.3365+ square inches ; while the Descending Passage standard length for the lower reach is 3034.5010+.)
Th'e Socket-to-apex Vertical Height
The Complete Straight-Lined Length of the Descending Passage
By still another proportion founded upon the Coffer's size, we find a very close approximation of the Pyramid's Socketto-apes vertical height. This calcnlation is connected with 126
The longest possible straight-lined length of the Descending Passage, even, is indicated with wonderful exactness by the I27
Coffer's own peculiar system of proportionate dimensions. And in this feature the perfect number 7 is used, and the Pyramid cubit of 25 inches. There are so many features in the Pyramid's Coffer, that every symmetrical combination of its measures show how well balanced its dimensions are, not only between themselves, but with all important sections of the Pyramid, interior and exterior. In this proportion, which shows the complete length of the Descending Passage, the calculations evidence that the area of the interior side of the Coffer is symmetrically balanced with the interior cubical contents of 71,250 cubic inches, through the medium of the Pyramid cubit, and the perfect number 7, as follows: From the Coffer's interior capacity of 71,250 inches deduct the perfect number 7. To 25 times the Coffer's interior side area add 7. (The multiplication of this area by 25 represents the Pyramid cubit.) The difference between the two resultant quantities is equal to the number of linear inches in the Descending Passage's longest possible straight-lined length, i.e., from the north beginning of the ancient Entrance, down to the end of the produced line of the floor (which we call No. 4 terminal in the "Time Features" booklet). The agreement is correct to within less than a 30th part of an inch of the standards. (The two quantities, the difference between which yields the longest length for the Descending Passage, are: (1) The Coffer's interior capacity with 7 deducted equals 71,243. inches. (2) 25 times the interior side area with 7 added equals 66,707.9318f inches. The difference between them is 4535.0681+, while the passage-length referred to is 4535.0306+ Pyramid inches. )
The Horizontal Passage Floor-Length The dimensions of the wonderful Coffer do not omit to indicate the length of the Horizontal Passage to the Queen's Chamber, although the length of this passage is distinct from that of the other passages, while being a t the same time harmonious with them as we have seen. This proportion is based upon the interior depth and width of the Coffer, as represented by the 128
length of the diagonal of the interior end. As in other features, the distinctive numbers 5 , and 7, are required in the calculation, which is as follows: By the usual rules of mathematics, we can compute from the known interior depth and width the interior end-diagonal of the Coffer. This diagonal is 43.464503+ Pyramid inches, using tlie standard set of measures given on page 102. The correspondency between the end-diagonal and the Horizontal Passage length is through the medium of 5 , and 7. For 5 times this interior end-diagonal, multiplied by 7, equal 1521.2576+ Pyramid inches, which is, to within about a 20th part of an inch, the same as the standard length of the Horizontal Passage, 1521.3114+. The Coffer's proportionate indications of the various dimensions of the Pyramid, dealt with so far, are only a small section of the many it is known to contain. We shall draw ,attention to a few others further on. In the meantime we desire to speak of the convincing way by which the interior cubical capacity of this granite chest in the King's Chamber of the Great Pyramid shows the actual cubical bulk of the carth, as well as the weight of the earth.
Seat, near Edinburgh, Scotland, brought out the number 5.316 for the earth's mean density. But the number 6.565 was the result of a deep mine experiment conducted by Sir George B. Airy, the British Astronomer Royal of Greenwich. One of these results is less than, and the other more than, the ideal figure required by the theory of the Great Pyramid. But later on another experiment, with more approved scientific precautions against disturbances, was carried out on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society of Great Britain by Francis Bally, with the result that a much nearer approach t o the theoretical figure was obtained. This figure was published in the Memoirs (Vol. XIV) of the Royal Astronomical Society of London, as 5 -675, plus or minus -0038. Later still, in 1878, the Royal Society of London published the finding of Professor J. H. Poynting, who employed what was considered to be even better and safer methods of experimenting than had before been used in the endeavour to ascertain the true mean density of our earth. This later result is yet closer to the Pyramid's indication, being 5.69. This more approved scientific finding is so close to the Pyramid's ideal 5 . 7 , that Professor C. Piazzi Smyth exclaims: "Who shall attempt to say that 5 - 7 is not, as these numbers go, the true ,quantity created by God, and Divinely donated to the earth-ball inhabited by man." We can say that, certainly, all the proportionate features,connected with the weight and bulk of thc earth, when calculated in terms of the standards for weight and capacity presented to us by the Great Pyramid and its Coffer, go to firmly establish the Pyramid's value of 5 . 7 for the mean density of the planet Earth; the only planet revolving round our sun which is at present, as we believe, inhabited by God's highest and most wonderful earthly creation, Man.
SECTION XIX
S the Coffer in the Great Pyramid presents the world with the standard for capacity measure, it follows that it also presents the standard for Weight Measure. For the cubical capacity of the Coffer being'known, according t o the many lines of proof which establish this capacity as 71,250 cubic Pyramid inches, we need, then, merely apply the value of earth's mean density to this capacity and we shall ascertain the best possible standard for Weight for the daily use of man.
A
Earth's M e a n Density We have noted that the King's Chamber, which holds the s t a n d a d capacity measure, the granite Coffer, shows, architectually, by the numbering and arrangement of its masonry blocks, the actual figures that express the mean density of the whole earth, namely, 5.7, representing the over-all weight of the earth as that precise number of times heavier than pure water of the same cubical mass. This branch of science has not been accorded the minute attention that has been devoted to most others by the nations of the world, and hence we are unable to compare the scientific indication of the Great Pyramid regarding earth's mean density, with more than a few reliable results of practical experimental testings by scientific workers. Six Isaac Newton judged that the mean density of earth must be between 5 and 6 times heavier than water; but he did not conduct definite research in this matter. I n the year 1855 Captain Ross Clarke, experimenting on behalf of the British Ordnance Survey on the hill of Arthur's 130
Tlze P y r a m i d T o n and i t s Subdivisions Indicated by the Coifer's Ca$acity
i
Professor C. Piazzi Smyth, after referring to the value of earth's mean density, 5 . 7 , and pointing out that this value is the mean of all the varied materials that go to make up our earth-globe, some of which are much heavier than 5 . 7 , :III(L
others much lighter, goes on to say: "Thus the Coffer's contents of pure water are 71,250 cubical Pyramid inches, which a t the temperature of 68" Fahr., and barometric pressure of 30.000 Pyramid inches, would weigh 18,030,100 of our avoirdupois grains" [according to the estimate of the British government]. "But if earth's mean density material is 5.7 times heavier than water, a mass of that said heavy material, but 5 . 7 times. smaller than 71,250 cubical inches, viz. : measuring 12,500, cubical inches only, will also weigh, at the same temperature and pressure, the same 18,030,100 British avoirdupois grains. [For 71,250 divided by 5 -7 is equal to 12,5001. "That beginning made, we have next to inquire, what are, may, or should be, the subdivisions of the whole block of 12,500 cubical Pyramid inches of the earth's mean density, on the Pyramid weight system of metrology? ...The most characteristic division of all, viz : that of 50 x 50, which should give us a popular weight-unit to compare with the pint in capacity,. . .does give us something which is excessively close, in absolute weight, to the old Saxon pound. " Professor Smyth then goes on to show that, this Pyramid pound-weight, which is symmetrically based upon the capacity of the Coffer and on the mean density of the earth, and which is significantly close to the weight of the old Saxon pound, "is equal to the weight of five [5] cubical Pyramid inches of the earth's mean density. " To recapitulate: The mean density of the whole mass of t h e earth is 5.7 times heavier than an equal mass of pure water, when this water is at the temperature of a 5th between the freezing and boiling points of water (1/5th above freezing, 415th~below boiling), or 68" Fahr., and the barometric air pressure is a t 30.000 Pyramid inclies. The interior hollow of the Coffer in the King's Chamber of the Great Pyramid can hold 71,250 cubic Pyramid inches of such pure water. Therefore, a solid block of material, having the same density as the mean density of the earth, would require to be 5 - 7 times smaller in cubical capacity than the Coffer's capacity, in order that the weight of this block, and tlie weight of the water in the Coffer, should be equal. 132
The entire weight of the pure water in the Coffer, and therefore the entire weight of the earth's density block, is the Great Pyramid's standard of weight-measure, and is appropriately called the "Pyramid Ton. " But as tons are useful in the handling of large quantities only, it is necessary for the convenient handling of small quantities in commerce, to have a small unit of weight, an easy and equal division of the large standard ton. The easiest, and most characteristic Pyramid division of this ton is a division by 50 x50, that is, by 2500. When we divide the standard ton block of earth's mean density material by 2500, we get the equally characteristic Pyramid number of 5 cubic Pyramid inches. The weight of these 5 cubic inches is one Pyramid Pound. There are therefore 2500 Pyramid pounds in one Pyramid ton. And this Pyramid pound-weight is very nearly the same weight as the old Saxon pound, so far as we are able to trace that ancient metrology backward through the centuries by the usual methods of literary and historical research. I t was during the Georgian era in Britain that the modern "artificial" avoirdupois grain began to be taught in schools, the early more genuine Saxon rain being gradually set aside. % According to Professor Smyth's deductions there are 25,000,000 Pyramid grains in the Pyramid ton. This value of the ton is very closely approached by the number of grains that the old Saxon metrology would have yielded, namely, 24,040,100. And just as the Pyramid linear inch is very near in size to the present-day British statute inch, but nearer still to the old Saxon inch, and the true original length of the inch is this earth-commensurable Pyramid inch, so, Professor Smyth and other competent authorities contend, the value of the grain of ancient Saxon metrology, while known to be nearly identical with the ideal Pyramid grain-weight, was originally derived from this Pyramid grain. I t is probable, also, that the true value in weight of the Pyramid grain is even closer to that of the ancient Saxon grain than Professor Smyth was cognisant of, as pointed out by us iri Section XXIV, which see. Therefore, as ~e have good grounds for believing, the origin:ils 1 33
of the linear inch, and the grain-weight, are preserved in the Great Pyramid, in the granite King's Chamber, and in the granite Coffer within that chamber. They are not only preserved in a wonderful way by the actual measures to be found there in the Pyramid, but are immovably established for all time by the very numerous mathematical and geometrical' proport ions. For whatever loss the actual measurements of the Great Pyramid and its Coffer may have suffered through little inaccuracies of workmanship in the first instance, and through the subsequent dilapidations of natural decay, the injuries of vandalism, and shocks of earthquakes, the scientific proportions step in and make good. The scientific features of the Pyramid inform us as to what was the original intention and design of the great Architect, and by them we are enabled to restore t o the whole fabric its ideal perfection. All of the theories connected with the Great Pyramid, and approved thus far, are quite matter-of-fact in their reasonableness. There i s nothing of a speculative or fanciful nature about them, but are such as will appeal to the thoughtful student. There is a difference between theory and speculation. Few, if any, of the more abstruse facts of science would be known .to us, had it not been for the previous intelligent application of theories by patient investigators. I n the future, not now far distant we believe, when the teaching of the Lord's stone Witness in Egypt is more widely known and appreciated, and probably still more accurately interpreted, the earth-commensurable standards of linear measure, capacity measure, and weight measure which it presents, will be adopted by the whole human race, that all men may understand one another, speaking the same metrological language. As with the subdivisions of the Coffer's capacity measure into gallons, bushels, pints, etc., so with its weight, the subdivisions into hundredweights, pounds, ounces, etc., are symmetrical and according to Pyramid numbers and the decimal system of the building. The following is the list of names for these parts of the Coffer's weight standard, the Pyramid ton:
PYRAMID WEIGHT MEASURES -. . -
- -- -
I
'
I
Division of Pyramid Pounds Cubic Inches the Pyramid in each of Earth's Tonweight Division Mean Density
I
I
Cubic Inches of Distilled water
1
Name
Ton Quarter W ~ Y Cwt . Stone Pound Ounce Dram Grain
The Pyramid System of Specific Gravity Every separate substance which contributes to the total mass of the earth has its own individual density, or weight. Thus, as we have seen, pure water at the proper temperature and barometric pressure has an individual weight which is 5 . 7 times lighter than the whole mass of the earth, taking bulk for bulk. On the other hand, a mass of molten lead of the same size as the earth would weigh almost exactly double the total weight of the earth. If of solid gold the contrast in weight would be about 3 and a 3rd for the gold, and 1 for the earth. The total weight of every substance in the earth is, therefore, the mean weight of every substance. This mean, or average, weight is the standard for reference. Each individual substance, taken by itself, has a weight which is proportionate to the mean weight. This proportion is known by the term "Specific Gravity." Thus, earth's mean density material is represented by 1, that is, by Unity. In terms of this unity, the specific gravity of, say, cork, is .043; of wheat, when loose, -132; of ice -163; of pure water, ,175, etc. (The specific gravity number of pure water, by which the unity standard of earth's mean density has to be multiplied for comparison, is .175+, because this number is the recipvocal of 5.7. So, we can either divide 135
by the number of times that pure water is lighter than the standard, i.e., divide by 5.7, or else multiply this standard by the reciprocal of that number. I t is often easier, or more convenient, to multiply than to divide.) PYRAMID SYSTEM O F SPECIFIC GRAVITIES
SECTION XX
Earth's Mean Density = 1 . Temperature =6S0 Fahr Barometric Pressure =30.00.0 Pyramid inches
.
:.
. .. .. .
.
Cork, . . . -043 .. .072 White pine (American) Oats, loose ., .. .088 Larch (Scotland) .. .093 Lithium, metal . .. .I00 Riga fir . . . .. -105 .. -112 Barley, loose, Ether, sulphuric . .. .I29 Wheat, loose . . . .. -132 .. . . .. -180 Sea-water .. . . . . .I80 Blood, . White sugar . . . . .. .282 Ivory .. . . . . .321 Casing-stone, Gt. Pyraniid .. .367 Nummulitic limestone , .. .412 Glass, crown . . . . . . -439
.
.
..
.
. ..
.
.
..
Common stone . Red granite, Peterhead .. Red granite, Ct. Pyramid .. . .. Jasper Diamond . . . . .. Zinc, compressed . . Tin, pure Cornish .. Iron, cast a t Carron .. Copper, native .. .. .. Steel, hardened . . .. Brass, common cast Nickel . . .. .. Mercury, brown cinnabar Silver, virgin . .. .. Gold, not hammered Platinum, hammered ..
. .
.
.
.442 .464 ,479 .494 .618 1.26 1.28 1 .28 1.37 1.37 1.37 1.54 1 .79 1.84 2.76 3.57
The above are a few examples, prepared by Professor C. Piazzi Smyth, who rightly says that no efficient system of determining weights by linear measure could possibly go unaccompanied by a table of specific gravities. The number of items in the table is not dependent on ihe system, but on the richness and variety of this globe's natural products. Wherefore, Professor Smyth says in reverent tone: "What thankfulness should it not excite in the mind of man towards -the Creator, for all these endless varieties of elementary matter, wherewith he has of old stocked the earthly abode of man; and thereby made a higher existence possible to him!"
EHOVAH, when speaking in Job, refers to the earth under the figure of a pyramid-form of building (See verses 1 to 7 of the 38th chapter of Job, with t h e marginal reading). Because of His reference to "socket" foundations "made to sink," we know that the Great Pyramid in particular is the building which, by his own arrangement, serves as this figure for the earth. While the actual mass of the Great Pyramid is indeed very small in comparison wit11 the mass ol the earth, and wliile their shapes are totally unlike each other, yet, by a remarkable and thoroughly characteristic method, the measures of the Great Pyramid agree proportionately with the measures af the earth. As we are able to stretch the measuring line upon the Great Pyramid, so, through this means, we are enabled to measure the earth, and even to "perceive the ;breadth of the earth" (See Job 38 : 18). Professor C. Piazzi Smytll shows how the actual wcight in tons of the Great Pyramid, when multipled by 10 to the 15th power, gives the Pyramid-ton weight of the earth. This is similar in computation to the Great Pyramid's indication of the sun-distance; for in that case we multiply the actual vertical height of the monument by 10 to the 9th power. I t is all the more remarkable that this proportion of 10 to the 15th power for the weight of the earth, or even a total which closely approximates to this scale, should be embodied in the Pyramid's structure; for this weight-correspondency implies that the very stone with which the building was made was specially selected as to its specific gravity. Had the Pyramid been bdilt of granite, as it might have been, or I l : ~ t l 137
J
any large section of it been covered with granite like the Third Pyramid of Gizeh, this heavy stone with its greater specific gravity would have destroyed the "roundness" of the proportion between the Pyramid's total weight, and the carth's weight. Calculating on the known solid bulk of the Great Pyramid, and of the known specific gravity of its stone-work, and the already determined value for earth's mean density, Professor S r ~ ~ y tcomputed h. the actual weight of the Great Pyramid, reckoning from the Socket-level base to the apex, to be, in a round figure, 5,273,000 Pyramid tons. This number of tons, multiplied by 10 to the 15th power, gives the weight of the earth in Pyramid tons, to at least a very close approximation.
1I
The Earth Pyrawzid I
But there is another method, to which we desire to draw attention, by which the Great Pyramid scientifically indicates. the weight, and also the cubical bulk, of the earth of which it is the figure. This indication is not a direct one like that propounded by Professor C. Piazzi Smyth, where thc actual material weight of the building is shown to be proportionate to the actual weight of the earth. We believe, however, that this other method of indication spoken of below yields, if anything, more accurate and more scientific results. In this further weight and bulk indication, the actual size of the Great Pyramid in Egypt gives us the scale on which to base our calculation^. Other related factors in the calculations are also furnished by the Pyramid, thus proving that the Pyramid is the basis for this feature. The Great- Pyramid is what is known, mathematically, as a " n " pyramid; for the particular angle at which the sloping flanks of the building rise from their base-line to the apex endows that edifice with the .?r ratio, as already explained. The Great Pyramid, therefore, Scripturally pointed to as we have. noted, is the great material model of all pyramids that are, or can be, scientifically constructed on the scale of the n ratio. This is one of the necessary 138
I
factors supplied by the Great Pyramid towards the calculations. Another necessary factor is the precise length of the geographical mile; and this is also contained in the accurate dimensions of the Great Pyramid. As mentioned before, the exact length of the Pyramid Geographical Mile is equal to twice the perimeter of the Great Pyramid at the level of the natural rock base of the building. This particular level, as will be agreed, is the most appropriate one with which t e monumentalise the Pyramid mile - length; for it is the natural, solid, surface of earth, a specially-dressed and levelled rock-surface not far above sea-level; with a square indicated upon it, the actual side-length of which is marked by the dimensions of the great building reared upon it. Nothing could be more scientifically accurate; no measured length for a standard mile could be so well preserved as this. The side-length of this square, when multiplied by 8, a special number in the Great Pyramid's proportionate climensions, is the precise length of the Pyramid geographical mile. This. is just another method of expressing the Pyramid's indication of the mile-length; for twice the Rock-level square base perimeter, is the same as 8 times the side-length. Still another factor in this earth's-weight, and bulk, indication is the precise length of the Pyramid cubit. And the Pyramid's basic number 10, and sacred number 5, which enter so often into the proportionate features of the building,. are required in this feature also. The statement of the feature is this: The Planet Earth, and its measures, is specifically mentioned by the Creator of Earth, who is also the Architect and Designer of the Great Pyramid, in direct connection with a pyramid form of building in the inspired Book of Job, chapter 38, verses 1 to 7. Therefore, a huge .?r-shaped pyramid, the cubical bulk of which agrees with the cubical bulk of the earth, either bulk for bulk, or by some recognised and harmonious mathematical proportion, can be reasonably accepted as the basis for the calculation. The dimensions of thc huge earth-pyramid (to give it a distinctive name), n-shaped like the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, 139
should be earth-commensurable, in the sense that the linear units of measure which express these dinlensions should be the Pyramid standard milts, the cubit and the mile. Also, to be appropriate and convincing, the numbers of such units should, in the first instance as a foundational basis, be a n even, round, number; for this is essentially a Pyramid method of calculating. The "earth-pyramid, " therefore, has a base-side length of an even, round, 10-thousand Pyramid miles, each mile being equal in length to twice the Rock-level-base perimeter of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, plus an even, round, 5 - thousand Pyramid cubits, each cubit being earthcommensurable, or an even 10-millionth part of earth's semiaxis of rotation. Here, then, we have the foundation for the calculations, appropriate, certainly, to the particular indication required, namely the weight of the earth, and its cubical bulk, in terms of the Great Pyramid of Egypt's standards.
I I 1
The "Eartlz-Pyranzid" Calculations To ascertain the cubical bulk of this ir-shaped pyramid, we need only find the cube of the base-side length, and then multiply this cube b y the ratio .212206590789+ (for this is t h e correct ratio for a ir-shaped pyramid). For easy calculation, and ready means of comparison, we desire to find the total number of cubical Pyramid cubits in this huge earth-pyramid. We therefore find the corresponding value in cubits of the even 10-tliousand Pyramid miles, and a d d to this the even 5,000 Pyramid cubits. This gives us the total number of cubits in the base-side length of the earthpyramid. (This total of Pyramid cubits amounts to 29,179,675.6454+.) The cube of this total of Pyramid cubits, when multiplied by the ratio given above, yields the total of cubical Pyramid c.ubits in the entire bulk of the earth-pyramid, namely, 5,272,301,630,400,000,000,000. T o show how this final number gives both the Pyramid-ton weight of the earth, and the cubical bulk of the earth, by the 140
1 I
symmetric system furnished by the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, we shall cite briefly the explanation of this system by Professor C. Piazzi Smyth. Professor Smyth says that, weights, on the Pyramid system,. are calculable a t once from Pyramid linear measures in t h e following simple manner : "For small things, ascertain their bulk ill cubical inches, divide by 5, and the result is the weight in Pyramid pounds. [provided the said articles are of the same specific gravity as. the mean density of the earth]. "For large masses, ascertain their bulk in cubical Pyramid cubits, add 4, and the result is the weight in Pyramid tons,. (under the same conditions of specific gravity). "Conversely, the Pyramid weight of a body of earth's mearr. density being given, to find its Pyramid cubical measure: "For small things, multiply the poilnds weight by 5 , a n d it will give the number of cubical inches. "For large masses, decrease the number of tons weight by a 5th part, to find the number of cubical cubits." That is, if we know the total number of Pyramid tons in any bulk having the same specific gravity as the mean density of the earth, all we require to do to ascertain the number of cubical cubits in this given bulk is: Deduct from the number representing tons a 5th part. The remaining 415th~represent the number of cubits. I n the proportionate feature connected with the earthpyramid, the number of cubits in its bulk, as a number, represents the number of Pyramid tons in the earth's entire mass. And 415th~of the actual bulk of the earth-pyramid are equal to the actual cubical bulk of the earth. That is to say, the entire mass of the earth-pyramid forms the basis for the calculations, when reckoned in cubical Pyramid cubits. But only 4/5ths of this mass represents the mass of the earth; and thus there are in the earth cubical Pyramid cubits. 4,217,841,304,320,000,000,000. Applyiilg the rule explained by Professor Smyth for finding the number of tons in any given mass, the cubical bulk of which is knoyn, we add $ of the above nurilber of cubits to itself, and the resultant sum is the number of Pyramid lolls 141
i n the earth. This sum, representing tons, is the same as the .number of cubits in the earth-pyramid. These are the correct proportions, between weight and bulk, according t o the eminently scientific Pyramid system, first propounded by Professor C. Piazzi Smyth. This system of weights and measures, as- shown, is based upon the capacity of the Coffer in the King's Chamber of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh. For taking the weight of the earth as being 5 . 7 times heavier than pure water of a like mass, the interior capacity s f the Coffer, 71,250 cubic Pyramid inches, will hold exactly a n e Pyramid ton of such pure water. This system of weights .and measures, earth-commensurable in every respect, will in the future, we believe, become the recognised international system.
The "Earth-Pyramid" Indication of Earth's Bulk Com9ared with the Deductions of Science As we have seen, therefore, this huge earth-pyramid, with i t s base-length of an even 10,000 Pyramid miles, plus an even 5,000 Pyramid cubits, gives us in a symmetrical way both the cubical bulk of the earth, and the Pyramid-ton weight of the earth; the number of tons in the earth being equal to the number of cubical cubits in the earth-pyramid, and the number of cubical cubits in the earth being 'equal t o 4!5ths of the total of cubical cubits in the earth-pyramid. I n order to compare this indication of the bulk of the earth with the estimates of science, we require to convert the cubits into cubical British statute miles. This we can do by first dividing the number of cubical cubits in the earth's bulk (or 415th~of the earth-pyramid) by 100,000-millions, and then multiplying by the ratio 4.0270024219259+. This calculation yields the number of cubical Pyramid miles in earth's bulk, 169,852,571,478 in all. (To divide by 100,000-millions, move the decimal point a t the end of the number representing Pyramid cubits in earth's bulk eleven places to the left. We then get 42,178,413,043.2, and this multiplied by the ratio given yields the number of cubical Pyramid miles in earth's bulk. ) 142
Then, to ascertain the corresponding number of cubical British statute miles, multiply the Pyramid miles by the ratio 1.5300166776716+. (These ratios have all been carefully calculated, and they are correct. ) This further multiplication gives the cubical bulk of the earth as 259,877,267,107- British statute miles. Or, if we express these cubical miles in a round number, as is usual in such large totals, we may say that the calculations based upon the dimensions of the earth-pyramid show that the cubical bulk of the earth is, in British statute miles, 259,880,000,000. 'This is the exact total given in a round number by the British Empire. Universities Modern English Dictionary of 1920, page 963. Whilc it is recognised that there is no need to be more particular when presenting the estimate for the bulk of the earth, than is published bv the above Dictionary, we believe it isdprobable that the precise indication for this bulk shown by the earth-pyramid is right.
The Mass of the Great Pyranzid Compared witlz the Mass of the Earth When dealing with such large numbers, as in the foregoing, it is difficult if not impossible to comprehend them. Some larger unit than tons, or cubits, is required. But even then, unless we are able to visualise this larger unit, we cannot hope to understand the true significance of numbers that run into thousands of millions. We might take the whole mass of the Great Pyramid itself as representing a unit, and seek to compare this with the mass of the earth. But unless we first scale down the enormous size of the earth to a figure more within our comprehension, the comparison between the mass of the Great Pyramid and the mass of the earth will be to us of little practical value. We will therefor& scale down the earth's mass a 100,000million times, and then seek to compare this greatly, but evenly, reduced earth's-size with the actual mass of the Great Pyramid. I n other words, after dividing the number of cubical Pyramid cubits in the earth's bulk by the even, round, number of 100,800-millions, find how many times the cul)ic;~l 143
bulk of the Great Pyramid will divide into the resultant figure. According to the linear dimensions of the Great Pyramid already accepted, the total number of cubical Pyramid cubits in the entire monument, from the Socket-level base to t h e apex, is fully 10; millions, or, more particularly, 10,339,552. The even 100,000-millionth part of the number of cubical Pyramid cubits in the earth's bulk is 42,178,413,043.2. The one number divides into the other 4079-327+ times. That is, it would require 4079.327-k Yyramids of the same size a s the Great Yyramid of Gizeh to form even a hundred-thousandmillionth part of the bulk of the earth.
The S-ymmetry of the ~ n s s ~ ~ o m p a r i s o n There is symmetry in this exact division of the Pyramid's mass into the earth's mass, which still further emphasizes the oneness of design in the measures of the earth, and of the Pyramid, as is indicated in the Scriptural reference in the Book of Job. In this symmetrical feature the Pyramid's basic number 10 is required ; and this in itself is characteristic of the. Pyramid's system of proportions, being an integral part of that system, as we have seen. When we add the Pyramid's basic number 10 to the number of times that the Pyramid's entire mass will divide into earth's even-red~~ced bulk, and regard the sum as the radius of a circle, we shall find that the circumference of this circle is as many units as there are years in the precession of the equinoxes. Thus: 4079.327+, the number in question, plus 10, gives 4089.327-t as the radius of the circle. The circumference of the circle is, therefore, 25,694. (That is, practically, the precise circumference being 25,693.9994+. ) I n other words, the sum of 4079.327+ and 10 is almost exactly the same as the numlxr of inches in the vertical distance between the apex of the Great Pyramid, and the 1914 A . D . level, or that level at which the perimete~of the building is equal in inches to the years in the precession. The symmetry of this feature, strange though it may at first appear to be, is supported by the details of another feature, which we shall explain in the followring pages. 144
T h e "Earth-Pyramid" Indication of Earth's Surface Arsa Compared with the Dedztctions of Science Just as we have found that the Great Pyramid's indication of the actual bulk of the earth, when expressed in cubical British statute miles, is in agreement with the estimates of science of the present day, so also with the estimates of the surface area of the earth, the figures are in practical agreement with the indication based upon the earth-pyramid. Taking the precise number of cubical British statute miles in the bulk of the earth as shown by the cubical contents of 415th~of the symmetrical earth-pyramid, we can, by the rules of mathematics governing spheres, find the number of square British statute miles on the surface of the earth. We know that the polar diameter of the earth is less than the equatorial niaximurn and minimum diameters, and that therefore the ea.rth is not a true sphere. But in calculating the cubical bulk, and surface area, an average or mean diameter derived from the actual diameters of the earth is taken as the basis. This mean diameter of earth, used by us in our calculations, is 7917-533+ British statute milcs. (The Polar diameter is 7899.3134+, the Equatorial maximum and miniinurn diameters are 7926.6610+, and 7926.0849+, British statute miles respectively. The actual mean between thesc three diameters is 7917.3531+, which is about .18 less than the mean on which we base our calculations. But this is correct, for a little more must be allowed for, because the flattening a t the poles is considerable, and therefore more weight should be given to the Equatorial diameters, as we have done). With this mean diameter of 7917.533+, we can calculate that the surface area of the earth is, or must be very near to, 196,938,058 British statute square miles. (To find the area of a sphere, multiply the square of the diameter by the ratio T.) This number of square miles, expressed in a round number, can be stated as 196,940,000. The estimates of science, as given in a round number by the British Empire LTniversitit:s Modern English D i c t i o n a ~of 1920, page 963, is 196,940;400 square British statute miles. I< 145
The careful estimates of science are thus very close to the indication of the surface area of the earth given by the Great Pyramid. Here again we are of the opinion that the Pyramid's indication for this area, 196,938,058 square British statute miles, is accurate ; that in this feature, as in the others, the GreaJ Pyramid contains all the scientific material for calculating the truth. I t is acknowledged that the findings of science and the indications of the Pyramid are sufficiently near to each other, to convince us of the truth of thc Pyramid theory.
The Remarkable Harm,ony between the Surface Area of Earth and the Great Pyramid's Dimensions When we compute the surface area of the earth in square Pyramid miles (for such miles are in accord with the Great Pyramid), we find that this area presents some remarkable numbers. They show that the very surface of the planet on which man lives and has his being was symmetrically adjusted by the mighty Creator of heaven and earth, to agree with outstanding periods, both in the working of the mechanism of earth's orbit, and in His glorious Plan of the Ages. For this is what we find: In square Pyramid geographical miles, each mile being in area equal to exactly 64 times the actual base-area of the Great Pyramid at the Rock-level, the precise surface area of the earth amounts to 148,319,713. (To convert square British miles into the corresponding value in square Pyramid miles, multiply the square British miles by the ratio .75312874438150+. ) When we deduct from this precise total of 148,319,713 square Pyramid miles the representative Pyramid number of 5 times 50, or 250 miles, we have the remainder 148,319,463. This remainder of square pyramid miles is equal to the sum of a round, even, 50-thousand times 2915, plus a round, even, 100 times 25,694-63, that is, the same number as there are years in the precessional cycle.
To make the correspondency clearer we may tabulate i t : 2915 multiplied by 50,000 . . . . ... .. 25,694.63 multiplied by 100 50 multiplied by 5 , both Pyramid numbers
.. ..
..
145,750,000 0,569,463 253
Sum =148,319,713 Square Pyramid miles in the earth's surface area
=148,319,713
The reign of Christ is-declared in Scriptures to be 1000 years; and as He took to Himself His great power and began to reign in 1914 A . D . , the completion of his reign will be reached by the year 2914 A D . , or a complete period of 2915 years from the date of his birth in 2 B.C. The number of years in the precessional cycle we have already noted to be between 25,694 and 25,695. The numbers 5 and 50 are special Pyramid numbers, connected particularly with the symbolical King's Chamber. The fact that all of these definite periods and numbers should be so evenly contained in the complete surface area of the earth, is surely not without deep significance. And that they should be thus sllown together in terms of the Pyramid's standard mile, is not only corroborative of the precise cubitlength of that mile, but of all the related dimensions of the Great Pyramid. All unite in pointing to the great importance, not only of the date when the world's Saviour and King left the glory of his former heavenly habitation and was born into this world to begin his mighty work of purchasing and reclaiming the fallen race of mankind, but also of the date when he was due to begin his reign in righteousness at the close of the Seven Times of Gentile dominion, 1914 A . D . When his 1000 years' reign is completed, we read that he will then hand over the Kingdom to God the Father, that the Father may be all in all. There have been many false Christs in the world, even before the true Messiah came; but here we have another evidence as to the identity of the real Christ and Redeemer; for we see that even the very earth itself was formed to such measures, that the advents of this true One are indicated by 147
it. (All the calculations, the results of which we have given above, are accurate.) We see, therefore, still deeper significance in the questions of Jehovah, when he asked if Job had "perceived the breadth of the earth" ; and when he asked if Job knew who had "laid the measures thereof, " and who had "stretched tlle [measuring] line upon i t . " None but the Almighty Himself could have so formed the earth, that it would corroborate the truth of His Holy Word.
SECTION XXI
A
Tlze granite Coffer i ; z tlzc King's Chamber of tltc Grecrt Pyramid of Gizelr ; the ntensurers and their IzeL$ers sitting crlorfg i f s Western side to convey a92 idea of i f s size
DHERING as we have done to the one standard set
of measures for the Coffer, presented on page 102, it might seem at first that some of the correspondencies given by Professor C. Piazxi Smyth are not so accurately borne out by the calculations. Close esamiriation, however, proves that these correspondeilcies are more firmly establislled b y the application of the standard measures, though not by the direct methods spoken of by Professor Smyth. And we remember that it is only by taking advantage of the rangc of dinlensions of the Coffer, that the features, according to the methods of indication chose11 by Professor Sniyth and others, can be said to esist. That is, it is only by taking more than one length, breadth, and depth, exterior and interior, that a number of these features can be made possible. For instance, Professor Snlyth draws attention to a calculation which claims that the cubical contents of a sphere, based upon the 10th part of the Icing's Chamber's cubic diagonal, col-responds to the capacity of the Coffer. The precise dianlcter of this sphere is the 10th part of the cubic diagonal-length of the chamber. Hut as the capacity of the Coffer is already established by theory as 71,250 cubic Pyramid inches, and the contents of the sphere is proved by accurate calculatiorl to be 71,587.1156+ cubic inches, fully 337 more than the Coffcr's capacity, the corresporidency is merely a rough approximation, and was so recognised by Professor Smyth. Another proportion of the Coffer's dimensions mad(% prominent by Professor Smyth is that, the total exterior cubical bulk of the vessel is double the interior capacity. 1311( 149
this is also recognised to be an approximation; for double the interior capacity is, by theory, 142,500 cubic inches, while the exterior bulk is not less than 143,155 cubic inches, or 655 inches difference. Nevertheless, both of these features can be said to be contained in the Coffer's dimensions if advantage be taken of the slight range of measures that it is capable of, and.which, as before said, we b e l i e ~ eto have been the intention of the Pyramid 's Designer.
T h e C o j f e ~ ' sBulk i s Proportionate to the Cubic Diagonal of the K i n g ' s Chamber Tlzroz~gh the Meiliurn of a Sfihere But, now, there is a method of calculating that denlollstrates a correspondency between the sphere spoken of by Professor Smyth, and the cubical bulk of the Coffer. As in many of the Pyramid's proportionate features, we require the factor 10, the building's basic number, in the calculations. First, we regard a 10th part of the King's Chamber's cubic diagonal as the diameter of a sphere; and by mathematical computation we shall find that the cubical bulk of this sphere is 71,587.4156-t Pyramid inches. (See page 30 for the dimensions of the King's Chamber. To ascertain the cubical bulk of a sphere, multiply the cube of the known diameter by the ratio T ,and divide the result by 6.) From the cubical bulk of this sphere, whose diameter is the King's Chamber's cubic diagonal divided by 10, deduct 10. We shall find that double the remainder is equal to the entire cubical bulk of the Coffer, to within less than 2 of an inch. For double the sphere's bulk, after deducting the Pyramid's basic number '10, is 143,154.8313f cubic inches ; and the exterior bulk of the Coffer, using the standard measures, is 143,155.0727f.
Another Indication of the Sphere's Bulk The cubical, bulk of the above-mentioned Sphere is indicated by another method by the Coffer's dimensions. When we employ any one dimension of the Coffer, we in reality 150
recognise alJ of the dimensions, for all arc dependent upon each other when we consistently adhere to the theoretical 71,250 capacity measure. I n this feature we take the Coffer's interior width as the basis. The number 5, and the single Pyramid inch, are required in the calculations. Thus, a rectangle, the length of which is exactly 1 inch more than the breadth, and the breadth of which is precisely 10 times the interior width of the Coffer, has an area equal to the cubic Inches in the sphere in question, when we add 5 inches to this area. The difference between the two quantities is less than 4 of an inch. (The width of the rectangle is exactly 10 times the interior width of the Coffer. The length of the rectangle is just one inch more than the width. Therefore the area of this rectangle is 71,582.8820+ square inches, according to the standard measures on page 102. Add the Pyramid's sacred number 5 to this area, and we get the sum 71,587.8820f. The bulk of the sphere, the diameter of which is exactly a 10th part of the King's Chamber's cubical diagonal, is 71,587.4156+ cubic inches. )
The Day-Duration of the Solar Tropical Year Indicated by the Dimensions of the Coffer The "Quarter Measure" is, as first pointed out hy John Taylor and amply verified by the later investigations of Professor C. Piazzi Smyth, equal, anciently, t o the exact quarter of the Coffer's interior capacity, that is : 71,250 divided by 4 = 17,812.5 cubic Pyramid inches. Now, the thicknesses of the Coffer's four sides and bottom were so designed that, when we add a quarter of their entire cubical bulk to the above-mentioned quarter of the interior capacity, the sum of the two quantities agrees in cubical inches with the days in the solar tropical year by the following method: We know that the total number of inches in the perjmeter of the Pyramid's Socket-level base equals the number of days in exactly 100 solar tropical years. At a vertical height above the Socket base equal to the length of the Ante-Chamber, 116.2602+ inches, we find that the number of inches in the 151
perimeter of the building at this definitely-fixed higher level is equal to the days in 98 solar years. The complete perimeter of the Pyramid at this higher level, and the number of days in 98 solar tropical years, agree as 35,793.7354+ inch-days. If we deduct the Pyramid's sacred number 5 from this total we get 35,788.7354t. This final number is equal to the sum of the two quarters of the Coffer detailed, namely, the quarter of the interior capacity, 17,812.5 plus the quarter of the cubical bulk of the sides and bottom, 17,976.2681+ , equalling 35,788.7681+, cubic inches. The difference between the two totxls is less than a 30th part of an inch. (The entire cubical bulk of granite in the Coffer's four sides and the bottom is 71,905 -07271 inches).
T h e bulk of the Granite Leaf in the Ante-Chamber a d the Infeerior Capaci?y of the Coffeer Professor C. Piazzi Smyth draws attention to thc interesting fact that the cubical bulk of the lower of the two stones forming the Granite Leaf in the Ante-Chamber is, approximately, equal to the quarter of the Coffer's capacity. This
Another Indication of the Solar Y e a r Connected with the Coffer's D i m e m i o n s We find that the measures of tlie Coffer have been so proportioned that the exterior of the vessel agrees with the interior, through the medium of recognised Pyramid numbers like 10, 5, etc., or the day-value of the year. For instance, the area of the bottom of the Coffer, that is, the exterior horizontal area, is so balanced to the interior capacity of 71,250 cubic inches, that they agree by the following proportions : First, we reduce the Coffer's exterior horizontal area by exactly 1 Pyramid inch, and we get 3472.527441 square inches. Second, add to this reduced area the same number of inches as there are days in exactly 10 solar tropical years. The sum is equal to 7124.949421. Third, multiply this sum by 10, and we get 71,249-4942t; which final result is only about $. inch under the precise 71,250 cubic-inch capacity of the Coffer's interior. In this, as in all other features connected with the Coffer, we are, of course, using the one set of standard dimensions of the vessel presented on page 102. Were we to take advantage of the limited range of measures for the (,offer, the agreements could in every case be shown to be exact. 152
P a s b i ~ i guiider the Grnmite Leaf in t l ~ e Ante-Clrrr~~rber of the Great Pyi,arr?id of G ~ z c l ~
was the discovery of Major Tracey, and is referred to by Inheritance in tlze Professor Smyth in his 5th edition of 0 2 ~ Great Pyramid in the following words: "Major Tracey again shows that the lower stone of thc Granite Leaf, that this lower stone, I say, which is fairly 153
dressed, rectangular, and the one on which the upper stone with its Boss-divisions of the cubit rests, expresses a notable division of Che capacity measure of the Coffer. For it presents us, within the walls of the Ante-Chamber, with a fourth part of that Coffer vessel's contents; or with the veritable 'corn quarter' of old, and which is still the British quarter corn-measure, both by name and fact and practical use. " Professor Smyth then goes on to show that the entire cubical bulk of the Granite Leaf presents us with the value of the ratio n. He continues: "The above conclusion for the lower stone of the Leaf has been tested by various persons, and found to come very close to the numbers recorded [that is, the practical measures demonstrate a close approximation to the quantity required] ; but quite recently a new idea was sent to me by the Rev. C. W. Hickson, to the purport that the whole Granite Leaf contained, of cubic inches, a number equal to n niultiplied by 10,000. " The reference to the "Boss" on the upper stone of the Granite Leaf, in connection with the cubit, in the words of Professor Smyth whicli we have quoted above, necessitates our giving a further quotation: "What is there, in the Ante-Chamber, divided into five? 'The Great Pyramid's own scientific, earth-cornpensuric, c ~ b i t , ' answers Major Tracey; 'for here it is so divided in the shape of this projecting Boss on the Granite Leaf, just five inches broad. And, further, that fifth part of that 25-inch cubit of the Great Pyramid's symbolical design, is divided into five again; for the thickness of this remarkable Boss is, though roughly, 115th of its breadth. So there you have the division of the peculiar Pyramid cubit into 5 x 5 inches." Professor Smyth continues to describe the Boss, and its unique uncelztral position on the upper of the two blocks of the Granite Leaf: "The Boss, a flat bas-relief one inch thick or protruding from the stone, is on the north side of the upper of the two blocks forming that 'Granite Leaf' which crosses the Ante-Chamber near its northern end . . . Why then is the Boss not even approx-irnately in the middle of the Granite Leaf, or in the centre hstween the two sides of the Very narrow 154
apartment containing i t ? (only 41.21 inches broad between the granite wainscots.) "My measures of 1865 show that the Boss is just one inch away on one side of the centre; and as it will be elsewhere shown that it was a Great Pyramid method to indicate a small, but i~nportant, quantity by an cxcentricity to that amount in some far grander architectural feature [namely, the excentricity of the Niche in the east wall of the Queen's Chamber; for the vertical central line of this Niche is precisely one Pyramid cubit away from, south of, the vertical central line of the east wall of that chamber, thus monumentalising the earth-commensurable Pyramid cubit]-we cannot but accept this measured excentricity of the Boss as an additional Pyramid memorial of the very thing which is being called for by the sceptical just now, viz., one single, little inch inemorialised by the builders of the most colossal piece of architecture the world has ever beheld. [We have now seen other methods by which the Great Pyramid was made to memorialise the single inch, and single cubit, namely, by means of the proportionate features of the Coffer, and other parts of the building.] "All the more decidedly too, " continues Professor Smyth, "when as Mr. St. John Vincent Day has since shown, that very excentric position of the Boss, by the amount of just one inch, has enabled the distance from its centre to the eastern end of the Leaf itself in its well-cut grooves in the granite wainscot to be, within the limits of mensuration errors, just a whole Pyramid cubit = 25.025 British inches, or something very near to it indeed. So that exactly here, where every would-be-enterer into the King's Chamber must bow the head, there is suspended over him the whole cubit, its fifth part and its twenty-fifth part or inch unit; which, though so small, yet it is as securely monumentalised in this vast building, as anything else of much larger size: clearly, too, though roughly; but in a manner which has lasted up to this very day. " Regarding the suggestion of the Rev. C. W. Hickson, elucidated by Professor C. Piazzi Sdyth, namely, that the entire cubical bulk of the Granite 'Leaf is equal to a round, 155
even, 10-thousand times the value of the ratio T , we here mention that in our volume I of Great Pyramid Passages, pages 316--320, we present what we believe to be a more convincing method of establishing as correct this interesting and important feature ; more convincing, we mean, than Professor Smyth's explanation; for Professor Smyth did not seem to realize fully the significance of the one-inch-thick side rebates or projections which run up the northern face of the Leaf, on the east and west sides of both upper and lower blocks forming the Leaf. Professor Smyth knew of these side rebates, of course, but did not take them into account sufficiently when explaining the scientific importance of the Ante-Chamber and its Granite Leaf. The northern face of the side rebates is on the same level as the face of the Boss; and by taking advantage of the extra inch thickness for the entire Leaf, both top and bottom stones, which these rebates provc must have been the original thickness of the Granite Leaf before the cutting began, the measurements yield the cubical bulk required by the theory suggested by the Rev. Hickson, even more exactly than he, with his insufficient data, could have thought possible. And now we find that, by the Great Pyramid's thoroughly characteristic system of proportions, the Granite Coffer in the King's Chamber, in its scientifically accurate interior capacity, can be said to contain within its walls, these three definite quantities: (1) The entire Granite Leaf, cqual to an even 10,000 times the ratio T. (2) The Pyramid cubit-length, which is so wonderfully monumentalised by the position of the Boss on the northern face of the Granite Leaf, as is explained by Professor C. Piazzi Smyth. (3) The full floorlength of the Grand Gallery, which the entire southern face of the Granite Leaf also shows; for the exact area of the Granite Leaf's visible south (or north) face, including both upper and lower blocks, is 188,l-5985+ square Pyramid inches, that is, equal to the floor-length oi the Grand Gallery, as pointed out in Vol. I of Great Pyramid Passages, page 318. But these quantities here noted are not contained in the Coffer's interior capacity of 71,250 cubic inches by a direct addition. The. means by which the Coffer could contain 156
all these dimensions, and yet hold them secret for a time, is through the medium of one of the pyramid's factors to which we have already drawn attention, namely, the l/lOth, and 9/10ths, proportion; which factor, as we saw, is monumentalised in the King's Chamber (See page 121). The proportionate method by which the Coffer's interior capacity agrees with the Granite Leaf in the Ante-Chamber, which Granite Leaf embodies within itself all three quantities just enumerated, is this: From exactly one-half of the Coffer's interior cubical capacity of 71,250 inches, i . e . , from 35,625 cubic inches, deduct the cubical bulk of the Granite Leaf, 31,415.9265+ cubic inches (which is an even 10,000 times the ratio r). The remainder is 4209.0734t cubic inches. Reduce this remainder of 4209.0734+ by exactly 1110th part; and from the remaining 9/10ths deduct one Pyramid cubit of 25 pyramid inches. Wc then get the final renlainder of 3763.1661+ inches. The concluding stage in thc calculation is to halve csactly this final remainder of 3763.1661+ inches; and we shall find that the half is, to within less than a 60th part of an inch, equal to the standard floor-length of the Grand Gallery. For the half of 3763.1661+ is 1881,5830+, while the Grnnd Gallery floor-length is 1881.5985+ Pyramid inches, if we take tlle standard length for this passage. The difference is negligible, being merely .01549+ of an inch.
'
The Coffet,, and the Days in 1000 Solar Tropicnl Years
l
There is another feature in the Coffer's dimensions that shows the 10th and 9110th~ proportion, in conjunction with the perfect number 7. The basis of this feature is the Coffer's exterior breadth; and by a proportion it indicates the number of days in 1000 solar tropical years. Regard the exterior breadth of the Coffer as the side-length of a cube. To the number of cubic inches in this cube add 70, and multiply the sum. by 7. The result of this calculation is 405,824.6651+ inches. When we reduce this total 'by a 10th part, the remaining 9110th~amount to 365,242.1986-t, or as many inches as there are days in a round 1000 years.
I
157
Further Correspondencies between the Dimensions of the Cbffer and the K i n g ' s Chamhev Briefly, we note two other dimensional correspondencies between the King's Chamber and the Coffer which it holds: First, when we deduct the Pyramid's basic number 10 from the sum of all the exterior and interior surface areas ol the Coffer, and then divide the remainder by 70, we get the length of the King's Chamber to within less than a 200th part of an (Or inch of t h e 1 standard length for that chamber. alternatively, we add together: the areas of the esterior and interior sides, ends, and bottoms, and we get the sum 14,429-7672+ square inches. Deduct from this sum 5 inches, and divide the remainder by 35, i.e., 5 x 7. The result is 412.1362+, which is very close to the standard length of the King's Chamber, namely, 412.1316+, the difference being .0045+ of an inch, or less than a 200th part.) Second, when we multiply the Coffer's exterior solid, or cnbic, diagonal by 8, we find that the result is, to within less than a 5th part of an inch, equal to the sum of the King's Chamber's length, width, and height. (The Coffer's exterior cubic diagonal, multiplied by 8, equals 848.7701 + i~lches,while the sum of the lei~gth,width, and height of the I
T h e Coffer i s n " B l i n d Sarcophagus"
.
Our object in drawing attention to the Coffer's indications, by its distinctive system of symmetric proportions, of the lengths of the various passagcs and the dimensions of the I'yraniid generally, is to demonstrate, as we said before, that the Coffer is a part, and a most important part, of the Great I'yramid's entire design. They enable us to place confidence in the deductive teaching of the Coffer, even though it has the appearance of having been made to serve as a sarcophagus. For along the top west edge of the Coffer there is a cut-out ledge, and shallow grooves run along the inside surfaces of the other three sides tc correspond with the depth of this ledge, the \vivhoJe arrangement being suitable for the sliding on of a 158
lidr And yet, in a11 records of the Pyramid, both ancient and modern, the Coffer has with one consent been spoken of as a lidless -'one chest. The lid, if it actually was made by the ancient workmen, is not referred to by any writer. If it ever existed (for there is a question if it did) it has completely disappeared, not even a fragment remaining. Professor C. Piazzi Smyth and rnany other writers on the Great Pyramid make it clear that the cut-out ledge and its corresponding grooves in no way interferes with the leading theory, that the Coffer was intended by the great Architect and Designer to serve as the standard for Capacity measures, and Weight measures, for the use of all nations. This Coffer, having the superficial appearance of a sarcophagus, has been able on that very account to preserve its secret purpose through the centuries. Serving as a "blind sarcophagus, " as Professor Smyth has named it, men in general have taken it for granted that it was made for the reception of a dead monarch, and that the whole Pyramid is merely a gigantic nlausoleum. But the more we understand about the Great pyramid, the less do we think it necessary to defend it against the advocates of the "tombic" theory, except in so far that there is absolutely no material or literary evidence that the building was so used. With Professor Smyth we believe that the monument and its Coffer symbolise a tomb and sarcophagus, not merely to hide for a time its Divine Authorship, but to corroborate in its grand architectural way the Scriptural declaration that through death Christ destroyed him that has the power of death, that is, the Devil (Hebrews 2 : 14). An earnest student of the Pyramid's wonderful teachings, Mr. Clive Kenrick of Edgbaston, England, believes we do well to emphasise the fact that the Coffer has always been referred to as an empty, lidless, stone chest, ever since the day it was first seen, and so described, by Caliph A1 Mamoun in 820 A . D . He suggests, in agreement with the opinion of all who hold to the belief that the Great Pyramid, by its symbolisms, contains spivitual truths as well as truths of a scientific nature, that the Coffer, because it has the outward appearance of a sarcophagus, but is empty, was through this 159
means intended by the Designer to stand as a "symbol of the resurrection. " Just as the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead was demonstrated by the angel, when he directed the sorrowing women's attention to the empty grave, saying: "Pear not ye: for I know that you seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead" (Matthew 28 : 5-7), so the empty Coffer ifi the King's Chamber, which is like an opened and vacated coffin in a sepulchral tomb, illustrates the resurrection from the death-state. The empty Colfer, as a material symbol, confirms that great and comforting spiritual truth, which caused the inspired apostle to exult and exclaim: "0 death, where is thy sting? 0 grave, where is thy victory? " (1 Corinthians 15 : 55).
part of an inch, equal to the standard length of the Granite Plug. (The interior cubic diagonal of the Coffer, when multiplied by 2, is equal to 178-2382+ Pyramid inches, while the standard length of the Granite Plug is 178-1892+, the
The W i d t h of the Queen's Chamber There are several proportionate features which indicate connections between the dimensions of the Coffer and thc dimensions of the Queen's Chamber. We shall refer to one in the meantime. The measurement in the Coffer which indicates the width of the Queen's Chamber between the north and south walls, is the interior floor-diagonal. This floordiagonal, when multiplied by 5, equals twice the width of the Queen's Chamber, to within less than a 30th part of an inch of that chamber's standard width. Or, to state the indication more directly, 5 times the semi-floor-diagonal of the Coffer is 205.6425+ inches, while the Queen's Chamber's width is 205.6123+.
The Length of the Granite Plug i n the First Ascending Passage Even the length of the highly symbolical Granite Plug which stops up the First Ascending Passage, is not omitted in the wonderful Coffer's measures. For twice the interior cubic diagonal of the Coffer is, to within less than a 20th 160
The Descending Passage of the Great Pyramid of G i z e h ; the lower reach of which is now closed by a n iron grill door; showing the lower butt-end of the Granite Plug i n the roof. The Granite Plug closes the elztrance of the First Ascendilzg Passage
difference being .0489+, or less than a 20th part of an inch. If we were to take advantage of the slight range of measures, as already intimated, this feature, like the others, could be shown to be exact. But, for the reasons stated, it is preferable to always make use of the one standard set of measures for the Coffer, as given on page 102.) L 161
The Meaning of the Granite P1.q Length As the length of the Granite Plug is so closely indicated by the standard measures of the Coffer, we may be sure that there must be a deep meaning attached to this length. And so we do find i t ; for the precise length of the Granite Plug, and also its exact position in the lower end of the First Ascending Passage, agree with one of the most important time-measurements which the passage-system of the Great Pyramid was Divinely arranged to monumentalise. This time-measurement is the Pyramid's corroboration of the period beginning at the exodus of the nation of Israel from Egypt, and ending at the date of our Lord's death. According to the accurate Bible chronology this period is 1647 years, from Spring of 1615 B.C. to Spring of 33 A.D. The inchmeasurement now referred to closely agrees with this number of years, being 1647.32501- inches, or barely a 3rd of an inch more than the precise amount required. This, the standard measurement in inches, is supported by a number of distinct, and harmonious, scientific features. I t is often stated by writers on the Great Pyramid that the "Point of Intersection" where the floor-line of the First Ascending Passage intersects the floor-line of the Descending Passage, marks the date of the Exodus. While this statement may be accepted, yet it is true only in a general way, for the exact date of the Exodus is not here marked by a definite timemeasurement. But by a method, both exact and characteristic of the Great Pyramid, the First Ascending Passage does corroborate the period from the time of Moses to the time of Christ's sacrifice. This method requires the recognition of the Granite Plug in a special and appropriate way. The beginning of the period when the nation of Israel was separated from Egypt was signalised by the giving of the Law through Moses, the passover lamb being the first part. In the symbolism of the Great Pyramid the Law is represented by the Granite Plug; while the Law Age or the time during which the people of Israel endeavoured to observe the Law, is represented by the First Ascending Passage. I t was at, and by, the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ who was the great 162
antitypical Passover Lamb of God, that this Law was "taken out of the way, " Christ having "nailed it" to his cross. For the covenant people found that the Law although "ordained to life," was to them in their imperfect condition a way to death. The Law is perfect, and imperfect man cannot observe it or satisfactorily pass its exacting ,requirements. In the corroborative Great Pyramid, the First Ascending Passage is rendered impassable because of the obstruction of the Granite Plug at its lower end. The exact date of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ is marked by the line of demarkation between the First Ascending Passage and the Grand Gallery, and this illustrates the ending of the Law Age, and the beginning of the Age of Grace, that is, the Gospel Age. Therefore, any timemeasurement that corroborates the period of the operation of the Law, from the Exodus to the death of Christ, would require to terminate at this line of demarkation, if such timeindication is to be reasonably convincing. But the total length of the First Ascending Passage is too short to agree in inches with the 1647-year period, being about 15439 Pyramid inches. Here, then, is where the utility of the Granite Plug in the time-measurements becomes apparent. The length of this Plug, and its exact position in the passage, enable it to fill out the total number of inches necessary by the following method : To the distance along the floor-line which lies between the lower, northern, end of the Granite Plug and the upper extremity of the First Ascending Passage, add the length of the Granite Plug itself. The resultant sum is just that total of Pyramid inches required to agree with the Law-period in question. We now know, declared Charles T. Russell, who drew our attention to this interesting feature, why the Granite Plug was so firmly fixed over 4000 years ago that it has remained in its present position during these mafiy centuries, namely, that it should add its testimony, silently but unmistakably, to the truth of the Lord's Word, and to the correctness of the great epochs into which the Lord's Plan of the Ages has been subdivided. For this time-measurement, in addition to the many others. 163
proves that Charles T. Russell was correct in his interpretation of the Bible Chronology. This period of 1647 years bridges over all of those links in the chronological chain with which chronologers have experienced difficulty. But as Charles T. Russellpoints out in his work, Studies in the Scri$tures, such difficulties arise only when the admittedly unreliable records of secular history are given too much credence. Taking the records of the Old and New Testaments, and relying upon, secular history only where it is not at variance with them, Bible chronology presents no difficulties which cannot easily be surmounted. And when we find that the time-measurements of the Lord's stone Witness in Egypt agree consistently with this Bible chronology, we are confirmed in our belief in the times and seasons which are based upon this chronology. (See the list of Bible dates in the Tinte-Fentl~resbook.)
in Bethlehem, God the Father had arranged that His Son should have joint-heirs in the Kingdom (See Ephesians 1 : 4, 11). I t is appropriate, therefore, that the first period of 1647 years, in the beginning of which Moses foretold of the coming Prophet, and at the end of which the inspired Apostle referred to the risen Lord as that Prophet, should be found in connection with the second period of 1915 years in the dimensions of the Coffer which lies in the symbolical King's Chamber. For until the 1915-year period had run its course the events in the 1647-year period could not receive fulfilment.
T h e First Ascending Passages' "Extended" Measure of 1647 inches shown in the Coffer's Dimensions Moses, who is called the Law-giver, was also a prophet. One of his greatest utterances as a prophet was quoted by the Apostle Peter: "For Moses truly said unto the fathers, 'A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people"' (Acts 3 : 10-26). I t was some time after the resurrection of Jesus Christ that. the Apostle spoke these words, probably not long after Pentecost when the Holy Spirit first came upon the waitingdisciples (See Acts, 2nd chapter). But while at this time, fully 1647 years after the Exodus, the Apostle referred to the. risen Lord as that Prophet, he also, by inspiration, intimated that He would be retained in heaven until the "times of restitution of all things," which began in 1874 A . D . In the. year 1878 A . D . the members of His body began to rise from the dead; and in 1914 A . D . we believe the foretold Prophet, head and body, began to exercise power over the nations. For while Jesus Christ was spoken of as King even from his birth 164
By the following proportion the Coffer's dimensions present both of these periods together, by corresponding inchmeasurements: Taking one half of the interior capacity of the Coffer, we have the basis of the calculation. From a 10th part of this half capacity deduct 1915 inches. The remainder is, to within about, a 6th part of an inch, equal to the extended length of the First Ascending Passage. Or if we deduct the standard extended length of the First Ascending Passage, 1647.3250+ inches, from the 10th part of half of the Coffer's capacity, that is, from 3562.5, the remainder is 1915.1749+, which is a sufficiently close indication of the precise 1915-year period. 165
Other Coffer Indications of t k 1915 and 2915 Peri,. But there are other dimensional features in the Coffer that indicate the 1915-year period, sometimes alone, and sometimes in connection with the added 1000 years of the Millennium, i.e., the 2915-year period. All of these indications are, of course, proportional, and they are all based upon the Coffer's standard set of measures given on page 102. We shall here draw attention to some of them: First, when we multiply the exterior breadth of the Coffer by 50, the special number of the King's Chamber, and reduce the result by an even 100th part, the sum of the remaining 99 parts is 1915-0367+ inches. Like the proportions of a 10th and 9110th~so often found in the Pyramid's calculations, the proportions of a 100th, and 991100th~are also frequently required ; and also, even, the proportions of a 1000th, and 99911000th~. These proportions are quite in accord with the Pyramid's mathematical design. Second, by an area the Coffer indicates the 2915-year period as follows : Take 10 times the interior end area of the Coffer, and regard this as the circumference of a circle. Compute the length of the diameter of this circle, and it will be found to be 2915.0609+ inches. The results of both of the above indications are practically the exact number of inches necessary to represent the precise periods of 1915 and 2915 years. (The interior end area, based upon the Coffer's standard measures, is 915.7934 1+ square Pyramid inches. ) Third, by using the exterior side diagonal as a basis, there is a calculation which shows the 1915-year period, and the square of the days in the solar tropical year, together, and exact to within a fraction of an inch. With the standard measures for length and height, the esterior diagonal of one side of the Coffer is found to be 85.0238848293+ Pyramid inches. Regard this exterior side diagonal as being the side-length of a cube. The number of cubic inches in this cube is 964,170.57166+. Multiply the double of this number of inches by 10, and deduct 10 inches from the result. The final result is then found to be 19,283,401 -43321- inches. This total of inches is, to within less than of an inch, equal 166
+
t o a round, even, 10,000 times 1915, plus the square of the days in the solar tropical year. (The square of the days in the solar tropical year, as mentioned before, is 133,401.8636+, which is the exact number of square cubits in the Socket-level square base of the Pyramid. Add this number to an even 10,000 times 1915, and we get the sum 19,283,401.8636+, which differs from the above final number of inches by less than an inch.)
+
The 33i Years of ozlr Lord's Earthly Sojourn The Coffer, in one of its symbolical meanings, represents the Holy Ark of the Covenant which stood in the Most Holy of the tabernacle and temple. This Ark represented our Lord, and all the Kingly and Priestly glory that are his. I t is right, therefore, that the Coffer which stands in the same relationship to the King's Chamber as the Ark did to the Most Holy of the temple, should show forth the glory and Kingdom of the Christ of God. I t is by its proportionate indications of the 1915 and 2915 periods of years, that the Coffer brings prominently before us the spiritual power and beauty of our Lord, and his Kingdom reign in righteousness of a 1000 years, from 1914 to 2914 A.D. But this marvellous Coffer not only pointedly suggestslto us the thought of Christ's Kingdom-glory and power, but also even the great foundational work of His first advent into the world, namely, his 333 years of life as the Man Christ Jesus, in the last 34 years of which he suffered while ministering and preaching the coming Kingdom. Having done the will of his Father perfectly in every detail, he at 334 years of age died the just for the unjust, a perfect ransom-sacrifice or corresponding price for Adam and the whole human race, that he might bring us back to life and harmony with God. These 334 years are corroborated in the Pyramid by the 334 inches at the upper end of the First Ascending Passage, appropriately between those two points on the floor-line that mark the very dates of Christ's birth and sacrificial death, i.e., the point in horizontal alignment with the produced floor-level of the Queen's Chamber for the first date, and the 167
TAL PASSAGE
All of these truths, taught in the Scriptures, and corroborated by the symbolism and measures of the Great Pyramid, are connectedly shown in this one little hollow block of granite in the King's Chamber, the Coffer, and so accurately that we need never doubt their authenticity. No man could have put them there without inspired guidance. The thought of the "Grand-Gallery" experiences of our Lord's walk as a New Creature, and the 339 years of his life on earth, are connectedly shown by the interior dimensions of the Coffer. Just as the rectilinear block of granite forming the Coffer had, before the interior hollow was made, six exterior surfaces, so the interior hollow may be said to have six interior surfaces, even though it is open. We can assume the existence of a top interior area equal to the floor-area, by imagining a flat cover placed over the opening. Computing the total area of all six interior surfaces of the Coffer, we find that the Grand Gallery length, and the 33% inches at the upper end of the First Ascending Passage, are both shown by the following method: We first deduct from the sum of all six areas 334 inches. The remainder, when divided by 6, gives us the average for one interior surface. This average is equal in square inches to the linear inches in the Grand Gallery length, to within less than a 100th part of an inch of the standard length. . (The total number of square inches in the Coffer's six interior areas is 11,323-0373+, using the standard measures on page 102. Deduct 33&inches, and divide the remainder by 6 for the average, and we get 1881.5895+. The standard floor-length of the Grand Gallery is 1881.5985+ inches. The difference is merely .0089+ of an inch, or less than 100th part.) Another method of explaining this proportionate feature is to compare the total number of inches in the Coffer's six interior areas, with the sum of: (1) the total floor-distance from the point a t the upper end of the First Ascending Passage which marks the date of Jesus Christ's birth, up to the southern terminal of the Grand Gallery, 1915.0538+ inches, (2) plus 5 times the standard floor-length of the Grand Gallery, 9407.9927+ inches. The sum of these is 11,323.0466+. 170
As the total interior surface area of the Coffer is 11,323.03736+ inches, the difference is less than a 100th part of an inch over all, or .0092+ of an inch. By this method, therefore, not only are the two floor-lengths corroborated by the dimensions of the Coffer, and by this means also the dimensions of the King's Chamber (for these floor-lengths, as we have seen, corroborate the King's Chamber's measures), but the three prominent dates connected with Christ's first advent, and the establishment of his Kingdom are likewise confirmed once more, namely, 2 B.C. and 33 A.D. for the birth, and the sacrificial death, of Christ, and 1914 A.D. for the end of Gentile dominion and the assumption of Kingly power by Him whose right it is to reign.
T h e Number of the S$irit-Begotten Overcomers of the Gos$el Dis$ensation While the Coffer by the above method indicates the length of the Grand Gallery to a very close degree of accuracy, there is another proportionate feature which yields the Gallery length still more precisely. The Gallery is the Pyramid's grand symbol of the Gospel Dispensation or Age, the period set apart by the heavenly Father for the calling-out of His Sons, joint-heirs with Jesus Christ in the Kingdom. Jesus himself was called from his birth, for he was born into this world that he might become earth's great King in due time, as he declared : "To this end was I born" (John 18 : 37). The spirit-begotten Church of the firstborn began to be selected from the world after Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, at Pentecost. Jesus Christ, the glorified Lord, promised: "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne. " And the Revelator said that he heard the number of them that were sealed, "an hundred and forty and four thousand" (Revelation 3 : 21 ; 7 : 4 ; 14 : 1-5). The Great Pyramid's Coffer in the King's Chamber, representative of the Ark in the temple's ,Most Holy, not only indicates by its simple, yet wonderfully adjusted dimensions, 171
the various passage-lengths, chamber-dimensions, and interior and exterior measures of the Pyramid generally, as well as the size and weight of the earth, and the durations of the year, month, and precessional cycle, but also the most important number of all, namely, the 144,000, the number of the Gospel Age overcomers. Appropriately, this indication of the 144-thousand is connectedly shown with the length of the Grand Gallery, the symbol of the upward walk of the spirit-begotten followers of Christ in the Gospel Age.
I&.
-Dg&e_-kygl_ -- - -
.;;:'HORIZONTAL
..{AMBER FLOOR-LINE =LEVEL
LINE
OF SUMMIT OF WELL-SHAFT
PLANE OF HUMAN PERFECTION
I
The calculation which indicates these two numbers together is based upon the exterior length of the Coffer, and by proportions which we have now seen several times. When we regard the Coffer's exterior length as the side-length of a cube, we find that the number of inches in this cube is equal to the sum of 5 times 144,000, plus 2 times the floor-length of the Grand Gallery. (This sum is 723,763.1970f inches; and using the Coffer's standard exterior length as the sidelength of a cube, the number of cubical Pyramid inches in the cube is found to be also 723,763-1970f .) 172
I t is in this mathematical and geometrical way that the Coffer illustrates the close union of the 144-thousand overcomers of the Gospel Age with their Lord and Head Jesus Christ; and demonstrates how their very number, declared in the Scriptures, is bound up with all the features and times and seasons of Jehovah's great Plan of the Ages, as corroborated by the varied, yet harmonious, measures of the Great Pyramid. How well indeed does the Great Pyramid fulfil its mission as God's Sign and Witness in the land of Egypt !
SECTION XXII NO.1 Area
=
THE GEOMETRICAL CONNECTION OF
SQUARE
71,250
144,000' inches
w
AND
THE
NUMBERS
144,000 AND 1915
E now draw attention to a feature which may be
33 3
No. 3 SQUARE g Area
=
48.250' inches
3 m
5P
Na 2 S Q U A R E Area = 95,750 inches = 1915 x 50
I
I
Diagram to Illustrate the Geometrical Connection between the Numbers
7 1,250 and 144,000 and 1915 SUM of NOS. 2 and 3 Squares
I
Difference of Nos. 2 and 3 Squares = 47,500 = %rds of Coffer's capacity Add half d~fference- - - 23,750
1
- -144,000 = No. 1 Square . Sum
-
71,250
174
--
Full capacity of Coffer. Q E.D.
said to be a geometrical and mathematical demonstration of the thought: I t is during the Kingdom reign of the Christ Head and Body, that is, the Lord Jesus Christ with his 144-thousand joint-heirs, and through the direct instructions of this new Ruler of earth, that the world will have restored to it the perfect standards of Measure and Weight, as represented by the interior capacity of the Coffer, 71,250 cubic Pyramid inches. The teaching of the Scriptures is that just weights and just measures are absolutely essential to the well-being of mankind. We read: "Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in rnetyard, in weight, or in measure." "Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small. Thou shalt not have in thine house divers measures, a great and a small. But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have." As the Lord is the Creator of all things, visible and invisible, it is but right to conclude that He is also the originator of just weights, and just measures; and that to deviate from these must displease Him. For it is written: "A just weight and balance are the Lord's: all the weights of the bag are his work. " "Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the Lord." We know that the Lord gave to his chosen people, the nation of Israel, these just weights and measures; and it is now being made manifest that, even before the birth of the father of the faithful, Abraham, and long before the Law was given through Moses the servant of God, these just weights and 175
measures were monumentalised in the stone Witness, the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, especially by means of the Coffer in the King 's Chamber. But as the chosen nation disregarded the Law in this, as in other particulars, the exact value of the Standards were lost to them, though close approximations are still preserved in the metrology of the Anglo-Saxon peoples, as we have noted. As the perfect Law of God will be restored during the reign of Him who is greater than Moses, so will the Standards of just weights and measures be restored, The existence of the Great Pyramid and its symbolical and scientific teaching, in addition to the Scriptural teaching, are proof of this. The geometrical figure which shows the connection of the three numbers, 71,250, 144,000, and 1915, the full significance of which we now already know, is a plane right-angled triangle. The square of the length of the hypotenuse of this triangle is exactly 144,000; while the square of the length of its base is exactly 50 times 1915. With these two sides of the rightangled triangle thus definitely fixed according to these two well-established numbers (the number 50, also, being the King's Chamber's special number), we find that the square of the third side, i . e . , the perpendicular, symmetrically yields the third number, 71,250, by the following method: According to the well known proposition of Euclid, the square of the length of the perpendicular of this right-angled triangle is equal to the difference between the two other squares. Therefore, in this particular triangle, the square of the perpendicular is 48,250; for 144,000, minus 50 times 1915, gives this difference. Reckoning these numbers in Pyramid inches, the precise number of inches in the Coffer's interior capacity, 71,250, is yielded by a proportion between the two smaller squares of base and perpendicular, of the above right-angled triangle. This proportion is the difference between these two squares; that is, exactly 1) times this difference is 71,250, Q.E.D. In other words, just as the difference between the square of the perpendicular and the square of the hypotenuse yields the square of the base (144,000 minus 48,250 yields 95,750, which is equal to an even 50 times 1915), so the difference 176
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between the square of the perpendicular and the square of the base, when half of this difference is added to itself, yields the Coffer 's interior capacity (95,750 minus 48,250 yields 47,500. Half of this difference is 23,750; and this added to 47,500 yields the sum 71,250). Here, then, by an exact plane geometrical figure, the number of' the 144,000 overcomers, the prominent period .of 1915 years from 2 B.C. to 1914 A.D., the special King's Chamber's number 50, and the Standard Capacity Measure of the Coffer, 71,250 (by the proportion of l*), and all that these prominent numbers imply in the Pyramid's symbols and in the Biblical Plan of the Ages, are brought together. This, surely, is evidence of intentional design.
Further Development qf the Geometrical Figure r
I
Not only do the proportions of the above-mentioned plane geometrical figure yield the Coffer's capacity, but they agree also with other dimensions in the Pyramid, thus proving still further the close connection that the number of Christ's overcoming followers has to the number of years in the Gospel Age, and the Millennia1 reign of 1000 years (i.e., to the 1915 and 2915 periods of years) ; and always bearing out the thought of the upward walk and sacrifice of these spirit-begotten ones of the Gospel Age as symbolised by the Grand Gallery. Keeping strictly to the dimensions of this particular rightangled triangle, as fixed by the square of each of the three sides, namely, (1) the square of the hypotenuse exactly 144,000, (2) the square of the base exactly 50 times 1915, and (3) the square of the perpendicular 48,250, or the difference between the other two squares, we can find the length of each side by computing the square-root of each of these squares. Thus, (1) the hypotenuse-length is 379.473319+, for this is the square-root of 144,000. (2) The base-length is 309.434968+, for this is the square-root of 50 times 1915. (3) The perpendicular-length is 219-658826+. By the usual Pyramid method of proportions, these dimensions of the right-angled triangle show a large number of related Pyramid measures. We here mention a few briefly: M 177
No. 1 SQUARE
/
Area =
/
1'44.000' inches
Diagram to Illustrate the Further Development of the Geometrical Figure Line 1 is the side-length of the Square, whose area is 50 times 1915 inches 6 times line 1 = 1856-6098f inches Add 1 Pyramid Cubit = 25. Sum
= 1881 6098 +- = Grand Gallery floor-length -
The sum of lines 1 to 5 Divided by 2
= 1667.5137+ inches = 833. 7568 + = Vertical lle~ghtof Grand Gallery
5 times line 2 Add one-half of this
= 1098.2941 + inches = 549.1470+ ,, Sum
= 1647.4411 + = First Ascending Passage "Extended" length
178
(1) The base of the triangle, rriultiplied by 6, and one Pyramid cubit of 25 inches added, equals the floor length of the Grand Gallery to within about a 100th part of an inch of the standard length. (The resultant figure is 1881 -6098+, while the standard length of the Gallery is 1881-5985+.) (2) If we draw in connection with the triangle the square of the hypotenuse, we shall have a square (of 144,000 square Pyramid inches in area), and to one side of this square a rightangled triangle. The boundary-lines of this plane figure are, therefore, the base and perpendicular of the triangle, and three sides of the adjoining square. The total length of this definitely-fixed boundary, when divided by 2, is equal to the vertical height of a e Grand Gallery, to within less than a 200th. part of an inch of the standard height. As the dimensions of the King's Chamber, and of the Socket-base area of the whole Pyramid, are mathematically and geometrically connected with the floorlength and vertical height of the Grand Gallery (as we have already seen many times), the length of the boundary of this precise figure is related to them all. (One half of the sum of the 5 sides of the plane figure is 833.7568+ inches, while the standard vertical height of the Grand Gallery is 833-7616+, a difference of -0047+ of an inch, or less than a 200th part.) (3) Multiply the perpendicular of the triangle by 5, and add one half of the result to itself. The resultant sum is equal to the extended length of the First Ascending Passage, to within about a 10th part of an inch of the standard extended length. This extended length of the First Ascending Passage is, as explained, the sum of the floor-distance between the lower end of the Granite Plug to the upper end of the passage, plus the length of the Granite Plug itself. (The perpendicular of the triangle multiplied by 5 is 1098.2941+ inches. Half of this, 549.1470+, added gives the total 1647.4411+ inches. The standard extended length of the First Ascending Passage is already stated as 1647-3250+ inches.) (4) To find the length of the diagonal of the large 144,000 area square, multiply the side-length of this square by the square-root of 2. (The square-root of 2 is 1 -4142135623730+.) This diagonal-length is, therefore, 536.6563+ inches. If we 179
multiply this diagonal by 10, and deduct a 10th part from the result (or multiply the diagonal by 9 ) , we shall find that the final remainder is equal to the sum of 1915, plus 2915, practically. (The diagonal multiplied by 9 is 4829.9068-t-.) By this symmetrical proportion the 144,000 is shown to be connected with the Gospel Age length in years, the 1915-year period from the birth of Jesus Christ in 2 B . C . to the beginning of his reign in 1914 A . D . ; and to the longer period of 2915 years, to the completion of the reign of 1000 years, 2914 A . D . (5) While the reign of the Christ is reckoned as beginning from the termination of the Seven Times of the Gentiles, 1914 A . D . , the body-members of earth's new Ruler, the Christ, began to be raised from the sleep of death 18788 years after the birth of Jesus Christ, i.e., in Spring of 1878 A:D. (But while the 144,000 body-members began to join their Lord and Head 18783 years after the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, the "feet" members are still on the flesh, awaiting their change, as we have noted before.) The dimensions of the large 144,000 area square also indicates this important detail of the Lord's Plan of the Ages, i . e . , the beginning of the "First Resurrection" 18784 years after the world's Saviour was born into the world. For when we multiply the semi-diagonal of this square by the perfect number 7, we get in inches a close approximation to the period in question, namely, 1878-2971 inches. (6) Then the interval of 1875 years between the birth of our Lord, and the date of his second advent as an invisible spirit being, from Autumn 2 B.C. to Autumn 1874 A . D . (For the Scriptural times and seasons prove that our Lord was present 33 years previous to the beginning of the first resurrection of his body-members), is also symmetrically indicated by the dimensions of the plane geometrical figure, but in this case by the square of the perpendicular of the triangle: Multiplying the length of the triangle's perpendicular by the square-root of 2 (as explained above), we get the length of the diagonal of the square, of which this perpendicular is the side-length. This diagonal-length is 310.64449+ inches. Consider two adjoining sides, and the diagonal, of the square as the three sides of a right-angled triangle, and find the sum 181
+
Diagram to Illustrate the Geometrical Figure's Indication of t h e Precessional Cycle of the Equinoxes 3 times the sum of Nos. 1 t o 9 sides hlultiplied by the Ratio Add the number 5
-
+
inches
25,689,12915.
=
25,694 .129 -1- = Years in the Precessio,nak Cycle 3f the Equinoxes
-
Sum
8177- 104
=
180
of these three sides. This sum is 749.9621+ inchesMultiply the sum by the inches in the Pyramid cubit, i.e., b y 25, and we shall find that a 10th part of the result is practically a round 1875 inches. (The 10th part of 25 times the sum of the three sides of the triangle is 1874-9053+ inches.) (7) If we now take the area of the triangle of the geometrical figure whose dimensions are based upon the numbers 144,000, 1915, and 50, as detailed, we find that, by a proportion in which the Pyramid cubit is again used, it yields the 2915 measure. With the base and perpendicular lengths of the right-angled triangle already given, we can compute the area of this triangle, which area is 33,985.0610+ square inches. Multiply 10 times this area by the number of inches in the Pyramid cubit, and regard the result as being the area of a square. The total number of inches in this square is 8,496,265.2640+. The square-root of this total of inches will give the side-length of the square. This side-length is practically, in round figures, 2915 inches. (The precise side-length is 2914.8353+. ) (8) We have seen before how intimately related the duration in years of the Precessional Cycle of the Equinoxes is to the 1915-year period. This plane geometrical figure also indicates this close relationship; for the sizes of the three squares of the figure are so balanced that, taking the sum of the entire outer boundary line of these three adjoining squares, we find that when we multiply this sum by 3, and regard the result as the diameter of a circle, the circumference of the circle, plus the Pyramid's sacred number 5, equals as many inches as there are years in the precessional cycle. (The sum of the nine outer lines of the three squares, multiplied by 3, equals 8177.1040+ inches. Multiplied by the ratio T , and 5 added to the result, gives the final result, 25,694.129+, which is the number of years in the precession.) An alternative method of expressing this proportionate feature is to multiply the sum of the three sides of the rightangled triangle by 9, and then by the ratio T , and add 5. (The sum of the triangle's three sides is 908.56711+.)
SECTION XXIII
IRECTING our notice to the position of the King's Chamber in the Great Pyramid, and to the relative proportions of the Coffer to the size and wall-courses. (5 in number) of this chamber, Professor C. Piagzi Smyth comments upon the significance of the .fact that the bottom codrse of masonry forming the walls of the chamber sinks down below the level of the floor to the extent of about a 10th part of the full height of that wall-course, thus leaving visible above the floor-level 9110th~. This is true, to a close approximation; but we shall quote Professor Smyth's words, which show the features he attached to this architectural detail: "But the tenth part, nearly, taken off the visible height of the lower granite course of the chamber's walls ; what was that for ? . "Its first effect was to make that course, within the fraction of an inch, the same height as the Coffer; and the second was, more exactly, to make the capacity, or cubic contents of that lowest course of the room, so decreased, equal to fifty times the cubic contents of the Coffer, already deduced to be 71,250 cubic Pyramid inches. "Two separate sets of measured numbers in Pyramid inches for the length, breadth, and height, of that lowest chambercourse, giving as follows, when divided by the Coffer's contents:
412 x 206 x 42
And :
3,564,624. =z
71,250
71,250
183
-
50.03
students will agree. I t is because this feature of capacity, in addition to all the other features, supports the interpretation of the Scriptures, namely, that the Great Pyramid is Jehovah's Sign and Witness to His own people, and to the world in general, both now and in the future, that we deem the correct understanding of the building's Biblical and scientific teachings a s of great importance, and worthy of close attention.
T h e 50th Part of the Lowest Wall-course Contents and the Interior Ca9ncity of the Coffer
VERTICAL SECTION fioor,,vc~Fsr)OF KING'S q!D SOUTH E N D OF GRAND GALLERY spa
CHAMBER:
ALSO OF ANTE-CHAMBER. CROSSED LINES /ffD/CATF GRAN/TL: *go Ipo spa 0 mnrs
"Hence, close as was the connection of the several parts of the Coffer with each other by the tie of capacity, equally close is the connection of the Coffer with the one adjusted course of the granite room in which it stands, and by capacity measure also. While, if the multiple before was 2, and is 50 now, is not 50 twice 25, or double the number of inches in the cubit of the Great Pyramid?" Even though his figures yielded close approximations only, we can see both by the above quotation and by his comments in other places in his Pyramid volumes, that Professor Smyth was impressed with the agreement between the capacity of the lower section of the King's Chamber (as defined by the height of the first, or lowest, of the chamber's five wall-ccurses), and the interior capacity of the Coffer. This feature was thought by him to be important, as confirming the theory attached to the exact capacity of the Coffer, and its bearing upon a universal and scientific system of weights and measures. We share his views on this matter; and the still further, more precise, features we are now presenting go far t o establish the claims of Professor Smyth, as we think all careful 154
I
The two points, therefore, that Professor Smyth desired to impress were: (1) The level of the top of the Coffer is, to a near approximation, on the same level as the first ball-joint above the floor, which wall-joint runs round all four sides of the King's Chamber, maintaining the same dead level along its course (that is, originally, for the effects of an earthquake have very slightly disturbed the strict rectangularity of this noble chamber, as pointed out by Professor Flinders Petrie); and, (2) that this wall-joint is just at the exact vertical height above the floor-level, specially arranged by the building's designer, which enables the cubical contents of the chamber within the confines of the visible height of the first, or lowest, wall-course to be almost precisely 50 times the cubical capacity of the interior hollow of the Coffer. Professor Smyth's figures show, and he himself mentions, that the correspondencies are not absolute, but close approximations. Yet, so wonderfully has the Great Pyramid been designed, a n d so nicely balanced are all its varied dimensions, that even the little differences from the absolute that are implied by approximations can be shown to be part of the general system of measures that obtains throughout the monument. What, therefore, a t first may appear unfinished or incomplete in design, yielding near approximations only, are often seen o n careful examination to be further developments of the same design. These approximations, also, sometimes hide deeper beauties, unsuspected comfirmations of the main features. We have shown that, according to the standard dimensions, t h e vertical distance of the first wall-joint above the floor of 185
the King's Chamber is 42.1940198+ Pyramid inches. And as the theoretical length and breadth of the chamber are 412- 1316879+, and 206.0658439+, Pyramid inches respectively, it follows that the cubical content of the chamber within this first wall-course totals 3,583,380.4698+ cubic inches. This total is more than that computed by Professor Smyth, but is correct according to the standard measures of the whole structure of the Pyramid; for all these measures. stand together. These dimensions are within the limits of the practical measures of Professors Smyth and Petrie. The 50th part of 3,583,380.4698+ is 71,667-6093+ cubic: Pyramid inches. But the capacity of the Coffer is, by t h e theory accepted, 71,250. Therefore, the 50th part' of t h e cubical contents of the lowest wall-course section of the chamber is only approximately equal to the Coffer's interior capacity. The difference between the two quantities is 417.6093+ inches. But this difference is in itself corroborative of the general feature, and of the mathematical proportions of the building; for by the mathematical ratio n , squared (whicli ratio we have required to use in connection with the proportions of the Step a t the head of the Grand Gallery), it indicates the length of the King's Chamber. This is confirmatory of the main feature, for the length of the chamber is the basis for thewhole calculation. Thus, when we multiply the difference of 417.6093+ Pyramid inches by the square of the ratio n , the result is equal to 10. times the length of the King's Chamber, to within less than a 30th part of an inch of the precise standard length for thatahamber.
The Level of the Top of the Cqffer i n Relation to the First Wall-joint Level As the vertical height of the first, or lowest wall-joint of the King's Chamber is 42.1940198+ Pyramid inches, and the standard exterior height of the Coffer is 41 .2131687+ (as given on page 102), the level of the Coffer's top is only approximately in horizontal line with the top of the chamber's lowest wallcourse. The difference between these two levels is less than 186
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I
1 I
~
I
I
a n inch; but it is just that precise amount less than one inch to enable this difference to indicate with remarkable exactness a n appropriate time-feature. This time-feature is appropriate to the Coffer's dimensions and related symbolism; and it is appropriate to the symbolism of the King's Chamber itself. For the precise difference between the two levels of the tops of the Coffer and lowest wall-course indicates, by a capacity measure, the King's Chamber's special number 50, and the 2915-year period, t h e long and iinporiant interval between the birth of earth's King of Peace, and the termination of His reign of 1000 years, 2 B.C. to 2914 A.D. I n this capacity feature, as in many others, the eyramid's basic number 10, and the perfect number 7, enter as factors. The Coffer stands in the western half of the chamber, and our measure is confined to this half. We desire to fiAd the cubical capacity of the half area of the chamber which lies between the levels of the Coffer's top, and the top of the first wall-course. To ascertain this capacity we multiply the area of one half of the chamber's horizontal section by .98085102+ (for this is the exact difference between the two levels in question). The half horizontal area of t h e chamber is 42,463.1320+ square Pyramid inches, as based upon the chamber's standard measures. The one number multiplied by the other yields the required cubical capacity, namely, 41,650.0064+ cubic Pyramid inches. When we multiply this number of cubic inches by the perfect number 7, the resultant figure is equal to an even 100 times 2915, plus 50, the King's Chamber's special number. The difference between the two totals is only about a 25th part of an inch. (The sum of an even 100 times 2915, and 50, is 291,550; while 7 times the above number of cubic inches is 291,550.0449+ .) Another feature touching capacity-measure in the King's Chamber and its granite Coffer brings in, by a proportionate calculation in which the Pyramid's basic number 10 is a prominent factor, the day-value of the lunar year of 12 synodic, months, as will be seen on the next page:
T h e Capacities of the Lowest Wall-course and the Coffeer, a.nd a Lunar-Year Indication We noticed in another Section of this treatise how the duration of the lunar year was indicated, though indirectly, by the capacity of the entire King's Chamber. The feature now presented deals with the partial capacity of the chamber, namely, of that portion within the limits of the lowest wallcourse. I t also deals with the interior capacity of the Coffer. I t is a peculiar feature, but wonderfully exact in its result; and in view of all the other features already considered, can be accepted as part of the Pyramid's proportionate system of ~rieasures. The two parts of the calculation are as follows: (1) Divide the total cubical contents of the lowest wall-course portion of the King's Chamber by 100 (i.e., divide by 10 x lo), and deduct from the result 10. (2) Multiply the number of days in the lunar year of 12 synodic months by 100, and deduct from the result 10. The sum of these two quantities is equal to the interior capacity of the Coffer, to within about 4 of an inch. (The contents of the lowest wall-course section of the King's Chamber is, as already given, 3,583,380.4698+ cubic Pyramid inches. This, divided by 100, and 10 deducted, is 35,823.8046+. The number of days in 100 lunar years, minus The sum of the two results is 10, is 35,426,7064+. 71,250.5111+, or about half an inch more than the Coffer's capacity in cubic inches.)
SECTION XXIV
CIENTIFICALLY accurate as the Great Pyramid is now proved to be, not only in its material lines, but more especially in the wonderful truths which it presents, we might reasonably expect that the monument would yield. by its own convincing method, scales for measuring off in a concise manner heat, angle, etc. ; and even of presenting a basis for a scale of money-values, that the commerce in 4 perfecting world might be conducting on a stable currency.
S
M e a n Temperature of the K i n g ' s Chamber Variations in temperature, it has been found by scientists, must be climinated as far as is possible if the best results are. wanted in some classes of very delicate research-work. In elaborate astronomical calculations, where the time-element is, important, the disturbing influence which the rise and fall in temperature has on the mechanism of the clock in observatories is overcome by placing the instrument far underground. The chief clock of the Royal Observatory of Greenwich is belowground; and in the Paris Observatory the all-important clock stands no less than 95 feet under the surface, in one of the caves below the city. Over a number of years the mean variations in temperature were specially tested by the authorities at the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh, Scotland. Suitable thermometers were let into the rock at measured distances below the ground level; and from the records which were accumulated during these years, the mean variation a t each level was ascertained. Tlie following are the results:
'THE MEAN SEMI-ANNUAL VARIATION O F H E A T : .At t h e surface of the ground amounts to . A t three inches under the surface . . .At three feet under t h e surface .. .At six feet under t h e surface .. .At twelve feet under t h e surface .. A t twenty-four feet under the surface
.. .. .. .. .. ..
..
SO0 Fahr. ,,
. . 30" . . 16" . . 10"
..
5 O
..
lo
,, ,, ,, ,,
At the great depth of 95 feet, therefore, the temperature (must be nearly stationary. But, as Professor C. Piazzi Smyth :shows, the very unique situation of the granite King's Chambe. in the Great Pyramid, makes of that chamber the most .admirable scientific observing-room in the world. For besides 'having the properties of a deep cave, being shut in from outside variations of temperature by nowhere less than 180 feet of solid masonry (and therefore about double the "depth" of the Observatory cave in Paris), the King's Chamber has a necessary .property not possessed by caves, namely, that of the correct barometric air-pressure. For the height of the Pyramid on its rock hill above the hot plain of Egypt, and the height of the King's Chamber in the building itself, in all 360 feet above -the sea-level, gives at that particular latitude the required barometric pressure of 30 inches. This air-pressure is the .annual mean of barometric observations at, and around, the Great Pyramid. Tlle mean barometric pressure of 30 inches at the altitude of the King's Chamber, agrees with the very figure which -expresses the degrees of latitude on which the Great Pyramid stands, that is, 30" north of the equator. The appropriateness .,of this agreement is emphasised by the geometric proportions .of the sphere; for, according to geometry, the surface,area of that part of the sphere which lies between the equator and the parallel of latitude on which the Great Pyramid was built, -30" north, is equalled by the surface area between that Pyramid-. latitude and the north pole. Incidentally, also, this agreement is harmonious with 3 90" division of the quadrant, or 360" ,division of the complete circle. By a most elaborate system of temperature observations -when a t the Great Pyramid, and by carefully weighing u p
*he best recorded observations of temperature in all parts of the earth, Professor C. Piazzi Smyth came to the conclusion that the mean temperature of earth is 68 degrees Fahrenheit. This, also, he found to be the mean temperature in the King's Chamber in the Great Pyramid. The peculiar interest which attaches to this mean temperature .of 68" for all habitable parts of the earth (leaving out the extremes both of intense Arctic cold, and excessive tropical beat, as not either of them being suited to man's well-being), is that, it is exactly at one-fifth above the freezing point of water, and four-fifths below the boiling point of water, when t h e barometric air-pressure is 30 inches. Here again there is appropriateness in the figures, because 5 is the special number of the King's Chamber, and 68" Fahr., the temperature of one-fifth, is known to be the mean temperature of this chamber, just as it is the mean temperature of the whole habitable earth. Therefore, owing t o the fact that earth's mean temperature of 68" Fahrenheit is a t a fifth of the distance between the freezing and boiling points of water, and that this is also the mean temperature of the King's Chamber in the Great Pyramid, Professor C. Piazzi Smyth perceived that the much needed new scale of division for a universal thermometer, for the use of a l l nations, is presented by the distinctive numbers of the Great Pyramid. Thus, the fifth of the scale from the freezing point of water a t 30 inches barometric pressure is naturally subdivided into 50 degrees, and the remaining four-fifths t o the boiling point of water into 4 times 50, or 2QO degrees. Making the freezing point of water the zero-point of the scale (as in the modern French Centigrade thermometer), the boiling point of water is then at the convenient temperature of 250" above zero. Other prominent points in the thermometrical scale, which must be recognised by man in his practical work, can be read in convenient round numbers on the Pyramid system of division. For instance, in their Vol. I1 of Natural Philoso+hy, page 63, the Society for "Diffusion of Useful Knowledge" publishes that iron begins to appear bright red Jn the dark when it is heated to the temperature of 752" Fahr. I n other words, this particular temperature of 752" Fahr.
is the point at which heat first begins to cause bodies to give out light. In the thermometer, divided off as indicated b y the Pyramid, this important dividing line of heat reads 1000°, or just 4 times the temperature of boiling water. Then, at the top of the scale there is another round, and characteristic Pyramid number, that is, 5000°, exactly 5 times the important dividing line of heat referred to above. F o r this high temperature is the point where platinum, the most dense and refractory of metals, begins to melt. At the opposite extreme of the Pyramid scale of the thermometcr, where chemists place the lowest degree of absolute cold, we read the even number of 400" below the zero of this scale, which zero, as explained, is the point where water begins to freeze. Theoretically, it is possible to descend lower still in the scale, but for most practical purposes 400" below the zero indication of the Pyramid is what many chemists would consider t h e lowest limit. The following comparative table was drawn u p by Professor C. Piazzi Smyth: TEMPERATURE IN PYRAMID THERMOMETER DEGREES Platinum rnelts .. Wrought-iron melts .. Steel melts . . Cast-iron melts .. Pure gold melts .. .. Copper melts Pure silver melts . . Iron visible in dark Zinc melts . . .. .. Mercury boils Lead melts . . .. Sulphur melts .. Water boils . . .. Pure alcohol boils White was melts . . Greatest observed shade temperature Summer temperature a t the Great Pyramid Blood heat . . .. Rntter and lard melt
.. ..
5000 4000 . . 3500 . . 3875 . . 3125 . . 2875 . . 2555 . . 1000 . . 900 . . 882 . . 815 . . 278 . . 250 . . 198 . . 170 ..
139
Mean temperature a t the level of the King's Chamber in the Great Pyramid . . .. Mean temperature of all habitable lands, and the temperature the most suited to man . . Mean temperature of London, England .. Low winter temperature a t the Great Pyramid . . Water freezes (The Zefo) . . Freezing mixture, snow and salt . . .. .. Mercury freezes .. .. Greatest Arctic cold experienced .. .. Greatest artificial cold (chemical) . . .. Absolute zero . . ..
. . 100 . . 91.5 . . S? 192
Usirlg these definite, practical, temperature points in the thermometrical scale, on which they read in even Pyramid numbers, rem'embering also that they are primarily based upon the Pyramid's mean temperature-indication of one-fifth, we can easily extend the table, showing the melting-points of the various metals on the one hand, and the freezing-points of liquids on the other.
Angle Measure The scientists of the period of the French Revolution believed that if the quadrant of the circle were divided into 100°, and, hence, the whole circle into 400°, angular measure would be rendered easier than by the old 90" quadrant, or 360" circle. But as their "centesimal" method of division did not gain favour in the scientific world generally, they were compelled to revert to the original "sexagesimal" system, and divided once more their whole circle into 360". For a time Professor C. Piazzi Smyth advocated a 250" quadrant, or an even 1000" circle, believing that this was thc indication of the Great Pyramid. He afterwards, however, modified his views, and inclined to the suggestion of Mr. J. M. Clark of Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A., that the quadrant should be 60" only, with subdivisions in the decimal system. While a 240" division of the circle, with decimal subdivisions, has much to commend it, our own thought is that the original 360" circle with subdivisions into 60f, and again into 60", with decimal divisions after that, is the system which is really indicated by the Great Pyramid's scientific dimensions. . And this sexagesimal system of dividing the circle gains support from the Scriptures; for in the Biblical year there are an even 360 days, representative of the completc circle of the earth round the sun (although the provisions of the Law of Moses enabled the people of Israel to automatically correct their year-length, showing, therefore, that the 360-day year was for convenience in the observing of dates, as well as, also, to serve a symbolic and prophetic purpose-Sec Leviticus 23 : 5-16 ; Deuteronomy 16: 9 ; Revelation 11 : 2, 3; 12: 6 , 14; 13: 5). ?; 193
The objection raised against the sexagesi~nal system of division, in the minds at least of some, is the opinion that it is Babylonish in its origin. But though it may be proved that this system was in use in the country of the Chaldeans, this does not necessarily mean that i t was i~ventedby the idolaters of that early time. The outstanding feature in the Great Pyramid which shows that that monument indicates the ancient sexagesimal division of the circle is the perimeter of the Rock-level base. As we mentibned before, twice this Rock-level perimeter is the exact length of the Pyramid geographical mile; and in some "great circle" of the earth, a great circle possibly passing through the Great Pyramid, this exact mile-length must divide an even 21,600 times, that is, as many times as there are "minutes" in the complete circle. (One minute of arc in this great circle of earth represents one Pyramid geographical mile; and as there are, in the sexagesimal system of dividing the circle, 60 minutes in the degree, and 6 times 60 degrees in the circle, there are 21,600 minutes, or geographical miles, 'in the "Pyramid" circumference of the earth. The "great circle" of the equator is, of course, longer than this "Pyramid" great circle. By another method the Great Pyramid indicates the equatorial maximum and minimum diameters, as is explained in Vol. I11 of Great Pyramid Passages. ) The angle a t which the outside flanks of the Great Pyramid rise from the platform to the apex, called the n angle, is directly related to the angle a t which the passages ascend or descend. The most important passage is recognisea to be the Grand Gallery; and the angle of this passage has been proved by actual observations to be very close indeed t o the theoretical standard of 26" 18' 9".7, so close as to be a practical demonstration of the ideal standard. It is interesting to find that, a combination of the two related angles of outer casing-stone surface, and interior passagefloors, through the medium of two right-angled triangles, yields the actual vertical height of the Grand Gallery. The vertical height of the Grand Gallery is, of course, dependent on the floor-length of the passage, and on the angle a t which this floor rises from the horizontal. We have already noted that 194
the number of inches in the vertical height of the Grand Gallery is geometrically, and mathematically, connected with the exact dimensions of the King's Chamber on the one hand, and with the Socket-level square base of the whole monument on the other. When we compute the side-lengths of two right-angled triangles, the perpendicular of each being an even 100 inches, the hypotenuse of one rising at the casing-stone angle of 51" 51' 14".3, and of the other a t the passage-floor angle of 26" 18' 9".7, we find that the sum of all six side-lengths is, to within less than a 12th part of an inch, equal to the standard vertical height of the Grand Gallery.
The side-lengths of the two triangles in inches are : ( 1) Perpendicular 100, base 202.3106+, hypotenuse 225.6758+. (2) Perpendicular 100, base 78.5398+, hypotenuse 127.1554+. The total sum of the sides of these two triangles is 833.6816+, while the standard vertical height of the Grand Gallery is 833.7616~., Pyramid inches.
Possible Money -System Indication As the basis of any system of money-values is weight, and as it is now clearly proved that the Great Pyramid, by rrleans of its wonderful "Coffer" in the equally wonderful King's Chamber presents mankind with the most scientific system of weight-measures that could possibly be devised, it is not improbable .that the Architect of the Pyramid also intended 195
His witnessing monument to indicate a standard weight-basis for money. At first Professor C. Piazzi Smyth was against the idea that any money-system was embodied in the scientific dimensions of the Great Pyramid, for money was associated in his mind with worldliness, and seemed to be foreign to the pure message of the Pyramid. Later, however, he saw that he had possibly been misjudging this matter, and decided that something further might still be learned from this grand monument . What caused him to withdraw from his former attitude and agree that money-values might be indicated by the Pyramid, was certain remarkable coincidences between Pyramid-measures, and the grain-weight of the coinage of America. I t was Dr. W. F. Quinby of Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A., who drew attention to the correspondency, showing how the number of inches in the length of the King's Chamber agrees closely to the number of grains in the standard weight of the "Dollar of the Fathers," and hence how the grains in the half dollar and quarter dollar agree with the inches in the half length (width), and quarter length of the chamber. These, and some other, correspondencies in numbers, while not exact, were sufficiently close to attract attention, and have, even if they be mere chance coincidences, suggested a line of investigations which may lead to acceptable conclusions. When the learned Secretary of the Royal Society of London in the year 1677, Dr. Hooke, was lamenting on the lack of some wanted detail of the Great Pyramjd, which he thought that Professor John Greaves, being an astronomer, should have supplied in his Pyramid book, he commented that this lack "only shows how useful theories may be for the future to such as shall make observations; nay, though they should not be true, for that it will hint many inquiries to be taken notice of, which would otherwise not be thought of a t all." In Leviticus 27: 25 we read: "And all thy estimations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary. " I t is understood from this comrhand that the shekel of the sanctuary, or, more literally, the "sacred shekel, " was the standard or basis of all the money values of Israel. No matter whether the things bought and sold were gold, silver, copper, or land, houses, 196
etc., all were to be valued according to the sacred shekel. This standard shekel, also, on the strength of statements contained in the New Testament, and in Josephus, and the Talmud, is believed to have been the silver shekel of the country, in use from the most ancient times. Originally it was not a coin, but a weight, having, however, a set value like a coin. I t is agreed by those who have studied this subject that "we have no direct witness to the weight of the ancient Hebrew shekel"; but we have sufficient indirect testimony to show that this silver shekel must have weighed between 224 and 225 grains troy (See the article on Money in Vol. I11 of Hustings' Dictionary of the Bible). From the 38th chapter of Exodus, verses 25 to 29, we can calculate that a talent contained 3000 shekels. In the Oxford Bible Hel#s a talent is said to be equal to 674,392 grains troy; and if we divide this by 3000, the weight of the shekel is seen to be 224.8 nearly. We believe that 225 grains cannot, therefore, be far wrong as an estimation for the weight of the original silver sacred shekel. If we accept the estimate of Professor C. Piazzi Smyth for the total number of grains that the Coffer could contain, namely, 18,030,100; and reckoning that the sacred shekel weighed, originally, 225 grains (for we know that this must be a very near approximation), the Coffer would contain 80,133.7+ shekels. As there are 3000 shekels in one talent, and as, for heavy weights over 3000 shekels, the talent measure is used in Scriptures (See Exodus 38: 29), the 80,133.7+ shekels in the Coffer can be expressed as 26 talents, and 21339 shekels. But if we express the total number of shekels in talents and a decimal part of a talent, we find that the Coffer contains 26.711+ talents. As the figure 26.711+ is practically the same as the number of Pyramid inches in the interior width of the Coffer (See list on page 102), we can say that the Coffercontains as many talents' weight as there are inches in its interior width. I n other words, the number of grains contained within the space of one inch of the Coffer's width, this space running the full interior length and depth of the vessel, has the same weight as the ancient Hebrew talent. 197
The grains spoken of above are, of course, the modem British "artificial" grains. In the original Anglo-Saxon grains, which are smaller, the Hebrew talent would require to be expressed in a greater number of grains, just as the Coffer's capacity is more truthfully expressed as in a greater number of ancient grains. (During the transition period when the old "real" grains were made to give place to the new "artificial" gains, the arithmetical school-hooks taught that "32 real grains, or 24 artificial grains, make one pennyweight troy." There are 7680 real grains, or 5760 artificial grains, in the pound troy.) The Coffer, therefore, wai computed by Professor Smyth to contain 18,030,100 artificial grains, or, 24,040,100 real, or ancient Anglo-Saxon, grains. But, as we said before, Professor Smyth suggested that even the Anglo-Saxon grain was slightly smaller in its original, primitive, metrology, and that more nearly 25,000,000 of them could have been contained in the Coffer. That is the round, ideal, "Pyramid" number, and may be accepted for the purely scientific purposes of the Great Pyramid. We believe, however, that though it is hardly probable that the Anglo-Saxon grain has come down to our day without some slight change in its original size, it is not necessary for us to suppose that the Coffer must have contained exactly 25,000,000. We suggest the following capacity in original grains for the Coffer: Taking the ancient Hebrew silver shekel as the standard unit, and following the Scriptural indication that 3000 of such sacred shekels made one talent, so, it is not improbable, 300 original Hebrew grains was the weight of one shekel. In modern "artificial" grains the weight of the silver shekel is 225; and at this weight, as we have seen, there are 80,133-7+ shekels in the Coffer's interior capacity. An easy calculation will show that, with 300 original grains to each shekel, and 80,133.7+ shekels in the Coffer, the total capacity of the Coffer is 24,040,133.3+ ancient Hebrew grains. This total of original grains for the Coffer's capacity is practically the same as the total of ancient Anglo-Saxon, or "real," grains computed by Professor Smyth, i . e . , 24,040,100, the difference being only about 33. 198
We may therefore take it that the Coffer was made to contain 24,040,133 real grains; and, as Professor Smyth points out, these grains are "real" in the sense that, they are practically the weight of full and fair grains of well-grown wheat, so that there is nothing artificial in them. As Jehovah instructed the people of Israel to use these grains when fixing the weight of the "shekel of the sanctuary," a round 300 of them for one standard shekel, probably, and a round 3000 shekels for one talent, and as he commanded them through Moses that "all thy estimations shall be reckoned according to the shekel of the sanctuary" (Leviticus 27: 25), we can see how this agricultural people would naturally build up a monetary system of values, as, indeed, the Scriptures demonstrate. I t is not improbable, therefore, that during Christ's Millennia1 reign, the present chaotic monetary systems of the "kingdoms of this world" will be replaced by the ancient perfect system, the basis of which is preserved in the scientific Coffer in the King's Chamber of the Great Pyramid. When, at the completion of the reign of Christ, the kingdom is delivered up to God the Father, that He may be all in all (See 1 Corinthians 15: 24), it may no longer be necessary to use any system of monetary values, for the perfect condition will then have been reached, and all things will be made new-Revelation 21: 1-5.
SECTION XXV
F
ROM data supplied to him by Col. Howard Vyse, the famous astronomer Sir John Herschel was able to compute, from the position of the stars in direct relation to the Great Pyramid, the actual ,date when this monument was erected. For a t that time the Pyramid was built, the north star of the period was Alpha Draconis, the chief star in the Dragon constellation. And the Descending Passage of the Great Pyramid was constructed a t such an angle that, at midnight of the Autumnal Equinox of the year when the building stood completed, this north star shone down the central axis of the passage. The date computed by Sir John Herschel was 2161 B . C . Later, Professor C. Piazzi Smyth, then Astronomer Royal for Scotland, found that a t the year when the Pyramid was erected, not only did Alpha Draconis, when a t its lower culmination in its daily circuit of the pole of the heavens (for it was then a t a distance of about 3%degrees from the celestial pole, and therefore a circumpolar star), but at precisely the same instant, namely, midnight of the Autumnal Equinox, another notable star, Alcyone of the renowned Pleiades group, stood exactly on the meridian of the Great Pyramid, a t that point in the heavens which is a t right-angles to the downward inclination of the Descending Passage. In other words, Professor Smyth's valuable discovery was that, a t the very moment intended to be so signally monumentalised by the Pyramid's great designer, the north star, Alpha Draconis, and the principal star of the Pleiades, Alcyone, were a t right angles to each other; Alcyone on the Pyramid's meridian a t midnight of the Autumn'al Equinox 200
above the pole of the heavens, and Alpha Draconis on the same meridian below the pole, and at that exact angle below the pole to enable it to shine right down the Descending Passage of the Great Pyramid. The date for this celestial phenomena Professor Smyth computed to be on, or about, 2170 B . C . He stated, while publishing this computation, that if it were ultimately found that 2170 B . C . was not the absolutely correct date, the correct one, when ascertained, would be "at least closer thereto than the beginning or end of the duration of the Great Pyramid's building can be to its middle date." The relative positions of the two stars, Alpha Draconis and Alcyone, with reference to the Great Pyramid's meridian and Descending Passage, was very carefully recalculated by the eminent astronomer, Richard A. Proctor, and the year 2140 B . C . was pronounced by him as more likely to be the correct one. To this Professor Smyth agreed, saying in his later editions of Our Inheritance in the Great Pyramid that 2140 n . c . might now be considered as fairly well established. Owing to the slow and sure movement of the precession of the equinoxes, the exact positions in the heavens of Alpha Draconis and Alcyone which are necessary to agree with the Great Pyramid's meridian and downward passage cannot again occur until 25,694-5 years have come and gone since Autumn of the year 2140 B . c . , which is 2138 full years before our Lord was born in Bethlehem.
T h e Great P y r a m i d M a r k s the Date of i t s Erection by a Convincing Time-Measurement In addition to the astronomical fixing of the building-date of the Great Pyramid, which is very exact and full of significance in another direction, as 7. -e shall refer to presently, the structure within its own masonry contains a timemeasurement in inches pointing to this very date 2140 B . C . An interesting account of the steps that led to the discovery of this time-measurement is given by Professor C. Piazzi Smyth. I t appears that Mr. Charles Casey of Pollerton Castle, Carlow, Ireland, who was writing a work on the Great Pyramid, 201
communicated with Professor Smyth in the year 1872, and expressed himself as not yet convinced of the truth of the "Sacred" claim of the Great Pyramid. He wrote: "Unless the Great Pyramid can be shown, besides being fraught with high science, to be also Messianic (i.e., to have some acknowledgment to the real Divinity of Christ, as the promised Messiah) its 'sacred' claim is a thing with no blood in i t ; it is nothing but mere sound. " Pr~fessorSmyth then goes on to quote Mr. Casey as declaring that, while the explanation of the meaning of the Well-shaft years before by the young Scotsman, Mr. Robert Menzies, namely, that this shaft syrnbolises the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and that therefore the Grand Gallery with its lofty height represents the Gospel of Grace, or the Gospel Age, which began a t the time of Christ's work on earth; and hence the First Ascending Passage represents the Age of the Law of Moses which preceded and led up to the Gospel Age, yet, said Mr. Casey, that explanation, though good, was not for him sufficient. He wanted to see some definite indication in the Pyramid that the builder had, by inspiration, foreknown the very date of the advent into this world of the Saviour, and had marked that fact in the building itself. Mr. Casey wrote: "I feel sure that the bdilder, if really inspired from on High, would have known how many years were to elapse between this great mechanical work in the beginning of the world, and the one central act of creation in the birth of the Divine Son; and, though not using any letters of inscription or devices of sculpture throughout the monument, he would have marked it there as the most positive and invaluable proof that he could give, of the truly Divine inspiration under which the building had been planned and executed. " Professor Smyth considered this to be a crucial test of the Divine inspiration claim of the Pyramid; for this was at the very beginning of the understahding of the method by which the Great Pyramid was made to record times and seasons, prophetically. I t is just by such enquiries as that of Mr. Casey, reasonable though exacting, that the beauties of the Lord's Sign and Witness have been sought out. 202
Professor Smyth, who confessed that it had never occurred to him to thus confront the sacred and scientific theories in this manner, immediately consulted his measures, taken by him at the Pyramid long before in 1865, and duly published by him in his 2nd volume of Life and Work at the Great Pyramid. A necessary detail of the measurement of the Descending Passage which had escaped him in 1865, was furnished at his request by Mr. Waynman Dixon, an engineer then employed in the vicinity of the Pyramid. It was in this year 1872, when Mr. Casey started the time-measurement enquiry, that the Queen's Chamber's hidden air-channels were discovered by Mr. Waynman Dixon. As the north wall of the Grand Gallery had already been seen to mark the date of our Lord's birth (although we now see that it also, more definitely, marks the date of his death and resurrection), Professor Smyth took this point as the commencement of his time-measurement. He measured backward down the floor-line of the First Ascending Passage till he reached the floor-line of the Descending Passage, that is, to the point on this downward floor which we name the "Point of Intersection," and thence upward towards the outside Entrance, searching meanwhile for any definite structural feature throughout this upper length of the passage which might be reasonably considered as affording a markingpoint for some appropriate, and outstanding date. This date, of course, would be a B.C. date, and a convincing starting-point for a time-measurement leading up to the first advent of the world's Saviour. When conducting his measuring-operations in the Pyramid during 1865 Professor Smyth had duly noted, among other features in the masonry of the Descending Passage, one prominent detail in the construction of the passage's two side walls. He noted that a t some distance in from the outside Entrance there are two vertical wall-joints, i.e., two on the east, and two on the west, walls. These two pairs of vertical joints are conspicuous, because the other wall-joints above and below them are not vertical, but at right-angles to the downward incline of the passage. He rightly judged that this peculiar departure in the masonry 203
arrangement of the walls must have been intended by the building's Designer to serve some special purpose, whatever that purpose might prove to be. But there was something even more interesting, and unaccountable, than the conspicuous vertical joints. Immediately below each pair a strongly marked, and perfectly straight, line had been drawn, or scored, evidently with a metal tool by the ancient workmen. These scored lines, one on each side-wall of the passage, and nearly opposite to each other, are exactly at right-angles to the incline of the passage, like the wall-joints below them. The fact that immediately above them the two vertical wall-joints were arranged by the Architect, the scored lines, being at right-angles to the passage, are made the more noticeable; their presence is emphasised. In describing these lines Professor Smyth remarked upon their evenness and straightness, and their truthful rectangularity to the incline of the passage; for in testing them with a specially-made wooden square, he could find no flaw. They were, he said, evidently made with a blunt steel instrument, and by a master-hand for power. At the time when he examined them, 1865, he had no idea what they were meant for. But when, in 1872, Mr. Casey started him on the "time-measurement" enquiry, and when he had been supplied with some further particulars regarding the precise distances between the vertical wall-joints and the scored lines by Mr. Waynman Dixon, he was "almost appalled, " he writes, when he found that his measured floor-length from the north wall of the Grand Gallery, terminating a t these lines, truthfully drawn on the walls over 4000 years ago, demonstrated that they marked the very date sought, 2170 B.C. When we remember that this was the first definite application of a known period of years to the test of an inch-year timemeasurement, we can appreciate the excitement and joy of heart experienced by Professor Smyth at his important discovery. For while we now see that these oppositc lincs on the east and west walls of the Descending Passage more clearly mark the precise date 2140 B.C. as the year when the Great Pyramid was erected (probably completed in that year), yet the great fact that the building-date was thus definitely marked by the 204
builder of ancient days was plair~lyrevealed to Professor Smyth, corroborating the previously ascertained astronomical date. When he communicated his discovery to Mr. Casey, that gentlcman wrote: "This testimony satisfies me, and fills me with thankfulness and joy." As the standard floor-distance between the scored line on, say, the west wall of the Descending Passage, and the "Point of Intersection" is 628.0688+ Pyramid inches, according to the mean of the practical measures of Professors Smyth and Petrie, as well as our own, this number of inches, added to the standard floor-length of the First Ascending Passage,
gives the total inch-length between the north wall of the Grand Gallery and the scored line as 2171.5330+, or practically 21714 Pyramid inches. (Professor Smyth agreed with Professor Petrie that his measured-length of the First Ascending Passage was probably too short; although at the same time his opinion was that Professor Petrie's measure .was rather too long. The scientific features of the Pyramid, however, show that a fair mean between the two published lengths for this passage by these two careful workers is correct. Thus, theoretically, the standard floor-length of the First Ascending Passage is 1543.4642+ Pyramid inches. ) 205
This total floor-measurement of 2171$ Pyramid inches agrees with the number of years between Autumn of the year 2140 B.C. when the Pyramid was erected, and Spring of the year 33.A.D. when our Lord died and rose again, 2171 4 years in all. This method of applying the floor-measurements is added corroboration that the north wall of the Grand Gallery, which is also the upper terminal of the First Ascending Passage, marks the date of our Lord's death and resurrection, Spring of th.e year 33 A.D.
SECTION XXVI
the inspired words of the Psalmist we read of Jehovah that "He telleth the number of the stars; he giveth them all their names" (Psalm 147: 4). In the very earliest ages the stars were divided into 48 sections or constellations. Twelve of these were called the "twelve signs of the Zodiac." The other 36 are known as Decans. Around these sections pictures are supposed to exist. Tnese were drawn on charts, or otherwise recorded by the ancient nations, all using practically the same figures. The order of the constellations never varies; they have been carefully preserved throughout the centuries from dim antiquity, and can be seen in many almanacs printed today. This similarity in the pictorial arrangement of the stars by the peoples of the world, no matter how far separated from one another on earth or in history, proves both a common origin, and a deep-seated conviction that these celestial symbols have some vital connection with the destinies of the human race.
Jehovah Intended the Stars to Serve as Signs We note particularly that Jehovah himself referred to these celestial figures when, in addressing Job, he demanded: "Canst thou bring forth the twelve signs of the Zodiac in their season ? " (Job 38: 32, R.v.). The fact that the Almighty recognised the Zodiacal Signs, and that the names of other constellations are similarly associated with the Divine Name in the Scriptures, supports the claim made by many students of the Bible, that the grouping of the constellations into distinctive figures, and their names and the names of many stars, are of more 207
than human origination. We recall that it is in this same chapter of Job that Jehovah addresses the prophet with reference to the Great Pyramid, under the symbol of the earth. I t is true that the Creator had designed the heavenly bodies to be for "seasons, and for days, and for years, " but he also expressly states that they should serve as "Signs" (Genesis 1 : 14-16). When God commanded: "Let them be for signs," he intended that they should be used to signify something quite apart from their natural office; for a "sign" has in itself no relation to the thing which it is used to represent. f t is something chosen to signify something else; as, for instance, the letters of the alphabet, which are, in combination, signs selected to convey to our minds ideas. So also with the stellar "signs, " there is no actual connection between these luminous bodies and the vital spiritual truths they were chosen by the spirit of God to represent. The grouping of the 48 constellations into figures such as a bull, or a serpent, is likewise quite unconnected, for there is no resemblance between the constellations and the figures selected to denote them. And yet, just as there is a definite system governing the letters of the alphabet, and the signs of music, so there is a definite and eminently logical system running like a musical poem through the celestial emblems. This word "signs" in Genesis 1: 14 is rendered "ensign" in Numbers 2: 2. In the original Hebrew i t reads "oth," from which is derived the English word "oath." To take the "oath" is to pledge oneself to truth. In poetic strain we can claim that, by the everlasting stars God pledged himself as to the truth of his glorious Plan of the Ages. For the astral symbols corroborate that Plan in every detail.
The Misuse of the Constellation Siglzs by the Idolatrous Nations i s not a Colztradic tiolz of their Divine Origination Even though the idolatrous nations in the days of old made use of the stars in their mythological worship, this does not weaken, but confirms our understanding that the constellar groupings and naming of the stars was of Divine inspiration. 208
The worship of the idolatrous nations is indeed a strange method of witnessing to the truth; nevertheless, by perfectly counterfeiting each detail of the scheme of salvation, these false religions unwittingly substantiate the Lord's Word. We believe that ultimately men shall discover that everything in heaven and earth has played its part in building up the Truth. "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. " Pwlr. 2s;Z . We are justified in taking it for proved from the text in Job already quoted that the constellations were known more than 2000 years before Christ. The ancients were therefore familiar with them. As we have said, many recdrds with charts on stone and other imperishable materials have been found among the relics of the oldest nations. This hieroglyphical languagz was one which appealed to the people of these early days. Throughout the ages the heavenly Father has graciously granted faithful honest hearts a measure of insight into his. purposes, to enable them to endure with patience the forces of evil within and without, until in the due time dictated by. his wisdom these evil agencies will be overcome and destroyed forever. Ever since Jehovah pronounced the memorable. sentence agzinst the instigator of evil, Satan, that old Serpent and Lkagon, all righteous men have longed for the fulfilment of that sentence. In his famous work, The Origin of Religions, Dupuis has. collected a large number of traditions prevalent in all nations of a Divine person born of a woman, suffering in conflict with a serpent, but triumphing over him at last, and finds the same reflected in the figures of the constellations. The learned theologian; the Rev. G. Stanley Faber, rector of Long-Newton, after careful consideration acknowledged in his work, Origin of Pagan Idolatry, that the configuratiolls of the Zodiacal Signs refer to the Seed of the woman, and his bruising of the serpent. Richer, a French writer of note, has repeatedly asserted that the whole pri~nitive revelation may be traced in the constellations. This primitive faith, which the Zodiacal arrangement of the stars undoubtedly depicts, could only have come down from Adam, who alone with Eve heard it in the beginning from God o 209
\
himself (Genesis 2: 13-15). For it is a matter of Scriptural record that there was a primeval revelation of hope given to mankind immediately after the fall into sin through the disobedience of Adam. The Apostle Paul refers to this when he says, in Romans 8: 19, 20, that God's earthly creation, when made subject to frailty because of the entrance of sin, was at the same time subjected in hope of a deliverance when the "sons of God" should be manifested. After the flood this hope must have been more clearly defined, by means of the symbolism of the stars, Divinely arranged and picturized through the medium of one appointed,-Shem, as some students see reasons for believing. We know that the hope granted by the Lord of heaven and earth must have taken more definite form after the flood, because all the mythological religions of the ancient world reveal that men possessed knowledge of many of the details of the Plan of Salvation. Of this there can be no mistake. Nevertheless, every part of the Plan could not have been known, and probably very little was understood. For just as the earthly agent used by Jehovah in erecting His stone Witness in Egypt, which was to afterwards serve as a Sign to His people and the world in the Millennia1 Day, could not have understood the true import of the great edifice which for many {ears he was engaged in constructing, so it is not necessary for us to claim that the agent whom God used to arrange and name the constellations and stars, names which have descended unaltered to our day, should have realized the true and ultimate object of it all.
Modern Astronomers Annoyed at the Ancielzt Stellar Figures, but M z ~ s tStill Recogn.ise Them Astronomy has never been known to exist apart from the 48 pictorial emblems. And as these are not essential to the pure astronomical science, their inseparable connection with it cannot be cxplained unless we understand that both the pictures and the science had one common author, who had a definite purpose in thus linking them together. We conclude that his intention was to associate with astronomy a complete system' of thoughts andahopes, as sharply defined as the stars. 210
Explain it how we may it is worthy of note that, while many astronomers have expressed annoyance at the apparently confusing mass of figures delineated on all authentic celestial planispheres or star-charts (as witness Sir John Herschel, who complained that "the heavens are scribbled over with interminable snakes," and speaks of them as "those uncouth figures and outlines of men and monsters usually scribbled aver celestial globes and maps"), yet they are no more able to set them aside than sceptics, honest or otherwise, have been able to abolish the written Word of God. Nor have they succeeded in substituting a more convenient and popular system s f mapping off the skies. Men of all nations, no matter of what religion or shade of spinion, agree in adopting these primeval Signs of the heavens. In view of this self-evident truth the Rev. G. Stanley Faber stated that "the forms of men and women, beasts and birds, monsters and reptiles, with which the whole face of the heavens has been disguised, are not without their signification." The primitive names, both of the Signs and of the individual stars, handed down unaltered from ages past, are in constant use in the secular press of today. Aben Ezra, commenting upon the original 48 constellations as enumerated a thousand years ago by Albumazer, says: "According to Albumazer, none of these forms from their first invention have varied in coming down to us, nor one of their words [names] changed, not a point added or removed. "
The Original 48 Constellations have been Carefully Preserved and Transmitted to the Present Generation We are indebted to Claudius Ptolemy of Alexandria, who describes the constellations very particularly, for our understanding of them. In 137 A.D. he completed his celebrated list of fixed stars, using as his guide the catalogue compiled about the year 150 B.G. by the Greek astronomer Hipparchus, who is sometimes called the "Father of astronomy." In Ptolemy's list the position of each of the thoysand and more stars he deals with is noted by the eiact place it occupies in the pictorial figures of the ancient constellatioas. As Ptolemy 21 1
also added the celestial latitude and longitude of each star in his catalogue, we can tell with exactness the locations and arrangements of the starry pictorial figures as they appeared to the ancient peoples. Hipparchus similarly describes hiscatalogue, and Ulugh Beigh in 1420 A . D . adopted the same method. The attempted replacings of other figures for the originals by irresponsible meddlers, such as the substituting of "Berneice's Hair" for the original decan "Coma," the woman with the child, have been detected and rectified. In this way the ancient constellations have been preserved. Those figures other than the 48 ancient constellations, which are found in some modem star-maps, such as the Sextant, Giraffe, Fox, Lynx, Clock, Air-pump, and about forty more, are interpolations, and only becloud the pure message as set forth in the beginning. I t was Petrus Theodorus, about the year 1580 A . D . , who began adding to the number of pictorial constellations; but Flamsteed, the first Astronomer Royal for England, a contemporary and adversary of the great Christian astronomer Sir Isaac Newton, was largely instrumental in confusing the symmetrical arrangement of the original 48 emblems by the introduction of others. I t is manifest that Theodorus and Flamsteed did not realize the symbolical significance of the primeval asterisms, for their own additions are meaningless.
The Originators of the Ancient and Authentic 48 Constellations We shall not a t this time particularly present the results of our investigations into the origins of this interesting subject. We point out, however, that Hipparchus expressly states his opinion that the consteilation-pictures and names are "of unquestioned authority, unknown origin, and unsearchable antiquity. " But while it is true that there is no definite record that any nationality ever has claimed to have invented these strange celestial symbols, it must not be overlooked that all authorities, ancient and modern, agree in attributing to "Chaldean Shepherds" the birth of the astronomical science. And these Chaldean Shepherds are 212
I
identified with the "Shepherd Kings" who came from the East, and invading Egypt caused the Great Pyramid to be built. This was the reasoning of Professor C. Piazzi Smyth, founded upoil what appears to be safe historical grounds. Proctor shows that there is a vast blank space in the southern sphere of the heavens, that is, in all ancient star maps, where constellations had not been formed. This blank space, however, is not concentric around the southern pole of the heavens, but angular thereto. This, he holds, is owing to the gradual change in the positions of the stars as beheld from the earth, brought about by the precessional movement. Calculating back precessionally, he finds that the constellations of the south must have been concentric around the pole about 2000 or more years B.C. Also, because of this blank space, where none of the figures of the constellations appear, Proctor concluded that the originator of these constellations could not have seen any of the southern stars from a point further south than 38" to 41" north of the equator. This latitude passes through the region of Ararat, where the ark rested after the flood. The date when the flood dried up, according to the Bible chronology, corroborated by the exact time-measurements of the Great Pyramid, is 2472 B.C. From this circumstance we would also conclude that the inspired tframer of the figures of the constellations came forth from the ark. According to the Vailian theory, the stars as we now see them would for the first time have been visible only after the flood. Professor Isaac N. Vail proves that his theory is founded on scientific facts, and is supported by the correct understanding of the Scriptures respecting the "days" of creation. In his valuable work Primitive Constellations Robert Brown, Jnr., proves that astronomy, history, and archaeology unite in pointing to the Euphrates Valley as the place where the 'Signs of the Zodiac, and various others of the ancient constellation-figures were originated. He shows that the hi5tory, myths, and legends connected with the earlier constellations are all within the sphere of Semitic influence; and that the Greeks are certainly not to be credited with inventing the constellation-figures, although they largely perverted then1 in their mythological worship. 213
Further Scrij5tzcral Allusions to the Constellations Reverting to the Scriptural allusions to the stars and constellations, which allusions strbngly confirm the thought that these ancient pictorial signs and star-names were indeed, meant by Jehovah to syrnbolise and illustrate His Plan of Salvation, we read in the Book of Job, chapter 26, verse 1 3 (using the marginal reading of the Revised Version) : "By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the fleeing serpent. " As many commentators remark, it is not probable that the inspired writer, when speaking of the creative powers of the great Jchovah, would so abruptly descend from the wondrous beauties of the heavens to the formation ofqa repulsive.reptile, without some deep significance underlying this association. Commenting upon this text Barnes says: "There is no doubt that Job refers here to the constellations. " The "fleeing serpent" is Hydra, the first Decan in the Zodiacal Sign of Leo, or the Lion. That Job is not referring to the physical stars and to a literal serpent, but to figurative constellations, is borne out by the meaning of the Hebrew word translated "garnished." In Daniel 4: 2 this Hebrew word is rendered: "I thought it good to show. " Nebuchadnezzar says:. "I thought it good to show the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me. How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders!" (Daniel 4 : 2, 3). Also, in Amos 5: 8 we read: "Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion;" that is, the Pleiades, and the constellation Orion, the "Mighty Hunter" (See Job 38: 31). And in Job 9: 9--"Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south," or the twelve signs of the Zodiac. If we paraphrase the above texts we can see better their true import: "By his spirit [operating through one appointed, as it did through David and other holy prophets-See 2 Peter 1 : 21; Matthew 22: 437 he hath thought it good t~ show [by means of the adorning, frescoed, Signs of the constellations] in the heavens [the various details of his glorious 214
Plan of Salvation. For this purpose] his hand hath formed [the constellation of) the fleeing serpent, " or Hydra, to represent Satan vanquished at last. For the same reason, also, he "maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers [or other Signs in the Zodiac] of the south," that all the stars of the heavens might "declare the glory of God"; for the "firmament sheweth his handiwork" (See Psalm 19 : 1).
The Signification o f ths Co~zstsllntions "Hydra" and "Draco" While the constellation Hydra, the fleeing serpent, that long constellation which stretches east and west across the heavens, far south in the southern sphere, represents Satan in his ultimate vanquished state (and all the symbolical arrangements of the stars agree in this as the proper interpretation), there is another constellation which shows this great Deceiver of the world in his temporary place of selfexaltation. This is Draco, or the Dragon constellation, the great serpent that, in the planispheres, is depicted twining around the very northern pole of the heavens. With one consent it is universally acknowledged that the constellation Draco, the third Decan in the Zodiacal Sign Sagittarius, is associated with Satan, called in the Scriptures "the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil. " Satan's ambition ,was that he would be like the Most High, and ascend above the heights of the clouds. He had said in his heart that he would ascend into heaven, and exalt his throne above the stars of God, and sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north (See Isaiah 14: 12-14). In due time the old serpent will be cast down; but for a wise purpose Jehovah has permitted him to rule as the "godJ' of this evil world ; for he is called "the god of this world. " But he is the god of a dying world, and has the "power of death" for a time. In the Great Pyramid the dying condition of the world of mankind is represented by the steep Descending Passage, leading to the Subterranean Chamber, or Pit, symbolical of death. How appropriate, therefore, that at the very date when the Pyramid was erected the chief star 215
in the Dragon constellation, named- in ancient times Thuban, which means literally, in Hebrew, "subtile," and hence "subtle, " but now more generally known as Alpha Dracoilis, should shine right down this inclined passage!
The Great Pyramid's "Star-Paintings" Forms a Key to the Deciibhermertt of the .Stellar Signs But, as we have seen, not only was the symbolical stone Witness in Egypt arranged by its Divine Architect, in its structure, the site i t stands on, and the time of its erection, to point t o the stellar representation of that great evil being who is called "that Old Dragon" and "Serpent," the "god of this world," it was also planned to direct the groaning world t o their only sure hope of deliverance from Satan and death. For just as the Dragon constellation represents Satan, so the Sign "Taurus" is the Zodiacal symbol of Christ in his power; aqd the Pleiades group of seven stars in this Sign is believed to be the centre of the universe, whence the Almighty governs. Satan may appear to work his own evil designs for a time, but the "sweet influences" of the Pleiades cannot be bound, but must prevail over all in God's due time (See Job 38: 32). While the axis of the Descending Passage in the Great Pyramid pointed t o Tauban, the subtle, in the Dragon constellation, the wonderful scored lines on the walls of this passage, drawn .at right-angles to the downward way, pointed directly upward to the very centre of the Pleiades in the Taurus constellation, -to Alcyone, which means centre, or foundation. The Great Pyramid, in its exact paintings to these wellrecognised and Scripturally-noted constellations, may be regarded as a "key" to the reasonable deciplierment of all the stellar signs. For just as all the various books of the Bible unite in proclaiming the Plan of the Ages, and also, just as the Pyramid's passages and chambers unite in corroborating t h e truth of that Plan, so the twelve Signs of the Zodiac, with their accomp?nying thirty-six Decans (three Decans to each Sign), must unite in declaring the glory of God, as revealed in His loving designs for the salvation of mankind. 216
I t is the angle of the Descending Passage which, by point@ a t the time of the Pyramid's erection to the very place in the celestial sphere where the "Dragon" star shone brightly, that ,enabled the Divine Architect to make of His. stone Witness +a connecting-link between the celestial and terrestrial symbols af His Plan. Had this angle been other than it is, the union would not have been established. Neither would the equally wonderful union between the Great Pyramid and Bethlehem, the place of our Lord's birth, have been established. This .angle, therefore, was not chosen in an haphazard fashion, but was most scientifically fixed, and with definiteness of purpose, like all other features of the Pyramid. Without angles the astronomical science would be impossible. :So also with the navigation of the seas, and the surveying of land, the knowledge of the laws governing angles is indispensable. And it would appear that we must recognise the important part played by angles if we desire to build up faith in the testimony of the Great Pyramid, and the testimony -of the constellations, on the firm foundation of instructed reason. To the scientific thinker and worker nothing appeals more logically than a demonstration by angles. The laws -governing them are so well known, and they are so absolute, that the most critical mind is fully satisfied with the deductions drawn from their intelligent application.
The companion books of this series are entitled: The Grenf Pyrclmiri : Its Tinre-Feczt~,res ( P a r t If of 1.914 d.n. nlzll tlre Great I~yrcztrrid) T h e Gveczt Pyrrrrrtirl : I t s Spiritzcnl Sytrrboli.st~t
NOTICE T h e Booklets noticed below are good value. They have been, and still are, much used in the spread of the knowledge of thep u t h , the subject-matter of each being in perfect harmony with Studies in the Scriptures." Many 'write expressing theirthankful appreciatipn.
These
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Where are the Dead? Socialism and the Bible. Mythology and the Bible. The Great Pyramid and the Bible. Memoirs of Doctor John Edgar. Memoirs of Aunt Sarah. A Tree Planted by the Rivers of Water. The Preservation of Identity in the Resurrection.. Abraham's Life-History an Allegory. ' Faith's Foundations, also Waiting on God. Prayer and the Bible. TWO STYLES OF BINDING
These handy and useful little books are neatly bound in distinctive colours,. either in paper covers or in stiff boards covered with good cloth. T h e cloth-bound brochures have the title blocked in gold on the cover and form a neat little library-a truly valuable little collection, containing a mineof information in a very small space.
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WHERE ARE T H E DEAD?
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Since first published in 1908, Dr. Edgar's little brochure on^ Where are the dead ? " has had a wide circulation. Many h a v e expressed a desire to procure this importailt address in a larger and more durable form. W e have, therefore, prepared a Special Edition, printed on stout antique paper, with large clear type.. It is bound in stiff cloth boards, and measures 79-in. by 5-in.
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Great Pyramid Passages By JOHN EDGAR M.A.. B.Sc.. M.B., C.M.. F.R.F.P.S.G.
and MORTON EDGAR
F o r full information on the subject of the Great P y r a m ~ d procure the volumes of " Great Pyramid Passages." These volumes were specially alluded to and reconlmended to all searchers after truth by the late Pastor Charles T. Russell of Brooklyn .and London Tabernacles. They are not~ced In the "1Natch Tower " for 1910 a n d 1913. Yol. I1 is quoted in Vol. 1'11 of " Studies in the Scriptures " as an authoritative work. Vol. I, now reprinted and i n stock, describes the exterior and interior of the building very minutely, and coiltains numerous photographs, drawings, ,and diagrams. T h e symbolism of the Great Pyramid is dealt with in this volume. Vol. 11, now reprinked and in stock, fully demonstrates how the Great Pyramid corrofioratrs the Bible Chronology and time-features, hy means of ;the Pyramid-inch mea.surements. This 2nd volume also explains all the Scriptural time-features. A portion of this 2nd volume appeared in the "'Watcb Tower " for November 15t11, 1904, and for June 15th, 1905, and in ,other recent issues. Vol. 111, now in course of preparation, will appear in print later. This 3 r d volume will deal largely with the scientific features of the Great Pyramid. These scientific features establish the correctness of the various measurements of the building, and hence corroborate the time-features which are based upon the measurements. (Announcement will be made when the 3rd volume is ;in print.)
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Three Useful
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Great Pyramid :
(1) The Great Pyramid : Its Spiritual Symbolism (144 pages). ( 2 ) The Great Pyramid : Its Scientific Features (224 pages). (Part I of 1914 4 . D . aild the Great Pyramid.) ( 3 ) The Great Pyramid : Its Time-Features (176 pages). ~ dGreat Pyramid.) (Part I1 of 1914 A . D . a ~ Lhe Price : For a single.copy, 213, or 55 cents. 6 copies at the rate of 21-, or 50 cents, per copy. 12 copies at the rate of 119, or 45 cents. per copy. 48 copies and over at the rate of 116, or 35 cents, per copy. The three books, printed on stouter paper, may beprocured bound together in stiff boards covered with good cloth, and title blocked in real gold. Price of above three Pyramid books bound together in cloth : One copy for 816, or $2.00. 1 0 .copies at the rate of 716, or $1.75, per copy. 25 copies and over at the rate of 616, or $1.50, per copy.
Great Pyramid Chart This chart is drawn true to scale from actual measurements taken in t h e Pyramid by Dr. John Edgar autl his brother, Morton Edgar, during 1909 and 1912. I t is the only diagram of this monument which has the accurate length of the Descending Passage, and the correct dimensions of the building generally. I t can be procured in three sizes, but the 4+-feet by 3-feet size. printed on cloth, which contains the dimensions of every part of the Pyramid, is specially recommended. The wonderful symbolisms and Pyramid-inch time-measurements of the building demonstrate beyond all doubt the great importance of the date 1914 A . D . , one of the most momentous yearsin history.. The price of the 49-feet by 3-feet size : New Edition, lithographed in five colours, on cloth, 41, or $1.00, per copy.. Old Edition, lithographed in black, on cloth, 31-, or 75 cents, per copy.. Small size, 3-feet by 2-feet, printed in black : On Cloth: 1 copy at 116, or 35 cents, per copy. 5 copies at the rate of 113, or 30 cents, per copy. On Paper: 1 copy at 6d., or 1 2 cents. 5 copies at the rate of 4d., or 8 cents, per copy. 10 copies at the rate of 3d., or 6 cents, per copy. Special large size, suitable for lectbring from in large halls, lo&-feet by 7-feet, hand painted 011 cloth, coloured, 351-, or $8.50, per copy.
Chronological Chart This chart of the chronology and time-features of the Bible is that which appears in the "Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society's" Eible. 'ft is clearly printed, and proves most helpful to an understanding of the times and seasons." I t is fully explained in Vol. I1 of the work entitled "Great Pyramid Passages." 44-feet by 3-feet, printed on cloth, 31-, or 75 cents, per copy. 18-in. by 12-in., on art paper, bound with brass top and bottom for hanging on wall, 3d., or 6 cents, per copy; six or nlorecopies, 29d., or 5 cents, per copy. 7-in. by &-in. stiff art card, twelve copies, 6d., or 12 cents. , Post card size, for correspondence, fifty copies, 116, or 35 cents. Address Orders to MORTON EDGAR, 224 West Regent St., Clasgow, Scotlandi
Lantern Slides s f the Great Pyramid T h e r e is no better way of test~fyingto the Lord's glorious Plan of Salvation .than by drawing attention to the teaching of His own " Stone XV~tness,"the Great f'yramid. Experience has fully clenlonstrated that a Pyramid Lecture bas great .attraction for t h e general thinking public. I t is a subject which appeals to thoughtful people ; and this is as it should be, for God Himself is responsible for the building's existence. God Himself caused it to be erected for the ,special purpose of serving as a " Sign " and "Witness " to the truth of His Holy Word-See Isa. 19 : 19, 20. I t is our prililege to co-operate with H i m -in drawing attention to this great symbol of I l i s arrangement for t h e salvation of t h e world. T h e Lantern Slides which we supply a r e made from the original negatives .of our photographs taken a t the Pyramid, and also from the original diagrams ..drawn true to scale from our persolla1 measurements of the building during the years 1909 and 1912. Being made by the wet-collodion process, these Slides are clear and brilliant. T h e full coloured set is specially recommended, as they loolc beautiful on t h e screen --they are well worth t h e extra cost. T h e Slides have each a descriptive title, and are numbered to accompany the lecture -entitled: " T h e Pyramid Portrayal of Creation." B u t they can b e easily -re-arranged to suit other lectures. (1) Set of 103 Slides, 2 Coloured and 101 Plain L7 10 0 , or $39.00 {Z) ,, ,, 77 ,, 16 ,, - - LlZ 10 0 , or- 963.00 (3) ,, ,, 95 ,, 8 ,, - j 1 3 10 0 , or $68.00 These prices a r e for the Enqlisb size n i ~ l i d e ,3 i - i n , by 3$-in. If t h p l a r g e r American size, .4-in by 3$-in., i s r r q u i r e d , a d d 5 cen!s per slide (or $5.00in all). I n most cases the slide-carlier -in American l a n t e r n s can be a d a p t e d Lo LaLe the smaller, 3 t - i n . by 3 t - i n . , slide.
Note-It
is a good plan to open and close the lecture by requesting the audience to sing a few verses of a hymn shown on the scrzen ; a.s u ~ e l l as several verses during h e two intervals. Ey thus participating in the entertainment, the audience feel more at one with the lecturer. F o r this purpose we havc prepared eleven special Hymn Slides, with one verse on each slide, set in an appi-opriate scenic background, beautifully coloured. T h e price is 316, o r 9 0 cents, each slide.
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This lecture is printed in large clear type, with a space betweell the para.graphs, so that it can b e easily read in the darkened Lecture Hall under even a dim light from the Lecturer's table-lantern. T h e paragraphs are numbered and titled to correspond with the Lantern Slides. T h e numerous drawings and diagrams, of which there are over three .dozen, illustrate the text of this lecture, so t h a t , while primarily arranged to accompany t h e Lantern Slides noticed above, the general reader will find the perusal of its pages both interesting and instructive. T h e subject-matter is continuous from start to finish, and gives a connected description of. the monument a n d its wonderful symbolisms. I n size, it measures 8-in. by 54-in., with 6 4 pages and cover. On the cover is an embossed and coloured picture of t h e Pyramid. Write for a sample copy at 116 ( 3 5 cents).
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CONTENTS I'age I~~trotluctory- - - 13 'l'lln (;rc;lt: I.'yl.i~lliicl('o111111;1,1i(ls A(t~~l(.ion 14 ' ~ l ~ c ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ L ~ l ' y r ; i ,- ~ ~ i- i ~ l- i s : -~ , l '- ~ c ~I ~6 ~ l i ~ ~ t 'l'l~e~ ~ ~ ~ l ~ C ~ 'I);I,(.<,S l l O ol ~ ~ I , I~L c ~~S<~ril)t ~ ~ ! I iI ~l ( ,~S ~ I i l l l l ,. . - - - (;l~ro~~ologic:;~l I1(rriotlsI
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Section VTII T h e L a w C o v e n a n t Tllc " Extended " I.enqth of the First Axending 13assagc is Proportionate t o the nfllole Pyramid The Length of the Granite Plug The l'osition of the Granite Plug -. The Significance of the S i i ~ l b e r s7, and qoo Tllc Gospel Age : Cail and Trial of Christ's " Body " The Two Ways of Gaining the Grand Gallery The Beginning of the Gospel Age -. The " Feet " Members of the Body of Christ, riclcl theirTs?orlr - - - - The Significance of the Horizontal Passage Wow the Length of the Horizontal Passage Indicates tlie Period of 7000 Years of the XVorld's History The Length of the Horizontal Passage is Geometri callyExact - - - - The Horizontal Passage and the 7040 Years Period The Descendiilg Passagr : Its Significance and its Measurements Lower Terminals of the Ilescending Passage The " Point of lnterscction " . . . . . Thc Symbolica.1 Significance and I.cngt11 of thc DescendingI'assagc The Date 1914 A . D . 1s hlol~umentalised in the Great Pyramid The First -4ppcarance of the Icing Thc " Seven Times " that Passcd ovcr Nebuchadnezzar ~ g ~ ~ ~ . n . w a s t h e E n d o f t h e " S e v e n T i m e- s " The First Appearance of Israel's Icing was Necessary The Great Pyramid's Precise Indication or the Dates of our Lord's First Advent The Duration of t h e Gospel Age The " Seven Times " Measurenlent in the Great Pyramid l'ime-Parallels in the Jewish and Gospel Ages The " Rabylonish Captivity of the Papacy Rome Identified with " Babylon the Great " The Beginniilg of the Decliiie of " Babylon the Great " . Marsiglio, the " Morning Star of the Reformation ' ' Wyc1,iffe and the Great Papal Schism " The Reformation IYorlr of Huss was Secular as well asspiritual The Invention of Printing, and the Reviv;~l of Learning 'The Condition of the Religious \Vorld nt the First alkd Seconcl Aavents of Jesus Chrisl: -
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c , .
Section X ST TheSecondAdvent XX'I The Jewish " Double " : The Resurrection of t h e " Body " of Christ . . . . The Ante-Chamber and the 1q4,ooo Overcomers The Grand Gallrry and the 144,ooo -, A 1915-Year Indication Another Indication of the 144,000 l7urther Indications oi the 1914 A . D . Date Another Indication of the 1914 A.D. Date The 14q.,ooo, and the 2915-Year Pe,riod The Rectangle, and its Close Indicatiol~ of t h e Duration of the Solar Tropical Year X I X The Flood, and Christ's Baptism . . X X First Adam's 1000-year " D a y " X X I TheFirstAdam X X I I The Complete Period of Salvation X X I I I Second Adam's 1000-year " Day " X XTV The Connection between the Great Pyramid and Bethlehem and the 2138, and 1915, Periods of Years The 2138-Year Indication The1915-YearIndication The Harmony of the z138 Period of Yea.15 with the Plan oftheAges The Measure of 2 r 38 Proportionately Related to the Lower Reach of t h e Descending Passage The 2138 Period Indicated b y the Two Levels of the Icing's and Queen's Chambers The Geo~netrical Relationship between the two Adjoining Periods of 0138 and 1915 Years TheTwo Periods of 2138 and 1915 Years are Geometrically Related to t h e PrecessionaI Cycle Period The Symmetrical Connection between the Solar Year, the Precessional Cycle, and the 1.91g-year, Periods - - - - - The Solar Year, the Precession, and 1915, Connected b y the Pyramid's D~menslons The Pre-Historic " Zero " Year Illdlcatlo~l The Method b y which the " Zero " I'ear is Indicated The Interval betwecn the Zero " Year and the Exodus of t h e Israelites from Egypt Dimensional Proportions Connected with the " Zero " Point. A Precessional Cycle Indication The " Zero" Point Level Indicates the Size of the Pyramid - - - T)le " Shortening " of the Time -
-
-
"
. - - -
I Go-
Great Pyramid Passages By JOHN EDGAR
bI.A., B.Sc., M.B., C.M., F.R.F.P.S.G. and MORTON EDGAR
For full information on the subject of the Great Pyramid procure the volumes of " Great Pyramid Passages." These volumes were specially alluded to and rccommcnded t o all searchers after truth by the late Pastor Charles T. Russell of Brooklyn and London Tabernacles. They are noticed in the " Watch Tower " for 1910 and 1913. Vo1. I1 is quoted in Vol. VII of " Studies in the Scriptures " as an authoritative work. Vol. I, now reprinted and in stock, describes the exterior and interior of the building very minutely, and contains numerous photographs, drawings and diagrams. The symbolism of the Great Pyramid is dealt with in this volume. Vol. 11, now reprinted and in stock, fully demonstrates how the Great Pyramid corroborates the Bible Chronology and time-features, by means of the Pyramid-inch measuremeiits. This 2nd volume also explains all the Scriptural time-features. A portion of this 2nd volume appeared in the " Watch Tower" for Nov. 15th. 1904, and for June 15th, 1905. and in other recent issi~es. Vol. 111, now in course of preparation, will appear in print later. This 3rd volume will deal largely with the scientific features of the Great Pyramid. These scientific features establish the correctness of the varioils measurements of the building, and hence corroborate the time-features which are based upon the measurements. (Announcement will be made when the 3rd volume is in print.)
Price : Cloth-bound, 8/6, or $2.00, per copy. 10 copies at the rate of 7/6, or $1.75, per copy. 25 copies and over at the rate of 6/6, or $1.50, per copy.
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GREAT l'6S
1914 A.D.
TIME FEA'I'UKFlS
A N D T I E GREAT PYRAMID
SECTION I
T h e north-wesf angle of the Great P y r a m i d of Gizeh, showing the roadway
'HAT if all the great doctrines of Revelation, all thc prominent characteristics of the ages, and a11 the mightiest facts in human and sacred history should be found monumentalised in the masonry of the Great Pyramid ? What if we should hear from out its dark and long misunderstood passages and chambers just where we are in the stream of time, what scenes are next to be expected in the affairs of earth, and what unexa~llpledchanges presently await us ? What if it should turn out to be a clear and manifest prophecy of man's fall and degradation, and of his subseque~lt redemption and restoration to the everlasting favour of God, indelibly written in measures and angles ? What, indeed, ~f this wonderful edifice, reared more than forty centuries ago, should at last prove itself an earlier and independent Revelation lrom the Lord of heaven and earth, a duplicate of His volumc of inspiration, the Bible ? " Nor is it an extravagant anticipation to expect even thus ~nuchfrom this marvellous pillar of stone," writes that far-seeing author, the Rev. Joseph A. Seiss, in his valuable little work on the Pyramid, A Miracle i f z Stolze, published about fifty ycnrs ago. " Once admit," lie cont~niizs," as I believe it will yet have to be admitted, that superhuman intelligence is in it, and there is then every reason to count on finding the whole 13
story." " I sllall bc inuch mistaken if it does not turn out, without forcing of facts or dealing in fancies, that in these roclts arld their emplaceinents arc treasured up from hoar antiquity the whole Plan of God in grace and miracle, as well as in the ~uliverseof nature." The Rev. Joseph Seiss cor~cludeswith these poetical words : " With all of man's workmanship that went before it in utter ruin, it stands only the more readable from the damages of time, tllc grand indestructible monument of the tiue priirleval marl. Upon its pedestal of rock, battered by tlie buffetings of forty centuries, it stands, upspringing like a tonguc of fire kindled ol God to light the course of timc down t o its final goal and co~isummation."
T h e . G ~ e a tpyramid Commands Attention " Old Time, himself so old, is like a child, And can't remember when these blocks were piled Or cavelns scooped ; but, with amazed eye, ITc sccins to pause, llke other standers-by, Half thinking how the wonders here lllade kllown Wcrc born in ages older than his own."
Mco ol thoughtlul ancl reverential minds, when once tllcir :I(t c ~ ~ l i o11as n I)ccn drawn to thc scientific and religious claiilis ol t11(. Great l'yrainid, always have been impressed with the rc~asoilablcness of these claims ; and some have felt impelled to pursue iilvestigations still further into this fruitful subject, and kilowledge of i t has thus steadily increased. I t is no longer trac, as the poet would have us believe, that " Old Time" is uiiable to tell us when this ancient building was erected ; for tllc Pyramid itself declares the date, and this in so many ways, astronomical and by measures, that we are not left in doubt. illld tlie truths it teaches by its spiritual symbolism, and scientific and prophetic features are convincingly clear, demonstrating beyond question to all who pay heed that this primeval monument is none other than the " Sign " and " Witness " to the Lord of Iloztc, built four inillenniums ago, that it might speak to the world in this day, proclaiming the great Jehovah's foreknowledge and wisdom, no less than his omnipotent power, justice, and love. 14
Sl'cakii~g of tllc Grcat T'yramicl uf Gizch, t l ~ c1eai.nt.d Rev. Joseph 'T. Goodsir wrote : " The numhcr ailcl iinportallcc of ttlc lessons which its ,cliscloscd mystery tcachcs is indecd very striking. Thus it testifies to the state of the stellar heavens a t the time of its building, and teaches a t the same time its own age. I t helps also to determine the date of the flood, and to give consistency to the chronology and history of diluvian and post-diluvian times. I t testifies to the iinportance of the exact and of the physical sciences, terrestrial and cosmical, not inercly fl-on1 the utilitarian, but from the religious point of view. . . . I t thus seals, as with a Diviile impress left on adainantine materials, the truth that sound sciencc is not urily a handmaid but a defender of sound religion." "Such are tlie things taught us at tliis day by the Grcat l'yramid, as there are noble inen of science sufficieiltly animated with Christian truthfulness and courage manfully to proclaim. We thus see a united science, righteousness, and religion testifying from the Great Pyrainid with a reawakened mien, just as they were intended to do more than four thousand years ago. The oldest and iioblest building is thus seen to be at onc in testimony and in spirit with the oldest and noblest book. God is making that great name for Himself, I believe, by tllc (kcat Pyranlicl at this day." John Taylor, one of tile most thoughtful of men, and who had the honour t.o begin investigations as to the sacred origin of tlie Pyramid, says in his well-known work : " When so many evidences of the scientific ltnowledge of the founders of the Great Pyramid present themselves, these facts cannot be disregarded. The difficulty inay be great in supposing a pcuplc to have been in existence a t that early period, who were capable of exccnting a work of so vast a magnitude on purely scientific principles, but is it not also probable, that to some iiidividuals God may have given the knowledge, even at that carly age of the world, for which we are now contending ? " " Moses, we are told, was adnionished of God when he was about to make the Tabernacle, which was to serve as the example and shadow of lleaveilly thivgs, ' For see, saitll he, that thou makc all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the Mount.' There is an originality in the character of these early 15
rt-velations, which shows thetrl to lrave A higher soiurce than LII,LL of n~arr'splesent intelligence, gieat as it nlay seem." Anothcr giftcd writer, also, cluoted by Profes501 C. I'I,IL/,I 5inyt11, says : " In our opinion thc idea of a 1)ivinc iolcl.position in the planning and construction of thc Grcat Pyrrtmitl, n lleil closely contemplated as springing froin all t lic f d cts a lid iclations of the caw, is perfcctly rational and crcdtblc in tllc csli~llationof a rightly-instructed mind."
read: " By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son : That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore ; and thy seed shall possess thc gate of his enemies ; and in thy seed shall the nations of the casth be blessed ; because thou hast obeyed my voice " (Genesis 22 : 16-18).
T h e Great Pyramid i s a Pro$lzct
.
,
lh(: foregoing qliotations from the writing5 ol stuclc~ltsoi tlic Pyramid, which will serve as examples of similar exprcssio~ls by many authors, show that this building is recognised to be not only a scientific monument, but a $ro$hetic one also. This remarkable claim is well sustained by the numerous timcmeasurements which are found to be embodied in the scientific dimensions of the Pyramid. When the method by which the l~uildingwas made to show forth time periods is understood, and when we remember that this monument was constructed even before Abraham was born, and long before the Rooks of the Old Testament were written, we call agree that the title " Prophet " is a fitting one to apply to it. In the beginning, when Adam fell into sin through his disobedience, the Lord declared that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent's head, and that the serpent would bruise the heel oi the seed. This declaration, while it foretold trouble for the seed, gave rise to hope, for it promised that in the due time the seed would gain the victory over Satan. But it was not until the time of Abraham, 2081 ycars later, that God began in a definite way to work out his plan for thc reclamation of the human family from death, for it was to ,\braham that the Lord made his promise : " I will make ol thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy narnc great ; and thou shalt be a blessing : And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee : and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed " (Genesis 12 : 2, 3). ,4nd later, when Abraham had demonstrated his willingness to sacrifice even his only begotten son Isaac because God had IG
For another long period of 2081 years (according to the accurate chronology of the Scriptures),.this promise remained the exclusive privilege of the natural seed of Abraham. At the end of it, in the year 36 A.D., when the prophetic " 70 weelrs " of Daniel were fulfilled, this exclusive favour to the natural seed ceased, and the Gentiles were given the opportunity to become members in the great spiritual Seed of Abraham ; as it is written : " Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God ; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone." " There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female : for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then ye are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise " (Ephesians 2 : 19, 20 ; Galatians 3 : 27-29). From the time that the remnant of the natural seed of Abraham received Christ, and were given the privilege of B~ I7
becoming the " sons of God " (John I : 11-13 ; Romans 11 : 4-7), and from the time that Cornelius the first Gentile convert received the " spirit of adoption " into the spiritual family of God (Acts 10 : 24-45 ; Romans 8 : 14-17), the " members in particular " of the Body of Christ, all of whonl together constitute the promised Seed of Abraham, have becn selected from amongst all nations (I Corinthians 12 : 12-14, 27 ; Galatians 3 : 16). For this purpose, that membership in the Body of Christ might be completed, the whole Gospel Age was set apart by the Lord (2 Corinthians 6 : I, 2). We read that " known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world," and that therefore every detail of Lhe times and seasons which, the Scriptures say, " the Father hath put in his own power," was forearranged by Him, the mighty " King of the Ages " (Acts I : 7 ; 15 : 14-18). When we reflect that all these many features of Jehovah's " Plan of the Ages," each having its due time for fulfilment, were monulnentalised in the Great Pyramid of Gizeh before the birth of Abraham, it is impossible for us to doubt the prophetic nature of the building. While many of these things are now in the past, yet in the light of the past we may read the future. Thc Apostle, addressing the members of the Body of Christ, said : " Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise " ; and on the strength of the sure Word of Prophecy, and the testimony of the corroborating Great Pyramid, we can listen with a new understanding to his utterance : " And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly " (Galatians 4 : 28 ; 2 Peter I : 19 ; Romans 16 : 20 ; Isaiah 19 : 19, 20).
SECTION I1
THECIIRONOLOGICAL DATESOF
SCIIIPTUHES
THE
B
EFORE we can appreciate clearly the time features of the Great Pyramid, it is essential that we should establish the fact that, in the Scriptures we can trace from the time of Adam a connected chain of chronological dates. This is what we should rightly expect, for if God " hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began," as the Apostle tells us in Acts 3 : 21, and thus declares Himself as the Author of the Holy Word, and if, as Jesus said, " the Father hath put in his own power " the " times and seasons," then the " Word of Truth" will be consistent in every particular. We need only let the Bible instruct us in this important feature, accepting what we find in it without qualification ; 'and when we do so we shall have a chronology of the world from the very beginning of man's advent into it, which has withstood the test of every adverse criticism. In the next Section we shall examine some of the supposed difficulties and show that they are not insuperable, but that all reasonable objections are explained by the Scriptures themselves. Opposite each date we append the text, and suggest that the reader consult the Hible, and thus prove for himself that these things are so.
BIBLE DATES God created Adam - B.C. 4128 had a son a t 130 Seth born Enos born
-
- - had a son a t -
-
-
B.C.
B.C.
had a son a t
2
:7 ; 5
,, 5 : 3 .
,7998 10.5
,,
5:G.
3893 90
,
5 : 9.
-
I9
Gen.
:I.
-
- had a son a t
Mahalaleel born
had a son a t
Cainan born
+
Jaredborn
-
Enoch born
-
- -
had a son a t
-
-
-
had a son a t
h~lethuselahborn
- -
-
had a son a t Lalncch born
Gen.
-
- had a son a t
Jacob died, beginning of the NATION op ISRAEL
B.C.
Date of Abrahamic Covenant 3.c. 2045 Children of Isracl sojourned 430 -EXODUS from Egypt - R.C. 1615 Wandering in the Wilderness 40 Enter land of CANAAN - B.C. 1575 Division of the land
., 12 : 40-43. Deut. 8 : 2.
Beginning of JUDGES Period of Judges
Acts I 3 : 20.
B.C. 344I 187 B.C.
3254 18 2
Saul enthroned
B.C.
1569 450
-
B.C.
1x19 40
- -
B.C.
Years of reign
David enthroned Years of reign
Date of FLOOD Shem had a son after Flood
2
Solomon enthroned Years of reign
2470 35
Rehoboam enthroned Years of reign
2435
Abijah enthroned Years of reign
- - had a son at
Salallborn
-
Eberborn
-
-
-
B.C.
B.C.
B.C.
had a son at
2472
30 -
- - had a son a t
B.C.
-
- - had a son a t
Scrug born
-
- - B.C. 2309 had a son a t 30
'I'erah born
-
-
B.C.
2250 205
Abraham in Canaan
Jacob bqrn
-
Age of Jacob
-
Years of reign
Jehoshaphat enthroned Years of reign
B.C.
B.C.
2020
-B.C.
60 1960 130
-
When Jacob entered Egypt B.C. 1830 Jacob was i n Egypt 17
938 25
-
Joash enthroned - Years of reign
-
ABRAIJAMIC COVENANT When Isaac was born Isaac had a son a t
;
[Gal. 3 :17.
: 18, 19; Num.
B.C.
B.C.
B.C.
Uzziah enthroned - Years of reign
B.C.
-
-
Ahaz enthroned Years of reign
I
Chron. 2 9 : 27.
2
Chron. g : 30. I2
: 13.
,,
I3 : 2.
,,
16:13.
,,
20
: 31.
,,
21
: 20.
,
22
: 2.
905 I
Amaziah enthroned Years of reign
Jotham enthroned Years of reign
,, 13 : 21.
,,
- Athaliah enthroned Years of reign
had a son a t
Terah died a t
-
Ahaziah enthroned - Years of reign
-
B.C.
-
-
Jehoram enthroned Years of reign
B.C.
B.C.
1079 40 1039 40
-
2341 32
had a son a t
-
1 2 : 40-43
A
-
Ass enthroned
-
Nahorborn
.
2405 34 2371 30
Pelegborn Reu born
Exod.
-
Noah born - - - - B.C. 3072 600 Age of Noah a t Flood
Arpliaxad born
Gen. 46 : 3 ; qg : 28. Deut. 26 : 5.
1813
898 40 858 "9 -
829 52
Hezekiah enthroned - Years of reign
B.C.
745 29
2
Chron. 29 : I .
. -
Manassch enthroned Years of reign
B.C.
716 5.5
Alnon enthroned - Years of reign
B.C.
661
Josiah enthroned Years of reign
B.C.
659 3I
B.C.
628
Jehoialriin enthroned Years of reign Zedekiah enthroned - Years of reign Zedekiah dethroned-beginning of TIMES of the GENTILES DESOLATION O F LAND EDICT O F CYRUS
-
-
SECTION 111
2
B.C.
617
11
B.C.
B.C.
-606 70 536
,, 36:zo,z1. Jer. 25 : 11.12 (marg.). Jer. 29 : 10 : Chron. 36 : 22,
2
Birth of the Man Christ Jesus Baptism of Jesus Christ Death and Resurrection of Christ - - End of 6000 years from the creation of Adam 6000 years from the fall of - Adam End of the Seven Times of the Gentiles - -
B.C.
2
A.D.
29
A.D.
33
A.D.
13710
A.D.
1874
ROM the foregoing list of Bible Dates (Sec. 11), we find that the chronological chain is composed of nine main periods or links of varying lengths. Each link will stand close investigation, when examined in the light of the Scriptures themselves. I t is important that they should be thoroughly tested, for the correct interpretation of the time-prophecies entirely depends upon the true chronology. We believe that the Great Pyramid is an added witness, Divinely arranged, to confirm the faith of the Lord's people in the chronology of the Bible as here presented, that they may surely know where they are in the stream of time, and thus be enabled to co-operate with Him in the outworking of His grand Plan of the Ages.
F
II --
23.
(See Section VII). r i
A.D. 1 9 ~ 4
T h e Period of 1656 Y e a r s From the creation of Adam to the flood the chronological period of 1656 years is based upon thc records of the original Hebrezo Scriptures. As has been pointed out by many eminent chronologists, the addition in the Greek Septuagint version of the Old Testament of exactly xoo years to the ages of most of the patriarchs, is quite evidently a forgery. We collld not imagine a reason why the Hebrews in Palestine should desire to shorten thcir ancient chronological records ; but it is easy to see why the Greek Jews in Egypt were induced to lengthen them when translating the oiiginal Hebrew into Greek. They desired to make their history appear as ancient as possible in their Greek translation, in order to compare favourably with their Egyptian neighbours ; for the Egyptian historians claimed immensely long eras for their past records. 23
I nLL
THE DIVINE PLANOF
THE
ACES
BIBLE
'
FDUR
EMPIRES
7 (J
JEWISH DOUBLE PARALLELS
-CHRONOLOCY
It is well to note that Egyptologists admit that Egyptian historic chronology is a clifkcult subject, owing chiefly to an insufficiency of facts in connection with the reigns of the kings of the 7th to n t h , and 13th to 17th dynasties. The original list of kings compiled by the Egyptian priest and historian, Manetho, in the first half of the 3rd century B.c., is lost; and the copies of it which are preserved in the writings of Julius Africanus and Eusebius (both of' the 3rd century A.D.) are conflicting. Nor do any of the later excavated tablets and papyri records contain a complete chronological list of kings. For many of the kings of Egypt neither the order of succession, nor length of reign is known, and therefore it is impossible for an accurate chronological history of Egypt to be compiled. Many systems of chronology, of course, have been put forward ; but the difficulty of arriving at any reliable conclusion is apparent from the diversity of opinion. The uncertainty which attends Egyptian chronology, equally applies to that of Assyria and all other ancient countries. We therefore have great confidence in the Hebrew chronology, which gives us a connected history from the time of Adam down to the year 536 B.C. where secular history begins to be reliable. 26
T h e +e~Yiod'of 427 years from the Flood to the date of God's Covenant with Abraham Like the pcriod nlrcady considered, the next link in thc chronological chain, the 427 years, is based upon the ancient I-Iebrew Scriptures. I t has been supposed that this period should be reduced 60 years because of the statement in Gen. 11 : 26, that " Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran." This would give a period of 145 years between the birth of Terah, and the covenant with Abraham ; for Abraham was 75 years of age, according to Gen. 12 : 4-7, when he entered Canaan and so secured the promise, and 70 75=145. But those who contend for the shorter period overlook the clear statement of Stephen (Acts 7 : 2-5), that it was after Terah, Abraham's father, was dead, that Abraham enterkd Canaan. According to Gen. 11 : 32, Terah died at 205 years of age. We must not, therefore, understand that the three sons of Terah were all born in the same year, but that the begettal of these sons began when he was 70. Abraham although the youngest was the most important of the three, and is therefore mentioned first.
+
T h e period of 430 years from the Abmhamic Covenant to the Exodus from Egy$t and the giving of ths L a w Tlle third definite period is expressly stated by the Apostle in Gal. 3 : 17 as 430 years. From this inspired statement we know that the 430 years' sojourn of the children of Israel, mentioned by Moses in Exodus 12 : 40, 41, includes the sojourning of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the land of Canaan, which, although promised to them for an inheritance, was still a strange land "--Acts 7 : 4, 5. As the Bible dates show a period of 215 years between the Abrahamic Covenant and Jacob's entrance into Egypt, it is evident that the children of Israel's actual residence in Egypt was 215 years (215 215=430). Most authorities thinli that a period of 215 years is too short for the great multiplication of the Israelites during their residence in Egypt, forgetting that 27 c t
+
the Scriptures indicate that this increase was miraculous (See Exod. I : 1-22 ; Psa. I05 : 23, 24, 37, 38). Rejecting the inspired testimony of the Apostle Paul in Gal. 3 : 17, the translators of the Revised Version changed the sense of Exod. 12 : 40, in order to increase the number of years in Egypt. They made the passage to read : " The sojourning of the children of Israel, which they sojourned in Egypt, was 430 years." In thus altering the text the R.V.translators fell into a peculiar error as is demonstrated by the accompanying diagram, which shows the genealogy of Moses. Moses was 80 years old at the
Exodus (Exod. 7 : 7). His mother, Jochebed, was the daughter of Levi (Num. 26 : 59). Levi lived for 137 years (Exod. 6 : 16), but he cannot have spent more than the last 97 of them in Egypt for he was older than Joseph (Gen. 37 : 3), and Joseph was 39 when Jacob and his sons entered Egypt (Gen. 41 : 46-54, compare with Gen. 45 : 3-11). I t follows from these facts that if the period of the Israelites' residence in Egypt was 430 years, Jochebed must have been 253 years old when Moses was born ! Again, Moses' father, Amram, was the son of Kohath, and Icohath was one of those who entercd Egypt with Jacob. Kohath lived 133 years, and Amram lived 137 years (Gen. 46 : 8, 11- ; Exod. 6 : 18, 20). If, now, we were to allow that Kohath was a new born babe when he entered Egypt, 28
and that Amram was born the year his father died, there would still remain a gap of 80 years between the death of Amrani and the birth of Moses ! The statement made by Jehovah to Abraham (Gen. 15 : 13, IS), quoted by Stephen (Acts 7 : 6, 7) that Abraham's seed would be afflicted 400 years, is often taken to mean that the affliction in Egypt was to be 400 years. The Apostle Paul, however, points out that this foretold affliction began when Ishmael " mocked " or " ill-treated " Isaac at the time of the feast when Isaac was weaned (Gal. 4 : 28-30 ; Gen. 21 : 5-12). As the Bible dates show that Isaac was born 405 years before the Exodus, he must have been five years of age when he was weaned. That Isaac was not " weaned from the milk " till he had reached the age of five years seems unaccountable to people of Western countries, but in Palestine this is the common practice even at the present day. The women of Palestine believe that the longer the child is suckled the stronger he will grow, and the weaning never takes place under two years, but frequently in the case of a favourite man-child such as Isaac was, he is liept at the breasts for four or five years, and even longer. The " babes and suckling " of the Bible are old enough to sing, and are ready to be taught knowledge (Matt. 21 : 15, 16; Isa. 28 : g ; I Sam. I : 21-23). Jehovah's further intimation to Abraham that his seed would come out of bondage in the fourth generation, and that the nation who had held thcm in' bondage would be judged (Gen. 15 : 14-16 ; Acts 7 : 7), was fulfilled when Moses delivered the Israelites after inflicting the ten plagues upon the Egyptians. The four generations began with Jacob when he entered Egypt, Levi and Jochebed being the second and third, and Moses the fourth generation. The Samaritan and Septuagint versions of the Old Testament render Exod. 12 : 40 emphatically in support of the inspired Apostle's statement in Gal. 3 : 17,-" the dwelling of the sons of Israel, and of their fathers, which they dwelt in the land of Canaan, and in the land of Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years."
T h e period of 46 years from the Exodus to the division of the land among the twelve tribes of I s ~ a e l The fourth interval is made up from two periods of 40 and 6 years. The 40 years from the Exodus until the nation crossed the river ~ o r d a nto - talre possession of the promised land, is cxact to a day (Exod. 12 : 42-51 ; Deut. zg : 5 ; Josh. 4 : 19 ; 5 : 10; Num. 14: 34). The period following the forty in the wilderness, - years during which the Israelites conquered seven nations and then divided the land of Canaan among the tribes (Acts 13 : 17-19), is proved to be 6 years by the following texts : 26 7 And they went and came ( I ) Nurr~.33 : 3. 3 And thev departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month : on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out with an high *hand in the sight of all the Egyptians. (2) N u m . 5) : I . AND the LORDspake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, (3) N u m . 10 : 11, 12. 11 7 And i t came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from off the tabernacle of the testimony. 12 And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai ; and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran. ( 4 ) N u m . 13 : 1-3. AND the LORDspake unto Moses, saying. z Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel : of everv tribe of their fathers shall Ye send a man, everv one a ruler among thein. 3 Alld Moses by the commandm a l t of the LORDsent then1 fro111 the wilderness of Paran : all those men weve hcads of the children 01 Israel. (5) N u m . 13 : 25, 26. 25 And theyreturned from searching of the land after forty days.
t o Moses, and t o Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh ; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. (6) Nujn. 32 : 8. 8 Thus did your fathers, whcn I sent them from Kadesh-barnca to see the land. (7) J o s ~ I4 . : 5-7. 5 As the LORD con~n~anded Moses, so the children of Israel did, and they divided the land. 6 8 Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal : and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in IZadeshbarnea. 7 Forty years old was I when Moses the servant ol the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnca to . espy out the land : and 1 brought him word again as it was in mine heart.
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(8) Joslz. 14 : 10. 10 And now, behold, the T,ORD bath kept llle alive, as he said, these forty an
In the Book of Joshua (14 : 5 - ~ , I o )we read tliat when Joshua was divihng the land, Caleb came to him and said : " Thou Bnowest the thing that the Lord said uilto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Icadesh-barnea "-namely, that he would live to inherit part of the land-" Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of God sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land . . . and now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years . . . and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old." We are informed in Num. 10 : 11, 12, that in the 20th day of the .znd month of the 2nd year (i.e., I yr. I mo. 20 dys.) after leaving Egypt, the people journeyed from Sinai to the wilderness of Paran ; and it was from Icadesh-barnea in Paran that Caleb and the other spies journeyed forth (See Num. 13 : 1-3, 25, 26 ; 32 : 8). I t was, therefore, a little over a year after the Exodus that CaIeb was sent to spy the land, and 45 years later the land was conquered and divided, altogether a period of 46 years.
T h e period of 450 years of the Jzcdges The Apostle Paul tells us that God gave the people of Israel Judges " about the space of 450 years," from the time of the.division of the land, till Sainuel the prophet (Acts 13 : 19, 20). I t is generally acknowledged that without this inspired statement in the New Testament the continuity of the Old Testament chronology would be broken. Nor could we know the period of Saul's reign, were it not that the Apostle again supplies this information, enabling us to connect up the chronological chain (Acts 13 : 21). The Old Testament does, indeed, furnish an indication of the time which elapsed between the Exodus and the period of the kings, but owing to an evident error on the part of a copyist, or a translator from the original Hebrew manuscripts, the matter has been involved in a measure of obscurity. With the aid of the Apostle's figures we know that the total pcriod from the Exodus to the corninencement of the erection of the Teinple in Jerusalem was 580 years. In I Kings 6 : I we read in our Bible that the period in question was 480, or IOO years less 31
period of Bible Chronology upon the synchronisms found in the Book of Kings, have caused much unnecessary confusion ; for it is well known that these synchronisms cannot be reconciled with the reigns of the kings of Judah and Israel, nor even with themselves. A synchronism is a statement to the effect that " A," king of Judah, began to reign in a certain year of the reign of " B," king of Israel ; or vice versa-See 2 Kings 15 : 32 for an example. As an example of the disagreement in synchronistic statements, we read in 2 Kings 15 : 30 that Hoshea slew Pekah in the 20th year of Jotham, and reigned in his stead. This statement is quite manifestly an interpolation, because Jotham did not reign more than 16 years (2 Chron. 27 : I) ; nor did Hoshea reign instead of Pekah even in thc 20th year after the accession of Jotharn (which would be the 4th year of Ahaz) as is suggested by Ussher according to the marginal note in many Bibles, for in 2 Kings 17: I it states that Hoshea began to reign in the 12th year of Ahaz. The synchronism of 27 years mentioned in 2 Kings 15 :I cannot possibly be true ; and many other syr chronisms are erroneous. In 2 Kings 8 : 16, the words : " Jehoshaph ~t being then king of Judah " are omitted in a number of Hebrew manuscripts and in many versions (See note in the Variorum Bible?. If the synchronistic statements in 2 Kings 8 : 16 and 3 : I were true (thus making Jehoram of Judah reign only 4 years alone, and therefore shortening the chronological chain by 4 years), then other synchronisms as I Kings 16 : 29 ; and 22 : 41, etc., are not true. This shows that many of the synchronisms in the Book of Kings are conflicting, and strengthen the belicf that they are interpolated. Contrast diagrams Nos. I and 2 on page 32. It is now generally agreed that these synchronisms were added to the Book of Kings by a later hand, and are not to be considered as original independent chronological data. The fact that the writer of Chronicles (which is held to be the last written of the books of the Old Testament) ignored the lengths of ihc reigns of the kings of Israel (the ten tribes which broke 34
away from Judah into idolatry after the death of Solomon), and confines himself entirely to the line of the kings of Judah, should give us confidence that fhe Lord intends us to continue the chronological chain through the kings of Judah (See I Chron 3 : 9-16).
The Period of 70 Years DesoEation of JerusaEem avtd of the L a d of Judea From the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple at the dethronement of Zcdekiah, till the first year of Cyrus, is easily found to be 70 years by comparing the clear .statements of the following Scriptures : The prophecy of Moses: Lev. 26 : 33-35. 33 And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you : and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. 34 Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land ; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. 35 As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest ; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it. (I)
(3) Daniel's understanding of the prophecies of Moses and Jeremiah : Dan. 9 : 2. 2 In the first year of his reign, I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORDcame to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in tile desolations of Jerusalem.
(4) Historical notice by the writer of Chronicles, of the fulfclment of the prophecies of Moses and .Teremiah : 2 Chron. 36 : 19, 20. (2) The prophecies of Jeremiah : 19 And they burnt the house of Jer. 25 : 11, 12 ; 29 : 10. God, and brake down the wall of I I And this whole land shall be Jerusalem, and burnt all the a desolation, and an astonishment ; palaces thereof with fire, and and these nations shall serve the destroyed all the goodly vessels king of Babylon seventy years. thereof. 12 7 And it shall come t o pass, 20 And them that had escaped when seventy years are accom- from the sword carried he away plished, that I mll punish the king t o Babylon ; where they were of Babylon, and that nation, saith servants t o him and hi sons until the LORD,for their iniquity, and the reign of the kingdom of Persia : the land of the Chaldeans, and 21 To fulfil the word of the will make it perpetual desolations. LORDby the mouth of Jeremiah, 10 7 For thus saith the LORD, until the land had enjoyed her That after seventy years be sabbaths : for as long as she lav accomplished a t Babylon I will desolate she kept sabbath, tb visit you, and perform my good fulfil threescore and ten years. word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.
!I I t is evident from a consideration of the above texts that the 70 years of desolation, spoke11 of by Jcrerniah, was in fulfilment of the prophecy of Moses, that the land might enjoy its sabbaths of rest, because when the people were in the land they would not let it rest. When Zedekiah was taken captive to Babylon in the 4th month of his 11th year (Jer. 39 : 2), it appears that some of the poorest of the people were lcft in the land (Jer. 39 : . IO), over whom Nebuchadnezzar set Gedaliah as governor (2 Kings 25 : 22). And when the Jews who had escaped to other lands heard that Gedaliah was made governor over this remnant, they returned and joined him (Jer. 40 : 11, 12). But we read that in the 7th month Gedaliah and many others were slain (Jer. 40 : 15, 16 ; 41 : I - ) ; and although the Lord promised to protect the very few who yet remained if they would obey him (Jer. 42 : 10-rz), they were now so afraid of the Chaldeans that they would not settle in the land, but fled into Egypt (Jer. 43 : 1-7). This abject fear of the small number who were left after Gedaliah's death, was foretold by Moses, who said that they would flee out of the land and perish among their enemies (Lev. 26: 36-39), and that then the land would enjoy her sabbaths while she lay desolate without them (Lev. 26 : 33, 34, 43), to fulfil, or accomplish, 70 years. Thus, towards the end of the 11th year of Zedekiah the land of Judea was desolate (Jer. 41 : 2, 6, 7, 22 ; 2 Kings 25 : 25, 26). Although the teaching of the Scriptures regarding this period of 70 ycars desolation is very clear, it has been strangely obscured by Ussher and other chronologers. They have imagined that the 70 years began in the 3rd or 4th year of the reign of Jehoiakim, 19 or 18 years before Zedekiah's dethroned the chronological chain ment. This, of course, w o ~ ~ lshorten previous to A.D.I, and thus make the six millenniums from the creation of Adam end 19 or 18 years after 1872 A.D. They recognised that the land was not " desolate without an inhabitant " during the remaining 7 or 8 years of Jehoiakim and the 11 years of Zedekiah, and they therefore termed the 70 years as a period of captivity. But the Scri$tures are ernfihatic 36
I
/
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31
that no captivity began in the 3rd or 4th year of Jehoiakim, nor, indeed, till after the death of that king. I t was after Jehoiachin (the son of Jehoiakim) ; also named Jeconiah and Coniah-(See 2 Kings 24 : 8, margin) had reigned three months, that the beginning of the captivity of Judah took place (2 Kings 24 : 6-18). The prophet Ezekiel (who was among those carried to Babylon with Jehoiachin), always reckoned the captivity as dating from the time when Jehoiachin, Jehoiakim's son, was taken captive, 11 years before the final captivity and desolating of Jerusalem and the land (Ezek. I : 2; Diagram on 33 : 21 ; 40 : I.-See this page). Jeremiah, also, did not recognise any captivity of Judah previous to that of Jehoiachin (See Jer. 27 : 16-22 ; and note that this utterance of Jeremiah was during the 4th year of Zedekiah ; for the Variorum Bible points out that in verse I of this 27th chapter Zedekiah is the king meant, as is shown by comparing verses 3 and 12, and verse I of the next chapter-the 28th. The Septuagint omits 27 : I entirely). I t was in the 4th year of Jehoiakim, which was also the 1st year of Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 25 : I), that Jeremiah promised the Jews that if they would turn from evil the Lord would do them no hurt; otherwise the king of Babylon would come against them (Jer. 25 : 1-12 ; 36 : 1-3).
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The fear of an invasion had the effect of causing the people to proclaim a fast, and endeavour to influence Jehoiakim to repent (Jer. 36 :4-10, 16). This fast was held in the 9th month of the 5th year, so that the Lord did them " no hurt " previous to the 6th year of Jehoiakim (Jer. 36 : 9). The Septuagint reads the 9th month of the 8th year, which is probably correct .-See footnote. But Jehoiakim cut up and burnt the " roll of the book " which Jeremiah had written against him, and Jeremiah required to write another roll, in which he repeated his prophecy that " the king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land [make it desolate], and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast " (Jer. 36 : 22-32). Because of this act of contempt in cutting up the roll, the Lord brought Nebuchadnezzar against Jerusalem, and Jehoiakim was bound in chains to be carried to Babylon (2 Chron. 36 : 2-7). Nebuchadnezzar, however, did not pursue his original intention to take Jehoiakim captive, but made him pay tribute instead, and carried off some of the vessels of the temple, being content with this alone. At the end of three years' subjection Jehoiakim rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24 : I), with the result that the Lord harried him by sending against him bands from the surrounding countries, the people of which were now under the power of Babylon, until Nebuchadnezzar was free to come in person to besiege Jerusalem (2 Kings 24 : 1-41 7). Jehoiakim was not taken captive to Babylon ; but after reigning eleven years he died, being probably assassinated by his infuriated subjects when they saw Nebuchadnezzar coming to lay siege against the city ; and it seems that he was not accorded an honourable burial, but that his dead body was cast forth out of Jerusalem* (Jer. 22,: 18, 19; 36: 30). I t was therefore upon the head of Jehoiachin (Coniah)that the collective
sin of his fathers was visited (Jer. 22 : 24, 25 ; 36 : 30, 31). We read that it was at t k t time (11 years before Zedekiah's dethronement) that Nebuchadnezzar and his servants came and besieged Jerusalem (2 Kings 24 : 8-11) ; and Jehoiachin (son of Jehoiakim) evidently thought it hopeless to resist, and surrendered himself with all his princes and all the chief of the land into the hands of the king of Babylon (2 Kings 24 : 10-17). This, thefirst deportation of captives to Babylon, took place in the 8th year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24 :12 ; Jer. 24 : 1-10) ; and the second and final deportation was at the dethronement of Zedekiah eleven years later, in the 19th year uf Nebucl~adnezzar (2 Kings 24 : 18, 19 ; 25 : 1-11). Although a few cities in Judea still remained unsubdued after the first captivity, which were desolated at the final invasion by Babylon (Jer. 34 : 1-22), this final captivity is spoken of as being more a captivity of Jerusalem (Jer. I : 3 ; 32 : I-5), from which time, therefore, the 70 years desolation of Jerusalem began (Dan. g : 2). Verses 28-30 of Jer. 52 show that the writer understood that thefirst captivity of Judah was after the death of Jehoiakim, 11 years before the final destruction of Jerusalem. He in this place pre-dates the years of thk captivities, calling the 8th year of Nebuchadnezzar, when Jehoiachin was carried to Babylon, the 7th (Compare 2 Kings 24 : IZ), and the 19th year the 18th (Compare Jer. 52 : 12). Thelcaptivity mentioned in the 30th verse of this 52nd chapter of Jeremiah is that of the Jews who fled to Egypt, after Zedekiah was dethroned and the desolation of the land had begun (See Jer. 43 : 5-11 ; 44 : 1-14). Josephus, in Ant. X, g : 7, says that this last act of vengeance against the rebellious Jews took place " on the 5th year after the destruction of Jerusalem, which was the 23rd of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar." This agrees with Jer. 52, : 30. The 70 years spoken of by Jeremiah is shown in Jer. 29 :I-14* to have begun to count from the time when the remnant (or residue-same word in the Hebrew) in Jerusalem were taken captive by Nebuzar-adan, the captain of Nebuchadnezzar. I t
* Although the Scriptures do not say whcn Jehoiakim began t o pay tribute, they by the foregoing texts indicate indirectly that i t was in his 8th year. The great Jewish historian Josephus corroborates this, saying distinctly that i t was in Jehoiakim's 8th year that he became tributary to Babylon, rebelling three years later, i.e., in his 11th and last year (See Ant. X, 6 : 1-3).
* I n Jcr. 29, verses 16 2 0 are omitted in the Septuagint, and are regartled by some authorities as not being in the original manuscriptsSee the X'ariorum Bible.
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was in the 4th montR of his 11th year that Zedekiah was taken captive (2 Kings 25 : 2-7 : Jer. 39 : 2-7), while in the 5th month Nebuzar-adan carried away the remnant to Babylon (2 Kings 25 : 8-11 ; Jer. 39 : 8, 9). I t was this remaant or residue, as well as to all those who, 11 years before, had gone into captivity with Jehoiachin or Coniah (Compare verses I and 8 of Jer. 24), that Jeremiah sent the letter, telling them to settle down in Babylon, for the Lord would not visit them till 70 years were accomplished (See Jer. 29 : I, 2). The messengers bearing Jeremiah's letter to the captives in Babylon had been employed by him in a similar capacity 7 years before, Elasah and Gemariah evidently having formed part of the embassy which had gone to Babylon on behalf of Zedekiah in his 4th year (Compare Jer. 29 : 3, with 51 : 59, margin). We believe that the foregoing Scriptural data definitely fixes the commencement of the 70 years period from the 7th month, in the 11th year, of the reign of Zedekiah, Judah's last king. In Vol. I1 of Great Pyramid Passages we examine still further into this important period of the Biblical chronology. The Great Pyramid's time-features agree entirely with this interpretation of the 70 years period.
Tlze Period of 536 Years from the End of tlze 70 Years Desolation, to I A.D. After the end of the 70 years till the close of the canon of the Old Testament, the Scriptures, when marking events of historical importance, indicate in what year of the reigning Gentile king such events transpired ; but as the Scriptures do not record the lengths of the reigns of those Gentile kings in that consecutive order in which they record the reigns of the kings of Judah, we must here rely upon the pages of secular history. As we should expect, seeing that God has here left us to our own resources, it is at this period of the world's history that chronology rests upon the surest foundations, both because we have at command several distinct eras which can be compared, and also because we have the writings of many contemporary authors of different nations. Secular history from the end of 40
!
the 70 years desolation of Jerusalem down to our day is, therefore, in marked contrast with regard to the reliability of its chronology to that of history previous to the 1st year of Cyrus ; for in the earlier period secular chronology is more or less built upon speculations, and there is no unanimity of opinion. Were it not that God has specially provided, by means of his inspired writers, the necessary data to enable us to connect the reliable period of secular history with the chronological chain of the Bible, we would be absolutely unable to locate our position on the stream of time. For this reason, if for no other, the reverent student of the Word of God will do well to keep close to the Bible chronology, placing his reliance upon the records of secular history only where they are not at variance with those that are inspired, and where, as in this instance of the 1st year of Cyrus, he is directly referred thereto. We may rest assured that wherever our heavenly Father refers us to secular history, he has so overruled matters as always to provide that the historical evidences necessary to enable us to fix our dates, have been preserved by trustworthy writers. In 2 Chron. 3 6 : 19-23, and Ezra I : 1-11 we read that it was in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, that the people of Israel were permitted to return to Jerusalem. The overthrow of the Babylonian kingdom by the Medes and Persians (Elam) had been foretold by Isaiah more than 180 years previously (Isa. 13 : I, 17-19 ; 21 : 2, g), as well as by Jeremiah (Jer. 51 : 11). Belshazzar was the last of the Chaldean kings, and when he was slain at the time of the capture of the city of Babylon, by Cyrus, " Darius the Mede took the kingdom " (Dan. 5 : 25-31). Darius the Mede has been identified in secular history as Cyaxares 11, who was the uncle of Cyrus. Sometimes the reign of Cyrus the Persian is dated from his capture of Babylon in 538 B.c., but he was then merely acting under the authority of Darius as general of the army. Thus, the Medish monarch, in connection with a Perisan, brought the kingdom of Babylon to an end according to the prophecies. So long as a Mede sat on the throne the Persians were second in importance, but on the accession of Cyrus, the Persians became predominant. This transference of the sovereign power from the Medes to the Persians was illustrated in Daniel's vision of 41
the ram with the two horns (symbolical of two powers) one of which was higher than the other, and the higher (the Persian) came up last (See Dan. 8 : 3, 20). The date when Cyrus became king is universally agreed to be 536 B.C. Immediately on gaining authority, Cyrus, in fulfilment of the prophecies concerning him (Isa. 44 : 28 ; 45 : I, 13), issued an edict which allowed the captive Jews to return to Jerusalem, and thus end its long seventy-year period of Desolation.
SECTION IV
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Tlze Period of 1872 Years When we add 1872 years to the sum of the preceding periods, this completes six millenniums from the date of the creation of Adam. But the Scriptures indicate that Adam's fall and condemnation took place two years after his creation, so that, dating from the Fall, 6000 years ended in 1874 A.D. The proofs of this statcmcnt are fully considered in Vol. I1 of Great Pyramid Passages. The foregoing chronological scheme, which we denominate Bible Chronology because it is based upon the Scriptures alone (See list of Bible dates, Sec. 11) is corroborated conclusively by the accurate scientific time-measurements in the Great Pyramid of Gizeh in Egypt.
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ROFESSOR C. PIAZZI SMYTH has proved conclusively from several lines of argument, that the Pyramid's unit of linear measure is exceedingly close to the British inch-unit, being only onethousandth part of an inch longer. He has appropriately denominated this Pyramid unit the Pyramid inch, 25 of which make a Pyralnid cubit. A large number of the Pyramid's scientific features show that in the " time-measurements " a Pyramid inch represents a year (See the companion book entitled : The Great Pyramid :Its Scientific Features). Consequently all British measures must be converted into the corresponding number of Pyramid inchunits, in order to harmonise with the Scriptural periods of years. This conve.-sion of British, into Pyramid, inches, is very simply accomplished ; for whatever be the total of British inches, if a deduction be made at the uniform rate of I for every 1000, the remainder is Pyramid inches. Thus 1000 British inches equal ggg Pyramid inches. To convert a Pyramid-inch measure into the corresponding value in British inches, divide the total of Pyramid inches by eggg. Just as each day of the Bible sylnbolical year of 360 days, when used prophetically, represents a true solar year of 365.242 days, so we find in the Great Pyramid that each Pyramid inch, when used as a measure of time, represents either a solar day, or a solar year of 365.242 days. That the Architect of the Great Pyramid intended each Pyramid inch in the time-measurements to represent a true solar year, is proved by the fact that the scientific proportions of the building which he caused te be erected, demonstrate his knowledge of the exact length of th:. true solar year. The monumentalization of the day-value of the Solar Tropical, and Lunar, years is represented so often in the
dimensions of the Great Pyramid, that no thinking man will question its Divine authorship.
The mean number of days in the Solar Tropical year is not yet known to science with absolute certainty. We believe that the estimate of the celebrated French astronomer, the wellknown U. J. J. Leverrier, who discovered by pure mathematical calculations the great planet Neptune, to be nearer to the truth than most estimates. Not, however, that there is much of a divergency in the estimates ; for during the past 70 years the results of the calculations of astronomers have not differed by more than a small fraction of one second in the whole year. Leverrier's estimate of the mean number of days in the solar tropical year is : 365.242,199,594,907,4 + . By an exact equation directly connected with the Great Pyramid, the dayvalue of the year is shown to be : 365-242,198,667,7319 - ; and this is the value we adopt in all the calculations of the Great Pyramid. The slight difference in the day-value as estimated by Leverrier, and as shown by the Pyramid's equation (little over -08 of one second in the entire year), wouid not total to more than about 35 minutes during the whole cycle of the precession of the equinoxes, that is, during the immense period of 25,694 to 25,695 Solar Tropical years. Finite man cannot hope for greater exactitude than this.
4128 B.c., really commenced in Autumn quarter of a year earlier, that is, 1128t years before 1st Jan. A.D. I. When we read in Gen. 7 : 11 that the flood began in the 2nd month of Noah's 600th year, we are to understand that this year began in Autumn. At the Exodus from Egypt, when the Israelites were separated to God at the passover in the 14th day of the month of Abib, the Lord said through Moses : " This month shall be unto you the beginning of months : it shall be the jrst month of the year to you " (Exocl. 12 : 2 ; Deut. 16 : I). In this way the Lord made a distinction between the year of his own people, and the year of the Gentiles. The Israelitish year was lunar only in so far that its exact beginning was regulated by the first visible appearance of the new moon immediately preceding the harvest in the Spring. If within 15 days from the first appearance of the new moon at the close of the twelfth month, it was judged that the crops would be sufficiently ripe to enable the priest to offer a sheaf as the first fruits unto the Lord according to the law (Lev. 23 : 5-11 ; 2 Sam. 21 : g), this was proclaimed the first day of the first month (hence the name of the first month, Abib, i.e., " green ears "). By this simple arrangement the Israelitish year was automatically corrected (Lev. 23 : 5-16 ; Deut. 16 : g), so that its average length was really solar, i.e., the same length exactly as we now observe it, although for convenience the people of Israel reckoned 12 months of 30 days each.
The Beginning of the Year
The Duration of the Sygzodic Mo~zth
In the list of Bible dates (Sec. 11), the years are reckoned to begin according to the present mode of calculating, namely, 1st January. This, however, is merely for convenience, for there are abundant evidences that, with early nations in the northern hemisphere, the universal rule was to begin the year in the Autumn quarter of a year earlier than at present. There are evidences which show that previous to the date of the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, the Bible follows the then prevailing custom, and reckons the year to commence in Autumn. The date of the creation of Adam, given in the chronological list as
The mean number of days in the Lunar, or Synodic, month as estimated by the famous astronomer, Sir J. Norman Lockyer, is : 29.530,588,715. This value is in exact agreement with another equation, directly connected with the Great Pyramid, to every place of decimals given by Sir J. N. Lockyer ; and we point out that the final digit 5, in the ninth decimal place, is equal to less than 1/2oooth part of one second in the month. By the Great Pyramid equation the days in the Synodic Month are : 29-530,588,715,008,5 - The two equations mentioned above will be explained in Great Pyramid Passages, Vol. 111. 45
The Duration of the Solar l'ropical Year
44
.
The Pyramid's Methods of Recording Periods of Time While the main Dispensational periods of the Bible are corroborated by corresponding inch-year measurements along the JEoor-lines of the passages, we find that chronological periods in general are indicated in the Great Pyramid in a number of ways, all of which are in accord with the building's own peculiar scientific design, and in keeping with the recognised symbolisms of its various parts. Thus, certain time-periods are indicated in the passages by roof-line, and axial, measurements ; and others are indicated by direct measurements from one point to another through the solid masonry and rock. The recognition of this latter method of recording time-features, revealed the fact that the Pyramid corroborates a great many important prophetic periods of the Scriptures ; and in no other way could these particular periods be represented.
2. 1 l~.-l_-
3.
-
1
1
.- -- -4. --
VARIOUSMETHODSUSED IN THE GREAT PYRAMID FOR MEASURING BETWEEN ANY TWO POINTSA S A .6. ~
This method is based upon the principle that, while the most direct measurement between two points (as A and B in the diagram), one of which is helow and to one side of the other, is a straight line from one to the other (figure I in diagram), yet, straight-lined measurements between these two points may be symmetrically taken in three other ways (as figures 2, 3, 4, in diagram), thus increasing the possible number of corroborative time-features in the Pyramid. By means of areas, also, scientific features, .and the time-measurements which they confirm, are found to be extensively embodied in the building's dimensions. 46
SECTION V AND ANGLESO F THE MEASUREMENTS GREATPYRAMID
F
TIIE
OLLOWING the labours of Professor John Greaves in 1637, and of Colonel Howard Vyse two hun lred years later in 1837, the celebrated astronomer, Irofessor C. Fjazzi Smyth, was the first to employ, in a comprehensive manner, approved scientific methods of measuring in the Great Pyramid of Gizeh ; and in his well known Life and Work at the Great Pyramid the resnlts of his investigations in 1865 are presented with minute detail. For about a scc re of years this was the accepted standard book on the subject of the Great Pyramid ; but it was not exhaustive, for Professor Smyth had not examined a number of the important lower parts of the building's interior, as these places were much obstructed at the time through the accumulation of debris. Later, in 1881, the eminent Egyptolog;ct, Professor (now Sir) W. M. Flinders Petrie, also worked long and arduously at the Great Pyramid, and recorded his observations and figures in his valuable publication The Pyramids and Temfles of Gizeh. He re-measured with much precision those portions already gone over by Professor Smyth, and visited and measured the parts previously omitted. For a number of years, therefore, students of the Great Pyramid have known of the various dimensions of the monument to within, at least, a probable small margin of error. For when we consider the difficulties which measurers have to contend with in the very confined, dark, slippery, and now somewhat dilapidated passage-ways of the Pyramid, we can recognise that though these workers may conduct their measuring-operations with every care, their conclusions must differ to some extent. As Professor C. Piazzi Smyth very 47
properly says, " n6 two human measures ever agree exactly; all that finite man can hope for is to come within moderately close limits." The results of our own measuring-operations, carried on in the years 1909 and 1912, as explained in Vol. I of Great Pyramid Passages, closely agree with the figures of Professors Smyth and Petrie. We are confident, therefore, that the measurements used in this and our other books are as near to the tnith as we can hope for. Our confidence is strengthened by the discovery, first apprehended by Mr. John Taylor in 1859 in his work The Great P.yra~nid: Wh.y was it built ? And who built it ? extended by Professor C. Piazzi Smyth and his co-labourers, and greatly developed within the past five years, namely, that the Great Pyramid proves its own dimensions by its wonderful, ancl complete, system of geometrical and mathematical proportions. For it is now clearly to be seen that the dimensions of each passage and chamber are directly related by such proportions to those of every other part of the builaing, both exterior and interior-See the companion book entitled : The Great P.ymmid: Its ScientiJic Features.
Vakce of the
.rr
Ratio
In the scientific, proportionate dimensions of the Great Pyramid, the mathematical ratio T , or the ratio which exists between the circumference of a circle and its diameter, enters very frequently as one of the factors. Because of this it is possible to ascertain, theoretically, the inch-value of these dimensions to infinitesimal fractions of an inch. The ratio T has been verified to many places of decimals (at least 600 places). We give the value here to 15 places of decimals : 7i = 3.141,592,653,589,793 + .
The Casiqtg-stone Angle The angle of rise of the exterior sides of the Great Pyramid was pronounced by Professor Flinders Petrie, after careful angle-measuring of the large well-preserved casing-stones at the north base of the building, to be 51" 52' plus or minus 2'. D' 49
Professor C. Piazzi Smyth, followiilg the theory first propounded by John Taylor, claimed that the exact angle is 51" 51' 14"-3, which angle is contained within the findings of Professor Petrie, and was substantially supported by Profcssor Smyth's own painstaking measuring. This angle 51" 51' 14".3 is called the 7i (Pi) angle, giving to the vertical height of the Pyramid the same ratio to its square base, as the radius of a circle bears to its circumference. In conjunction with the building's socket-level base-length, this cn angle has endowed the Great Pyramid with many wonderful scientific truths, and has also enabled a number of important time-measurements (corroborative of the Scriptural chronology) to be indicated with exactness. None of the other thirty or more measured pyramids throughout Egypt have been erected at this T angle. Commenting upon this fact, Professor Smyth writes : " If, therefore, the T quantity with its resulting shape is really found built into the Great Pyramid with exactness, . . it not only discriminates that building at once from all other pyramids of Egypt, whatever their absolute size may be ; but proves that such a distinguishing feature for the wise of latter days must Ziavc been thc rcsult eithcr of some most marvellous accident, or of some deep wisdom and settled determined purpose." Wc havc coilfidence that the reader will agree with us, after perusing this small book, that there is no feature in the Great I'yramid the result of accident.
.
The Passage Angle The angle of inclination of the Descending and Ascending Passages, as scientifically deduced by Professor Smyth from the exact geometrical proportions of the building, as well as from his careful personal angular observations in the several passages, is 26" 18' g w . 7 . (The seconds are usually given in Pyramid works as a round figure, IO".) This, the theoretical correct angle, is approximated more nearly by the Grand Gallery than by the other passages. .The mean angle of the Descending Passage as actually observed by Professor Smyth, is 26" 26' 49", of the First Ascending Passage 26" 6' 5", and of the Grand 50
Gallery 26" 17' 37" ; and these angles are practically confirmed by Professor Petrie's observations. Professor Smyth points out that the Grand Gallery, the angle of which is only half a minute from that required by theory, is the best construcled of all the passage-ways, and in it the builders appear to have more closely attained to the intention of the Architect. Referring to the observed angles of the Descending and First Ascending Passages, Professor Smyth draws attention to the fact that " one of them is more, and the other less, than the theoretical quantity ; their mean, or 26" 16' 30", being within 2' distance therefrom ; and looking like a case of probable error of construction on the part of honest workmen, who knew the right theoretical angle, and wished to hit, but had practical difficulty in hitting, it exactly " (Life and Work, Vol. 111, page 37).
SECTION VI
T
HE symbolisms of the Pyramid are dealt with in detail
in the companion book entitled : The Great Pyrantid : Its Spiritual Synzbolis~n. I t will be necessary, therefore, to restate them here only in brief ; and we suggest a comparison of the diagrams on pages 52 and 55. ~escendiniPassage =The downward course of the " Present Evil World " to destruction. Subterranean Chamber, or Pit=Destruction or Gehenna, that state of death from which there will be no awakening. First Ascending Passage=The Israelitish Age ; or the Law Dispensation during which the nation of Israel endeavoured to gain life by the works of the Law. Well-Shaft =The Ransom-sacrifice of Jesus Christ ; or Hades, that state of death from which an awakening is assured because of the Ransom-sacrifice of J e ~ u sChrist. Grand Gallery =The Gospel Age, the Grace Dispensation during which the High-Calling to membership in the Body of Christ is offered to the faithful ; and the Age when thc Spirit-begotten New Creatures in Christ make their calling and election sure. Anlo-Chantber =Thc " Holy " of the Tabernacle ; the " School of Christ " ; the Spirit-begotten condition of those who have presented their bodies a living sacrifice to God. King's Chamber-The " Most Holy " of the Tabernacle ; the " Sanctuary " ; the Divine Spirit nature ; the Divine reign of Christ. Queen's Chamber =The condition of Human Perfection possessed by Adam before his fall ; and which the " Man Christ Jesus " laid down as a Ransom-sacrifice on behalf of the world ; and the corldition of the world of mankind after 53
the Millennia1 reign of Christ has completed the restitution work. Horizolztd Passage leading to the Queen's Chamber=Thc complete period of the world's history from the time of Adam, to the end of the Millennia1 reign of Christ ; also the New (Law) Covenant which will be made operative with the restored nation of Israel and the world after the completion of the Body of Christ. Granite in the Great Pyramid =The Spirit Nature ; the Divine Law ; the Divine Will of God. Granite Plug =The Divine Law of God, which blocks the way to life even as the Granite Plug blocks the way up the First Ascending Passage. Granite Leaf in the Ante-Chamber =The Divine Will of God, under which all who enter the " School of Christ " must bow submissively. Plarce of Spirit Nature (Compare with the Chart of the Ages on page 52) is represented in the Great Pyramid by the level of the floor of the King's Chamber. Plane of Human Perfection is represented by the level of the floor of the Queen's Chamber, which is also the level of the summit of the Well-shaft. Plane of Humarc Depravity or Condemnation is represented by the level of the Subterranean Chamber or Pit.
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being anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power, he began his ministry (Acts 10 : 36-38). Luke states (3 : 1-3) that it was in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar that John the Baptist started his ministry. Tiberius began to reign at the death of Augustus on the 19th of August in the year 14 A.D., and his 15th year, therefore, extended from 19th August 28 A.D., till 19th August zg A.D. (See the diagram on page 56). Certain writers have taken as the starting point for Luke's reckoning the year 12 A.D. in which, they say, Tiberius was made co-regent with Augustus. There is no proof, however, that such a method of reckoning was ever used. None of the ancient ecclesiastical writers ever imagined that to be the meaning of the evangelist. Nowhere in histories, monuments, or coins of unquestioned authority, is there a trace of any other reckoning of the years of Tiberius Caesar, than from the death of Augustus on the 19th of August, 14 A.D. By comparing verses 13, 24-31, and 36, of the 1st chapter of Luke, it will be seen that Jesus was about 5 months younger than his cousin John the Baptist. According to the requirement of the Law Jesus could not begin his ministry until he was 30 years of age (Num. 4 : 3 ; Luke 3 : 23). As this requirement must have been equally binding upon John, it means that John began his ministry at 30 years of age 5 months before Jesus.
The Beginning of Jesus Christ's Ministry It cannot be supposed that Luke would have been so careful to fix the exact date of the commencement of John's ministry, had he not understood that he was at the same time furing the date of the most important event in the history of the world, namely, the Advent of the Messiah. Just as in the 1st chapter he connects the birth of Jesus with that of John, so in the 3rd chapter he connects the beginnings of their ministry. A more literal rendering of Luke 3 : 23, which supports this view, is given in Wilson's Emphatic Diaglott. After informing us (in the first three verses) when John began his ministry, Luke now desires to draw attention to the commencement of Jesus' own ministry, and (in verse 23) says : 58
" Also Jesus himself [like John] was about thirty years old [when he] began [his ministry]." The literal word for word rendering requires the insertion of the words in the brackets, in order to bring out the sense of the verse. The Greek word hai may be equally well translated " and " or " also."
The Birth of Jesus Now, as we have seen, John's ministry, beginning in the 15th year of Tiberius, must have dated from some time within the year commencing 19th August 28 A.D., and Jesus' ministry, therefore, 5 months later, must have dated from some time within the year commencing 19th January zg A.D. It can be more particularly shown, however, that it was in the middle of the Israelitish year, i.e., in Autumn 29 A.D., that Jesus was baptised and his ministry began. Luke I : 5 states that John's father, Zacharias, was a priest of the course of Abia. On referring to I Chron. 24 : 5-19 we find that the priests were divided into 24 courses, Abia being the 8th in order. During the twelve months of the year, which according to the commandment of God began in Spring (Deut. 16 : I ; Exod. 12 : z), each course in its order would require to serve in the temple for two weeks. (For a similar arrangement see I Kings 4 : 7 ; also I Chron. 27 : 1-15). This would make Zacharias' term of office expire at the close of the 4th month. Luke I : 8-13 states that it was while Zacharias was " executing the priest's office in the order of his course," that an angel appeared and informed him that his wife would have a son whom he was to name John ; and verses 23 and 24 go on to say : " And it came to pass that as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own home. And after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived and hid herself five months." The succeeding verses show that at this time, at the commencement of the 6th month (i.e., at the commencement of the 10th month from the beginning of that year), the annunciation was made to the virgin Mary ; and that when " the days were accomplished that she should be delivered" (or g months later), she " brought forth her first-born son," Jesus (Luke 2 : 59
e).
According to the above Scriptural data Jesus was born in Autumn of the year 2 B.c., 18 months (4 4-5 + g =18) after the commencement of the (Israelitish) year, in which the angel appeared to Zacharias as he performed the priestly office in the order of his course ; and he was baptised 30 years later, in Autumn 29 A.D., or 5 months after John the Baptist began his ministry in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Czsar (See diagram, page 56).
Tlze Duratio~zof Jesus Christ's Migzistry Although it is difficult to gather definitely from the records of the Gospels alone what was the exact duration of Christ's ministry, the information found in the Old and New Testaments is sufficient to establish that period as 36 years. In the first three Gospels notes of time are not frequent ; but the Gospel of John carefully enumerates seven notes of time from the baptism to the crucifixion of Christ. Three of these are direct references to passovers, while a fourth passover appears to be referred to. These references are : (I) John
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the Jews' passover was a t hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem." there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem." the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh." before the feast of the passover, when Jesus kncw that his hour was come that he should depart out of the world unto the Father,"
The name of the feast mentioned in No. 2 is not specified, but it may safely be maintained to have been a passover, otherwise the interval between the passovers Nos. I and 3 would only be a year. But one year is altogether too short a period for the many events, including the three separate tours through the cities of Galilee, which the other Gospels show to have occurred during that interval. We believe that all the evidences warrant our counting the unnamed feast in John 5 : I to be a passover ; and in this case the duration of our Lord's ininistry 60
,
from his baptism in Autumn 29 A.D., till his death at the 4th passover when he was slain as the antitypical passover lamb, would be 34 years ; and the date of the crucifixion Spring 33 A.D. This is the date adopted by Ussher. (See further details in Vol. 11 of Great Pyramid Passages.)
T h e Great Pyramid Corroborates the Dates of Christ's Birth, Ba$tism, and Crzccijxion As the Law Age ended, and the Gospel Age began, at the first advent of Jesus Christ, it is confirmatory to find that the important dates of his birth, baptism and crucifixion are symmetrically indicated in the Great Pyramid by three connected points a t the upper end of the First Ascending Passage, where the Grand Gallery and Horizontal Passage begin. We have already seen that in the symbolisms of the Pyramid, we have in the Descending Passage a graphic representation of mankind during the course of the " Present Evil World " hastening downward to the Pit of destruction; and in the upward branching First Ascending Passage, effectually blocked at its lower end by the Granite Plug, we have a true symbolic picture of the Israelites' strenuous but unavailing efforts to gain life by the works of the law during the Law Dispensation. Both those with the law, and those without the law, the Apostle declares, fell short of the glory of God, and thus all alike were condemned to death, and none could by any means redeem his brother (Psa. 49 : 7 ; Rom. 3 : g, 10). Then came Jesus, crowned with glory and honour, that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man (Heb. 2 : 9). In him was no sin ; he was holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners. He was born into this world on a higher plane than the condemned race which he came to save ; and in him was life. Therefore, in the Great Pyramid's symbolical representations, Jesus was not born with the sons of Adam in the miry Pit of depravity and death, but far above in the Queen'sChamber condition of perfect human life. While the condition of human perfection is particularly symbolised by the Queen's Chamber, we must recognise that the " Plane " of human perfection in general is represented by 61
the level of the JEoor of the Queen's Chamber (See the diagram on page 62). When the floor-linc of the Queen's Chamber is produced northward it comcs in coiltact with the inclined floor of the First Ascending Passage. The fact that the Queen's Chamber floor-level is in this exact relative position to the upper end of the First Ascending Passage, makes it possible for the Pyramid to corroborate the Scriptural statement that Jesus, while " made of a woman," was also " made under the law " ; that is, as a perfect man, Jesus is represented as born on the level of the Queen's Chamber floor which syrnbolises the Planc of Human Perfection ; and as an Israelite, subject to the law, he is represented as born in the First Ascending Passage which symbolises the Law Age. Thus, the point of contact on the floor of the First Ascending Passage marks the date of the birth of Jesus, 2 B.C. ; and the measurements prove that the indication is exact. This is the Pyramid's method of showing the fulfilment of Isaiah's prophecy when, speaking as an Israelite to the people of Israel he proclaimed : For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given " (Isa. 9 : 6 ) . "
T h e 30 and 33* Inch-year Measureme~zts From the measurements of Professor C. Piazzi Smyth (practically confirmed by Professor Flinders Petrie) we can calculate that the floor-level of the Queen's Chamber is from 142 to 15 (14.8245 +Pyramid inches) vertically below the upper terminal of the floor of the First Ascending Passage. As the angle of the inclination of the passages is 26" 18' 9".7, we can find by the rules of trigonometry that the inclined distance from the point of contact spokcn of above, up to the end of the passage floor is, in round figures, 33+ inches, while the horizontal distance is 30 inches." That is to say, the point on the floor of the First Ascending Passage which we have seen toemark the date of Jesus' birth, is the starting-point of two time-
* The exact Pyramid-inch figures are: For the inclined distance 33.4553 +, and for the horizontal 29.9915 4-, Pyramid inches. I n round figures these represent 339, and 30, Pyramid inches. This time-feature is a development of that given in the companion book : T h e Great Pyramid : I f s Spirit~4alSymbolism, pages 92 and 93. 63
measurements which indicate two aspects of the earthly life of Jesus. For 30 years Jesus lived as a perfect man ; and then, on the invitation of God his Father, he presented his human life as a sacrificial offering on behalf of the world, covenanting to die the " just for the unjust "-I Pet. 3 : 18. Jesus symbolised this offering by his baptism at Jordan, and God demonstrated his acceptance of the sacrifice by begetting his Son through the operation of the Holy Spirit to a higher plane of being, the Divine spirit nature. Henceforth the heavenly Father did not regard his Son as in the flesh, but as a New Creature. This aspect of the earthly life of Jesus is represented by the horizontal measurement of 30 inches. I t is appropriate that the date of Jesus' baptism and begettal to the spirit nature, should thus be indicated at the point on the Queen's Chamber floor-level which is in vertical line with the beginning of the Grand Gallery (See the diagram on page 62) ; for the Grand Gallery symbolises the upward walk of the spirit-begotten, the condition of Jesus when, at 30 years of age, he presented his perfect human body a living sacrifice. The measurement of 33+ inches up the inclined floor-line of the First Ascending Passage represents the other aspect of Jesus' earthly life, namely, as an Israelite of the tribe of Judah, born under the law and bound to observe it in every particular so long as he lived. Jesus fulfilled the law, and by his sacrificial death on the cross at 338 years of age, he became a " curse " for the people of Israel, as it is written : " cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree " (Gal. 3 : 10, 13). '' Nailing " the law to his cross (Col. 2 : 14) he there made an end of its exacting requirements to all who exercised faith in him and accepted the high-calling of God in Christ Jesus (Rom. 10 : 4 ; John I : 11-13). This high-calling, which is so well symbolised by the lofty Grand Gallery, was first extended to the followers of Christ from the nation of Israel at Pentecost, shortly after his resurrection from the dead in Spring, 33 A.D.
SECTION VIII
T
HIS time-feature shows how the First Ascending Passage indicates the duration 01 the Law Dispensation, the exactly defined period during which the whole nation of Israel was subject to the Law. I t had its beginning at the Exodus f r o ~ nEgypt in Spring 1615 B.C. when the " Passover," a most important feature of the Law, was first observed (Exod. 12 : 40-43) ; and it ended in Spring 33 AD. when Jesus Christ, the antitypical Passover Lamb, was slain by the cruel ,11ldi j i ~ ~ o ~ r ~ 111('111od i ~ l i o ~ of ~ s~1-11cifixi011, ancl ilLtiledit [thc Law] a period of to liis cros5 " (I ('or. 5 : 7 ; Col. ;! : 14) - ;~ltogc~thcr 1647 years. The First Ascending Passage repi esents the exac Ling demands of the Mosaic Law in the Law Dispensation, while the Grand Gallery, with its lofty height, suggests on the contrary the liberty of the Law of Christ, the perfect Law of liberty in the Gospel Dispensation. The one ended and the other began at the death and resurrection of Christ. Accordingly, it is clear that in this time-feature the line where these two passages meet marks the date of the crucifixion. This ti~nc-measurement, therefore, like the one already considered (Sec. VII) confirins the clairn that the north wall of the Grand Gallery marks the date of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, 33 AD.* One would naturally expect that the date of the commencement of the Law Dispensation would be indicated by the " Point of Intersection " where the First Ascending Passage leaves tllc Descending Passage ; because it was at the time "
* I n all the prulcipal time-features this is rccognised ; b u t we find othcs dates in connection t h a t in sonic less importa.nt time-~i~ea.surcments, with tllc First Advent of Christ are liliewise indicated by the line of tleniatltation hetmeen the First Ascending Passage and t h e Grand Gallery. E= 65
when the people of Israel left Egypt (the world-symbolised by the downward passage) that the Law was made with them through Moses. But here a difficulty is encountered; for whereas the duration of the Law Dispensation is 1647 years, the full length of the First Ascending Passage which symbolises that Dispensation is only 1543.464 + Py~amidinches, i.e., about 1034 Pyramid inches too short.* At first sight it would seein as if this Biblical period was not corroborated by the Great Pyramid. The late Charles T. Russell, however, in his Vol. I11 of Studies i n the Scrifitzaes, pointed out that the length of the Granite Plug was evidently intended by the Pyramid's Architect to he used in the calculations of this time-measurement.
The evcnt which formed the beginning of this Lmu, period was not the Exodus " (though it did occur at the same date as the Exodus) but the ordinance of the " Passover," the first feature of the Law, and a very important one (Exod. 12 : 1-28, 40-43). What could be more approyriale as the starting-point fc:: the length of the First Ascending Passage when considered in its particular symbolical representation of the Law Dis-
pensation, than the " Granite Plug " which in itself stands as the symbol of the Divine Law, and which effectually blocks this way that was " ordained to life " ? If, then, we take the length of the First Ascending Passage upward from the lower end of the Granite Plug, and to this add the length of the Plug itself, thus giving due weight to this
"
* TlTe shall find, nevertheltss, in other time-measurements, described in Vol. I1 of Great Pyrallzid Passages, that the lower end of the First Ascending Passage does indicate the date of the Exodus, as wcll as other prominent datcs connected with the people of Isracl. 66
T l i e lower butt-end o f the G r a n i t e P l u g which blocks the entrance of the First Ascending P a s s a g e of the G r e a t P y r a m i d o f G i z e h , as uiewed f r o m f h e Descending Passage
important symbol of the Divine Law, we shall find that the total measurement in Pyramid inches agrees with the period. of years during which the Old Law Covenant was in force. (The actual number of Pyramid inches in this extended length of the First Ascending Passage is 1647.325 +, or about a 3rd of an i ~ ~ ( : lover l the exact 1647.) 67
Nor is this a chance coincidence, for other time-measurements having a connection with the Divine Law of God require the same method of calculating. As C. T. Russell rightly said : " We now know why that ' Plug ' was so securely fixed that none had succeeded in displacing it. The Great Master-Builder had placed it there to stay, that we might hear its testimony to-day corroborating the Bible, as to both its plan and its chronology."
In fact, we find that the measures of every part of the Great Pyramid, both exterior and interior, are definitely related to each other through sorne appropriate proportion, and it is by this geometrical and inathematical methocl that the monument proves its own varied dimensions. The results of actual, practical, measuring in the building itself by careful measurers during the past 70 years agree, to within small fractions of an inch, with the results of the scientific, proportionate, calculations.
T h e " Extended " Length of the First Ascending Passage .is Pro@ortionate to the W h o l e Pyramid By the extended length of the First Ascending Passage, we mean the length of the passage from the upper, south, terminal down the floor-line to the lower end of the Granite Plug, plus the length of the Granite Plug. As the total number of inches in the sum of these two lengths is 1647.325086+, while the floor-length of the passage, from the " Point of Intersection " to the upper endis shorter, namely, 1543 a464245 + inches, the former may therefore be called the extended length of this passage. I t is evident that the precise number of inches in the First Ascending Passage's extended length depends not only on the length of the Granite Plug, but also on the exact position it occupies in the passage. Both the length, and the position, of the Granite Plug are related proportionately to the dimensions of the whole Pyramid. We have already drawn attention (in the Scientijc Features companion book) to the proportionate relationship between the floor-length of the First Ascending Passage, and the floorlength of the Grand Gallery, through the medium of the dayduration of the synodic month. For when we multiply the Grand Gallery length by the days in the synodic month, and divide the result by 36, we get the First Ascending Passage length. The Grand Gallery itself is based proportiorlately upon the dimensions of the King's Chamber through the medium of the day-duration of the solar tropical year ; while the dimensions of the Icing's Cllarrlber is based upon the size and detailed measures of the whole Pyramid, through the medium of the polar axial length of the earth, the solar tropical year duration, and other related scientific features. 68
T h e upper south end, and portion of the west side, of the Gronife Plug mhich completely blocks the lower end of the First Ascending Passage in the Great Turamid of Gizeh
Because of the close agreement between the figures of the practical measurers (as, for instance, the published figures of Professor C. Piazzi Smyth, and W. M. Flinders Petrie, as well as our own-See Vol. I of Great Pyramid Passages), and because in nearly every dimension a close mean of these practical measures agrees with the scientific deductions, we can have confidence that the measurements we use throughout this book and the companion books of the series are as near to the truth as we can hope for. 69
T h e Length of the Gralzite Plug The length of the Granite Plug is proportionate to the dimensions of the whole Pyramid in this way: When we add together the four side-lengths of the building's square Socketlevel base, and the four outside arris-edges, from the Socketlevel base up the corners to the apex, and divide the sum of these eight straight lines by a round 400, we get the length of the Granite Plug. This length, as we have said elsewhere, is 1 7 8 1892 + Pyramid inches. Professor Flinders Petrie measured the Granite Plug more accurately than Professor C. Piazzi Smyth (for the latter confessed that we did not attach more than moderate reliance upon his own figures, as the Plug is " so very difficult and roundabout to measure "). The measure of Professor Petrie is only about an 8th part of an inch different from the figure given above ; and under the circumstances, because of the difficulty of securing accurate practical measures, this small difference is negligible. Like nearly all of the Pyramid's scientific measurements, this Granite Plug length is confirmed many times by other features.
Th,e Position of the Gralzite Plug As for the position of the Granite Plug in the First Ascending Passage, we find that the measurements connected with this are appropriate to the length of the Granite Plug, as well as appropriate to the symbolical significance of the passage. Without entering into all the details, we here present the main features. We have seen how, if we reckon a round 400 inches for each inch in the length of the Granite Plug, we get a total of inches equal to the sum of the Pyramid's four Socket-level base-side lengths, plus the four corner arris-line lengths. The length of the Granite Plug is therefore not only proportionate, through the medium of the number 400, to the actual outside size of the whole Pyramid, but also to the very shape of the building, namely, the ii-shape, or that precise shape which gives to the monument's vertical height the same proportion to its square base, as the radius of the circle has to the circumference.
70
The number 400 is one of the factors which determines the exact, theoretical, position of the Granite I'lug, though not this time as a multiplying (or dividing) number, but as a number to be added. Thus, when we add a round 400 inches to esactly 6 times the length of the Granite Plug, the resultant sum is equal to the number of inches between the upper end of the First Ascending Passage, down the floor-line to the lower, or northern, end of the Granite Plug. Therefore, if we add 400 inches to 7 times the Granite Plug length, we have the " extended " length of the First Ascendillg Passage, or that length which, as C. T. Russell pointed out, enables this First Ascending Passage to corroborate the duration of the 1,aw Age of Israel, from Spring of the year 1615 B.C. when the first feature of the Law was given, namely, the Passover, till Spring of the year 33 A . D . when Jesus Christ, the antitypical Passover Lamb of God was slain, and by his sacrificial death brought the Law to an end to all such as had faith.
T h e SigniJicance of the Nz~mbevs7 and 400 Tlle fact that the Granite Plug length iliust be multiplied by 7, the perfect number, and 400 added to yield the necessary number of inches to enable the First Ascending Passage to agree in length with the years of the Law Age, this may be regarded as appropriate to the symbolism of the passage ; for one of the prornincnt featurcs of the Law is the 7th day, and 7th year, sabbath, which thc pcople of Israel were enjoined to obscrve. The number 7, also, represents perfection in general, just as 10 represents completeness. I t was on the 10th day of the 7th month of their ecclesiastical year that the Israelites were commanded to observe as the great atonement day ; and on this same day every 50th year, counting from the year they entered into the Holy Idand, the priest blew the trllmpet of jubilee, and proclaimed liberty throughout all the land. The number 6 seems to be more particularly identified with man in his imperfection, although it has another significance, as we shall refer to later. The roth part of 400, i.e., 40, is a Scriptural number, and in most instances where this number is used, either as clays
7I
and nights, or years, trial or tcsting is associated with it, directly or indirectly. Powers of the number 40, that is, as we have seen, 400, dnd also 4000, and 40,ooo are connected wit11 the First Ascellding Passage in some of the scientific features. The whole of the Law Age of Israel which the First Ascending Passage so well symbolises was essentially an Age of trial and testing. Owing to their imperfection the people of Israel were unable to pass the exacting requirements of the Law ; and the I.aw therefore blocked the way to life, just as the Granite Plug blocks the way up the First Ascending Passage which represents a way to life. But the perfect Marl Christ Jesus passed every trial and test which his heavenly Father saw good to subject him to. We read that for 40 days he was tempted of the Devil in the wilderness, and that the Devil had to leave him at last, being unable t o shake the iaitlr and loyalty of our Lord. The length of the First Ascending Passage, its extended length, and the length of the Granite Plug, are all corroborated a number of times by the Pyramid's scientific proportions (which will be more fully dealt with in the 3rd volume of Great Pymmid Passages). We therefore adhere to these particular lengths, considering them to be the standards, or correct theoretical measures. But, as we have pointed out several times, agreeably with Professor C. Fiazzi Smyth, it is probable that the Pyramid's Designer intended that other measures for the various parts of his monument sllould be used in the calculations, these other measures being, however, within narrow limits. For a passage may measure longer along one side than along the other, as, for instance, the Descending Passage, which from the " Point of Intersection " downwards is longcr on the west side than on the east. There is, of course, a reason for these slight ranges of measure, to some of which we refer in the Scientific Featzwes book.
D ~ n a i rily~ K. Vaughn?'
T h e large couity excauated rou,;d fbe western side of !be Granite P l u g in the Great P y r a m i d of Gizeh, excaoafed by Caliph A 1 Ayamoun in 820 J . D . This cavily co,~nectsthe Descending Passoge with !he lower end of the First A s c e n d i n g Possoge
SECTION I X
The other way into the Grand Gallery is the Well-shaft, which symbolises the death and resurrection, i.e., the ransomsacrifice, of the Lord Jesus Christ. I t is by this way, faith ill the ransom-sacrifice, that the Gentiles havc passed from the Plane of Condemnation represented by the Descending Passage, up to the Plane of Human Perfection represented by the level
THE GOSPELAGE : CALLA N D TRIALO F CHRIST'S" BOIW"
T
HE Gospel Age is the continuation of the Law Covenant Age in point of timc ; yet there is great difference between them, evrn as the Grand Gallery which symbolises the Age of Grace, although in direct upward continuation of the First Ascending Passage which symbolises the Age of Bondage, differs from it in most other respects. We have already fully described the symbolisms by which the Grand Gallery represents the upward walk of tlzose who partake with Christ in the high-calling of God (See the Spii~itztalSymbolis~rc book). The total length of this passage in Pyramid inches corroborates our understanding of the Scriptural teaching regarding the complete period of the Gospel 4gt.. The Two W a j ~ sof gaining the Grand Gallery There are two modes of entrance to the Grand Gallcry. The most direct is the First Ascending Passage up which the people of Isracl, typically clcanscd through the atonement-day sacrifices, are represented as going. Those who had faith in the ransom-sacrifice and thus received Jesus as their Saviour, passed directly from Moses into Christ. They accepted the special privilege of the Gospel Age (John I : 11-13) and, figuratively, followed Christ up the Grand Gallery. The majority of the nation who rejected him, however, were turned aside into the Well-shaft ; that is, because of their blind unbelief they lost the opportunity of the Age of Grace, ancl were cast into the hndaan condition. For although the Well-shaft particularly syrnbolises the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it also symbolises hades or the death-state in the wider sense. Christ's soul was not left in hades (Acts 2 : 27).
of the Queen's Chamber floor. They are not actually perfect, but are " justified by faith " (Rom. 5 : I) and " accepted in the beloved " (Eph. I : 6). If they now comply with the request to present their bodies a living sacrifice (Rom. 12 : I), and so accept the " High-Calling," they are urged to forget those
74
75
T h e lower end o f the Grand G a l l e r y i n the G r e a t P y r a m i d of Gizeh, looking south; showing the two R o m p s oscendirig on each side of the floor
things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3 :13, 14).
,
and their exaltation with thelr Head, will come the conclusion of this Gospel Age. This, we believe, will coincide with the end of the " Times of the Gentiles," Autumn of the year I914 A.D. (See No. 3 on page 24).
T h e Beginnifig of the Gos+el Age With the exception of these few followers of Christ, the whole world of mankind on their downward way pass the lower mouth of the Well, the ransom-sacrifice of Christ, without seeing it, or if they do they have no faith in it as a way of escape to the upper passages of life. To the Jew it is a cause of stumbling, and to the Gentile it appears to be foolishness (I Cor. I : 23). Jesus was called from his birth, in the sense that he was born into this world for the purpose of accepting the call to sacrifice when the due time should come ; and this as we have seen was at his baptism (Sec. VII). But although the " Call " began there so far as Jesus was concerned, it was not until after his resurrection that the " new and living way was opened up, first to the people of Israel, and afterwards to the Gentiles. Good men, like John the Baptist, who died prior to the actual paynlellt ol the ransom by meails of the precious blood, could not have part in this high-calling (Matt. 11 : 11). I t was not until Jesus ascended and presented the merit of his sacrifice to the Father, that the Call was extended to the illembers of the Body of Christ. The first to take advantage of the Call were the Disciples at Pentecost (Acts 2 : 1-18) ; and on these, in token of his acceptance of them, God poured out his Holy Spirit, just as 34 years before he had poured it upon his beloved Son Jesus at Jordan. The exact day when the Holy Spirit first descended upon the members of Christ's Body, was foreshadowed in the types of the law (Lev. 23 : 4-17). The privilege to suffer with Jesus Christ and to be on trial for a place in the Body, which began to close in 1878 A . D . , will continue until the last member has completed his course.* But with the completion of the membership of the Body, and the completion of their testing as to faithf~ilnessunto death, "
* See Statdies in the Scriptures, b y C . T . Russell, Vol. 11, chap. 7 ; Vol. III., chap. 6 . 76
T h e " F e e t " Members of the Body of Christ, and their W o r k The above paragraphs appeared in the 1913 edition of the 2nd volume of Great Pyralnid Passages. While we believe we are right in maintaining that all the members of the Body of Christ are not yet joined to their Head, Jesus Christ, in glory as spirit beings, their activity as " feet " members in publishing the glad tidings, in publishing salvation by proclaiming that " Millions now living will never die," and in declaring that tlze veign of Christ i s now begun, can be said to have been legally due since 1914 A.D. To quote the late C. T. Russell: " I t is to this mission of the ' feet,' or last members of the Church, who will declare upon the mountains (kingdoms) the reign of Christ begun, that Isaiah 52 : 7 refers." " A great and important work, then, is given to the remaining members : Kingdom work it is indeed, and accompanied also by Kingdom joys and blessings. Although yet in the flesh and pursuing their appointed work at the expense of self-sacrifice, and in the face of much opposition, these are already entering into the joys of their Lord,-the joy of a full appreciation of the divine plan and of the privilege of working out that plan, and, in conjunction with their Lord and Redeemer, of offering everlasting life and blessings to all the families of the earth ." We read that " the Lord knoweth them that are His." From the date of our Lord's death and resurrection, Spring ol the year 33 A.D., till the date when he took up his great power and began to reign at the completion of the Seven Times of the Gentiles, Autumn 1914 A.D., is a period of 18816 years. This period is corroborated by the total length of the Grand Gallery which represents the Gospel Age ; for the Pyramid-inch distance along the floor-line, from the north wall which convincingly marks the date 33 A.D., up to the virtual floor-end at the vertical 77
line of the upper south wall, is 1881.598 +, that is, practically 18814 Pyramid inches. This measurement is confirmed in so many distinct ways by the scientific features of the Great Pyramid, that we cannot doubt its accuracy and intentional design. Jehovah, the Great Master Architect of the Pyramid, so designed the dimensions of the monument, that it might monumentalize the date 1914 A . D . not once, but many times over, that we should have confidence in the wonderful events connected with that year. The most important of these is that Christ, " whose right it is," begail his reign as earth's invisible King (Ezek. 21 : 25-27).
I
I
"'
HORIZONTAL
PASSAGE .
PLANE OF HUMAN PERFECTION
\
\-. \\
..
SECTION X
w
HILE thc First Ascending Passage represents the experiences of the nation of Israel under the exacting requirements of the old Law Covenant, syinbolising the hopelessness of that commandment which, although " ordained to life," was found to be in reality unto death because of inherent sin (Rom. 7 : 10) ; and while the Grand Gallery represents in its symbohsm the experiences of those who have the necessary faith in Christ during the Gospel Age, there is another passage-way in the Grcat Pyrainicl which illustrates the experiences of the world of mankind in general during the entire seven thousand years, from the time of Adam till the end of Christ's Millennia1 reign, namely, the Horizontal Passage which leads to the Queen's Chamber. And just as the lengths of the two Ascending Passages indicate the durations of the Law and Gospel Ages, so, proportionately, the length of the Horizontal Passage agrees with the complete period of 7000 years. God's faithful witnesses in all ages have believed that ultimately Jehovah will reward the righteous because of their faith in Him, and punish evildoers. But the time has seemed long, and their cry has been : " How long, 0 Lord ? " Yet the Apostle says that " the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, . . . but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance " (2 Pet. 3 : 9). " fIave I any pleasure at all that the wickcd should die ? said the Lord God : and not that he should return from his ways and live ? " (Ezek. 18 : 2 3 ) . For this reason, therefore, that the wickcd might learn by bitter experience the sure results of evil-doing, and then be given an opportunity to return and learn righteousness that they may live, the Lord has been longsuffering with the fallen race of mankind. For 79
6000 years God permitted evil to predominate, because, we read, " he hath appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained," the Lord Jesus Christ whom he raised from the dead (Acts 17 : 30, 31). This " day " that God has appointed is the 7th 1000-year period since the time of Adam ; and in it mankind will experience the effects of well-doing, in contrast to the effects of evil-doing during the preceding six 1000-year periods. For we also read that, " when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness " (Isa. 26 : 9) ; and, " I n his days shall the righteous flourish."
namely, the Ransom-sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who is spolien of as " the Lainb of God, which taketh away the sin of the woi-ltl," having been " foreordained before the foundation of the world," and " slain from the foundatior, of the world" (John I : 29 ; I Pet. I : 19, 20 ; Rev. I3 : 8). The Queen's Chamber at the further, southern, end of the passage synlbolises the perfect human life to which all incn will attain by the end of the Rilillennial Age, as the result 01 tlie work of Christ.
How tJze Length of the Norizo~ztalPassage Indicates the Period of 7000 Yeavs of the World's History The whole tenor of the Scriptures shows that the Lord designed the long period of 7000 years for rnan's ultirnatc everlasting benefit, that he might by experiences learn good and evil, and, if he is rightly exercised by these experiences choose righteousness and live. Thus there is hope for mankind, because God who is the Saviour specially of thosc who believe, is also the Saviour of all me11 ; and he willeth that all men shall be saved and come to the l~nowledgeof the truth (See I Tim. 2 : 4 ; 4 : 10). If they remain loyal and obehent to the righteous Judge they will live forever in the earthly hom which the loving Creator has prepared for them ; for the earth, which " abideth for ever," was made to be inhabited (Eccles. I : 4 ; Psa. 119 : go ; Isa. 45 : 18). The Horizontal Passage to the Queen's Chamber illustrates this hopeful condition of mankind. The upper mouth of the symbolical Well-shaft at the northern cominencenlent of thc passage represents that which is thc foundation of all hope, 80
T l i e enlrance o f the Horizorltal P a s s a g e leading lo the zueerl's C h a n ~ b e ri r ~the G r e a t P y r a m i d o f G i z e h ; showing &he s h e e r - c i i t - 0 3 o f the G r a n d G a l l e r y jloor ( C o m p a r e with the d i a g r a m on page 8 0 )
The method by which the Horizontal Passage shows the period of 7000 years is partly by its symbolism, and partly by the proportionate measures of its length. Tlle simple length of the passage itself could not sllow the 7000-year inierval from Adam's creation and fall, to the end of ilie Millennium, for it is only about 1521: Pyramid inches. I t is here, therefore, p2 81
where both the proportions of the length, and the symbolism, are necessary ; and by taking advantage of these the representation is complete and convincing. The Queen's-Charnber end of the Horizontal Passage is about 21 inches morc in height between floor and roof, than the major part of its length ; and this final, southward, section is to a close approximation one-seventh of the total length of the passage. Because the first 6/7ths is less than four feet between floor and roof, thus compelling the man of average stature to bow his head and back considerably when progressing towards the Queen's Chamber, this pictures the condition of the human race during the first 6/7ths of the world's history. While mankind has been " subjected in hope " by God for 6000 years, during which, the Apostle tells us, they have bcen waiting with earnest expectation for the manifestation of the sons of God, they have also been " subject to frailty," bowed down and labouring under sin and degradation, and longing for the promised deliverance (See Iiom. 8 : 19-22). '' For we know," continues the Apostle, " that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now " ; but that it shall be " delivcred from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God." The time when this carnestly expected deliverance will take ~ l a c cis in the 7th 1000-year period, called by the Apostle " the times of restitution of all things." The final 7th part of the length of the Horizontal Passage, owing to its greater height because of the 21-inch drop in the floor-level, well represents the greater freedom of the Millennia1 Age. The original Adamic condemnation will then be removed, and under the terms of the New (Law) Covenant the great Mediator, Christ, will restoie men to that upright condition lost by Adam through his disobedience in the beginning. The floor-to-ceiling height of this fiilal 7th of the pasage gives just enough head-room for the man of average stature, that is, about 5 feet 8 inches. But after passing out of the passage into the seven-sided Queen's Chamber, there is abundance of head-room, symbolising thc glorious 11bcrty of the perfect inan after the restitutioil work of Christ and his joint-heirs of thc IGngclom is accomplished. (See the illustration of this final part of the passage on page 85.) 82
3
T h e Length of tlze Horizontal Passage i s Geometrically Exact As explained elsewhere the total length of the Horizontal Passage leading to the Queen's Chamber is related, by a proportion, to the dimensions of the King's Chamber, and to the number of days in the Lunar or Synodic month. For when we inultiply the cubic diagonal of the King's Chamber by the dayvalue of the synodic month, and divide the result by 10, which is the Pyramid's basic number, we get the length of the Horizontal Passage, namely, 1521.3114f Pyramid inches. This, the correct theoretical length, is the mean of the practical measures secured by Professors Smyth and Petrie, and by ourselves as described in paragraphs 588 to 591 in Vol. I of
Great Pyramid Passages. In the symbolisms, the moon, as represented in the duration of the lunar month, is symbolical of the Law, which mankind will gradually be enabled to observe perfectly under the better conditions of the New Covenant. The King's Chamber is symbolical of the Kingdom of Christ, under the beneficent rule of which the restored world will be instructed in righteousness, and so attain to the Queen's-Chamber condition of perfect human life. I t is therefore in keeping with the approved symbolisms of the Pyramid that the day-duration of the synodic month, and the chief dimension of the King's Chamber (the cubic diagonal) should so wonderfully yield the figures which agree with the measured length of the Horizontal Passage. There is nothing forced, eitlier iri tlle interpretation of the symbolisms of the building, or in the mathematical calculations, in this feature. Even in the proportions of 6/7ths and 1/7th into which this Horizontal Passage is divided, there is a fitness to the mathematical accuracy of the whole monument. For although the final scction of thc passagc at the Quecn's Chamber end is, as we have said, only a close approximation to a 7th part of the total length, yet this section is so balanced to the longer sectioll that it does show the exact 7th part by the following method : This method taltcs into account thc Pyramid's basic number 10, which is the complete number, in addition to the perfect 83
number 7. From the total Pyramid-inch length of the Horizontal Passage deduct the complete number 10. Divide the remainder by the perfect number 7, and we have the precise length of the final, southern, section of the passage, namely, 215.9016 + Pyramid inches. The difference between Professor C. Piazzi Smyth's practical ineasui-e for this final section, and our own practical measure, is less than a 20th part of an inch, and a close mean between these two practical measnres is the one required by thc illathematical and proportionate theory, as detailed above.
7040 years, froin tlic fall of Adam till thir final test llpon il~anlrind is accomplr\hcd, ii tlmr; inrlicated in t l ~ cSriipturt-s. 711e date of the end of the long ~ ~ e r i oofd 7010 years will therefore bc, 2914 A.D., which will complete 2915 years from the date of thc birth of the " Man Christ Jesur " in Rethlehem (Al~tumnof the year 2 B.c.).
The Horizorttal Passage artd the 7040 Years' Period We read in Iievelation 20 : 3 that Satan is to remain bound in the " bottomless pit " for the 1000 years, that he should deceive the nations no more till the 1000 years are fulfilled ; but that " after that he must be loosed a little season." Further, in verses 7 and 8, the Revelator says : " And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the iiations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle : the number of whom is as the sand of the sea." By the end of the times of restitution, the thousand years of the Millennium, all mankind will have been restored to that degree of perfection which should enable them t o withstand the deceptions' of thc liberated evll one ; and as the general resurrection will then be complete, the nations, or peoples, will be as the sand of the sea for multitude. All the loyal a t heart will pass this final test which the loosiilg of Satan will bring upon the restored world, and will live on into the " Ages of glory " to follow. Those who provc themselves disloyal and lacking in love for God and neighbour, as is required by the perfect law, will be destroyed by the " fire " which will come down from God out of heaven (Rev. 20 : 9). This final " little season,'' which comes after the 1000-year period, will probably be a short spacc of 40 years, as seems to be indicated by the harmony of the timc-parallels shown on pages 24 and 25 (See particularly No. 3). A total period of
The Horizontal Passage to the Queen's Chamber is related by a mathematical proportion, and by a method of calculating clraracteristic of the Great Pyramid, to this 7040 measilre.
84
35
T h e doorway of the Horizontol Passage in the north wall of the cueen's Chamber in the Great 'Pyramid of G i z e h ; showing [he 21-inch drop in the floor of the passage, and the corlsequent greater headroom in !his fino1 par! o f tlre passage (Compare wilh the diagram on page 8 0 )
The length of the Horizontal Passage, as we have seen, is connected proportionately to the dimensims of the Icing's Chamber, and to the day-value of tlie Lunar month. As the Icing's Chamber's dimensions are in their turn related to the day-value of the solar tropical year (as is explained fully in the companion book entitled : T h e Great Pyramid : Its ScientiJic Features), we see that both the sun and the moon, as represented by the solar year and the lunar month, are symbolically connected with the Horizontal Passage through the medium of numbers, i.e., numbers of days, and numbers of inches. We have already drawn attention to the symbolical significance spoken of. The total length of the Horizontal Passage, 1521.3114 + Pyramid inches, is much too small to agree by any direct calculation with a 7040-inch measure. But its length is so exactly balanced with all the other dimensions of the Pyramid, and with the building's scientific indications of the solar and lunar years, and with the mathematical ratio 7 , that the 7040-year period is shown to be connected with this passage by the following method of calculating : When we add to the Horizontal-Passage length of 1521.31142 + Pyramid inches, the same number of inches as there are days in the lunar year (of 12 lunar, or synohc, months, 354.36706 +), and also the same number of inches as days in the solar tropical year (365.24219 + ), and regard the sum of these three exact numbers as being the diameter of a circle, we find that the circumference of this circle is practically an even 7040 Pyramid inches. This circumference measures little more than a 20th part of an inch over the precise 7040. (The HorizontalPassage length in inches, added to the nunlber of days in the solar and lunar years, yields the sum of 2240.9206 +. This sum viewed as the inch-diameter of a circle, and multiplied by the ratio T , gives for the circumference of that circle 7040.0599 + inches.).
SECTION XI
T
HERE can be said to be more than one length for the Descending Passage, for this passage is divided into definite sections throughout its total length by prominent structural details. For instance, there is existing evidence that the Descending Passage had two north beginnings. The first one was (for it is now missing) at the surface of the original casing-stones that covered all the northern flank of the building. Owing to the stripping-off of the pristirie casing of the monument, this outer commencement of the Descending Passage has disappeared. But the few casing-stones which still remain at the northern foot of thc building, standing in their original places almost exa.ctly below the entrance of the Descending Passage, make it possible for us to determine within close limits where the doorway of the Descending Passage lay in ancient times. We term this north-commencement of the Descending Passage floor-line : The Ancient Entrance. Rut the masonry which forms the present north edge ol Lhe Descending Passage floor-line, has the appearance of having been intended by the Pyramid's designer to constitute another, second, corriinenceinent to the passage. The particular structural feature which presents this appearance of ariotfier floor-beginning is an extensive sheet of masonry, 30 inches thick, and nleasuring 33 feet wide from cast to west, down the central liue of which the floor of the passage runs. That is to say, this broad sheet of stone, starting from where the Descending Passage now begins, slopes downward into the solid masonry of the building, preserving (so far as we can judge) a width of 33 feet, and extending from the outside of the building dowri to the rock-level. And down the middle of this great inclined 87
sheet of masonry, which Professor C. Piazzi Smyth named the D?sccnding Passage " Enseincnt-shcct," tllc passage's walls wcre laid at n e ~ i l ythrcc. xrrd a h:df feet apart ; and or1 top of th?.;c walls imillensc roof itonrs wcrc then plxcrtl. This method of construction lnade the masonry of the Descending Passage very solid and enduring.
C o l . Howard Vyse's historic Cosing-stones in the middle of the northern hase of the G r e a t T y r o m i d of Gizeh
The " Basement-sheet " of the Descending Passage, therefore, forms a distinct part of the Pyramid's design, and Professor Smyth was of the opinion that it did not extend further outward toward the exterior line of the casing of the building than it does a t present. Therefore the northern edge of the Basementsheet. at the point where the Descending Passage commences, 89
forms another, distinct, floor-beginning for this pnssngc. TII(~ masonry which originally lay beyond this, betwcen ill(: I)I'P.(-III Hoor-commencenient of the passage and the anciei~t111111;~11(1' beginning, must have been arranged in a different stylc, ;I.; is natural to suppose, seeing that the casing-stone surface was comparatively near. Professor Flinders Yetrie believed that t l ~ c ancient Entrance was originally closed by a pivoted stone door ; and this is probable. In the Pyramid's symbolical and scientific features both of these floor-beginnings are repeatedly recognised. And these two floor-beginnings of the Descending Passage are related to each other by harmonious proportions, proving, by tlie Pyramid's own method of proof, that both are intentional details of the whole system of dimensions which bind all sections of the monument together. The opinion of Professor Smyth that the north edge of the Descending Passage Basement-sheet, where the floor of the passage begins at present, is an originally intended feature of the Pyramid's design, is thus fully supported. We shall refer to some of these symmetric proportions later.
Lower Termirtals of Descending Passage At the lower end of the Descending Passage, which, with the Subterranean Chamber or Pit, is hewn out in the solid rock, there are a number of points where measured-lengths of the passage terminate. These points we may number for clearness : (I) The end of the inclined floor-line, at the point of junction with the Small Horizontal Passage. ( 2 ) The end of the Small Horizontal Passage at the line of the north wall of the Pit. (3) The end of the floor-line of the Small Horizontal Passage which juts into the Pit, five inches southward beyond the north wall of the Pit. (This third terminal is a very important one in the Pyramid's teaching.) (4) The point which is vertically below No. 3, on the produced line of the inclined floor of the Descending Passage. This No. 4 terminal for the Descending Passage is, of course, a virtual floor-ending only, and not actual. But it is a termination which we can recognise, seeing that it is in direct continuation of the inclined floor-line of the passage, just as if the passage had been cut right downward at thc snlnc 91
steep angle through the rock. I t is also exactly, vertically, bclow thc tcrtllination of the Small Horizontal Passage floor, which, as we said, juts into the Pit five inches. Therefore, No. 4 terminal can be said to mark the end of the longest possible straight-lined length for the Descending Passage, beginning from the ancient Entrance. And this longest measure is, as we shall see, a very important one in the Great Pyramid.
The
"
Point of 1~8tersection"
The point where the First Ascending Passage branches upward froin the Descending Passage, called for convenience the " Point of Intersection," because the floor-lines of the two passages intersect each other here, naturally forms a definite divisionalline in the total length of the Descending Passage. Therefore, from the outside Entrance down to the " Point of Intersection " is often named the Entrance Passage ; and from the " Point of Intersection " downward toward the Pit is named, for distinction, the Descending Passage. This lower reach of the passage is an important section, and is in a sense representative of the whole passage.
I
L SECTION
(mou N-m m
-OF
Soorn~oonincWrJrlSnzwm~c JUNCTION
P A 5 S A C E . A N D FIRST ASCENDING
PASSACL
-.--.....
*...r --
~-
J
The Symbolical S,zgniJica~zcea.nd Le~zgtlz of the Desceading Passage The length of a passage, expressed in earth-commensurable inch-units, that is, in Pyramid inches, is in itself a necessary part of the symbolical meaning of the passage. I t is often said that " figures can tall:! " I t is ccrtain that the row of figures which express the lengths of the Great Pyramid's interior passage-ways do talk clearly, telling us what part each passage plays in the building's corroboration of the Biblical Plan of thc Ages. Such figures are by no means " dry." It is worth while t o understand them. Let us see what the longest straightlined measurement of the Descending Passage lias to tell us regarding an intercsting feature of tlle Lord's Plan of Salvation. First, as regalds the numbel- of inches in the loilgest straightlined measure of the Descending Passage : This number is equal to the exact 10th part of the sum of : (I) the days in 120 solar tropical years, and ( 2 ) the inches in the Queen's Chamber Horizontal-Passage length. (The days in 120 solar years number 43,829.0638 + ; and the Horizontal Passage, which leads to the Queen's Chamber, measures 1521.3114+ inches. The sum of these two numbers, when divided by 10, the Pyramid's basic number, is the precise length of the Descending Passage, froin the ancient Entrance north beginning of the floor, to the terminal of the produced inclined floor, a t that point on this produced line, No. 4 in the diagram, which is vertically in alignment with the end of the Small Horizontal Passage floor, five inches beyond the line of the north wall of the Pit. This, the longest straight-lined length of the Descending Passage, measures 4535.0375 + Pyramid inches.) Secondly, the length of the Small Horizontal Passage leading to the Pit, taking its longest measure to the terminal of the actual floor five inches beyond the Pit's north wall, is proportionate to the length of that section of the Descending Passage which runs between the " Point of Intersection" a t the junction of the First Ascending Passage, and the lower end of the inclined floor itself, where the Small Horizontal Passage begins. This proportion is shown through the inedium of a right-angled triangle, namely, that triangle formed by the produced Descending 93 .
Passage inclined floor-line as the hypotenuse, the vertical line of the terminal of the Small Horizontal Passage floor as the perpendicular, and the horizontal line from the lower end of the inclined floor of the Descending Passage, which is parallel with the Small Horizontal Passage floor, as thc base. Thc area of this right-angled triangle, thc sizc of wllicll is altogether
T h e Descending Passage o f the Great 'i'lramid of S i r e h as oiewed b o r n the lower end o f the Well-shaft, looking eastward
D l p i v n by K. V,zr~&,hiha,z
T h e nor~h-east coi-rler of !he roclpcut Sublerrunean Chamber, or Pit, in the G r e a t P y r a m i d o f S i z e h , showing the square doorway o f the S m a l l Horizontal Passage by which entrance is gained t o the chalnber
dependent upon the floor-length of Llle Small Horizontal r to the Passage, when divided by 10, yields the n ~ ~ m b eequal length of the lower reach of the Descending Passage, 3034.5010 + Pyramid inches. The complete floor-length of the Small Horizontal Passage is 350.4031 +Pyramid inches, to the end of the five inch projection illto the Pit. 95
-
The floor-lengths given above are correct according to the actual, practical, measures taken in the Great Pyramid by us in 1909 and 1912. The total mean measurement of the inclined floor of the Descending Passage, which we secured in these years and published in Vol. I1 of Great Pyramid Passages, is barely a 100th part of an inch different from the abovementioned standard lengths for this passage. The figures are therefore authentic. The fact that the total, or longest, straight-lined length of the Descending Passage agrees with the number of days in 120 solar tropical years, and with the length of the Horizontal Passage to the Queen's Chamber (when the sum of these two numbers is divided by IO), is appropriate to the symbolical meaning of this downward passage. For symbolically the Descending Passage represents the downward course of the fallen human race, from the time when father Adam brought sin and death into the world through his disobedience, till now. The whole human family has been born on the downward course, and have been hastening to the pit of death, represented in the Great Pyramid by the Subterranean Chamber. None have been found worthy to give himself a ransom for his brother, that he might redeem him from the death-sentence. As the Scriptures declare, there is none righteous, no, not one ; for all have coule short 01 the gloi y of God. The condition of the world would have been hopeless, had it not been that God in his great mercy had provided a ransom, or corresponding price, by which he has bought the whole race from death. We read that Christ is the " lamb slain from the foundation of the world" ; and that he bore our iniquities, dying the " just for the unjust." Christ is the " Seed of the woman " who is destined to bruise the head of the serpent ; that is, he will in due time destroy Satan, the great tempter. And Christ is, together with his joint-heirs, the " Seed of Abraham " who will bless all the families of the earth, by, first, raising them from the death-state, and then, under the beneficent rule of the New (Law) Covenant, restoring them to the likeness of God, as Adam was when he was made in the image of God in the beginning. Therefore, while God in justice required to pass the sentence of death upon Adam because of his sin of disobedience he, in 96
mercy, did not leave him and his descendants without a little hope ; for it is written that " He hath subjected the same in hope. " The death-doomed condition of the world of mankind is represented by the Descending Passage ; but the hopefit1 condition is represented by the Horizontal Passage leading to the Queen's Chamber. For all the human race will ultimately 11e raised to the Horizontal-Passage condition through the
ransom-sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and the ransom-sacrifice is, in the symbolical Pyramid, represented by the mysterious Wellshaft, the " way-of-escape " from the downward passage. The hopeful condition, which will have its realisation during the time of the New Covenant rule of the Christ, and which is well represented in the Great Pyramid by the Horizontal Passage to the Queen's Chamber, is, as it were, transferred through the medium of the actual length of that Horizontal G2
97
Passage, to the Descending Passage, in the manner described above. But there is still another aspect of the Descending Passage's symbolical meaning. Not only does this passage represent the general downward course of the world to death, but, in the time-measurements of the Pyramid, where each linear inch-unit represents a year in the scrolls of history, the length of the passage, beginning this time from the vertical line of the present roof-commencement at the upper end, and measuring down the floor-line to the Subterranean Chamber, agrees in the total number of inches with the number of years between the date of the Flood, when the " World that was " ended, till the date 1914 A.D., when Christ was due to take up his great power and reign as earth's invisible King. I t was because of the exceedingly evil condition of the world at the close of the first Dispensation, that God brought in the flood of waters and destroyed the old " World of the ungodly." At the time when God saw that he would require to destroy all flesh which had become corrupt in the earth, he said : " My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh : yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years " (Genesis 6 : 3). While many explanations have been advanced regarding this mention of a period of 120 years, all are agreed that it has direct connection with man's sinful, downward, course. For this reason, therefore, we believe it to be appropriate that the measurement of the total length of the Descending Passage, symbolical of man in his degraded state, is directly related to the days in 120 years ; while at the same time the hope which God mercifully instilled into the human heart is represented by the incorporation in the length of the Descending Passage, the length of the Horizontal Passage leading to the Queen's Chamber. (The fact that it is the 10th part of the sum of the number of days in 120 solar years, and the number of inches in the Horizontal Passage length, does not mean the disregarding of the full numbers in each of these two factors ; for this is very characteristic of the Great Pyramid's proportionate dimensions, in which 10, and its multiples and divisions is constantly recognised.)
SECTION XI1
A
UTUMN of the year 1914 A.n. is the termination oE the period of 1915 solar tropical years which begail to run its course when our Lord was born in Bethlehem ; the true date of the birth of Jesus being Autumn of the year 2 B.C. Autumn of the year 1914 A . D . is also the termination of the long period spoken of in thc Scriptures a.s the " seven times," which is interpreted by students of the Bible as being seven symbolical years, each of 360 days, and each day representing a true solar tropical year in the actual fulfilment of prophecy. Therefore, the "seven times " are seven symbolical years of 360 days each, representing in fulfilment 2520 solar tropical years.-See No. 3 on page 24. This period of 2520 true years, declared in Scriptures to be the seven times of Israel's punishment because of the nation's disregard of the Law of God, was*referred to by Jesus as " tlle times of the Gentiles." During tl~islong term of punishrnent the Gentile nations have dominated God's chosen"people, the nation of Israel. I t began when Zedekiah, tbe'last of the kings of Judah, was dethroned by the king of Babylon ill the year 607 B.C. Jerusalem, with the temple of David ancl Solomon, was destroyed in that year, 607 KC., and Zcdelciah and his subjects were carried captive to Babylon. From Autumn of that year, when the very last of the remaining people fled from the stricken country, the promised land lay desolatc without an inhabitant for full 70 years (2 Chron 36 : 11-23). At the end of the foretold 70 years of desolation of Jerusalem ; I I I ( I I I I E lancl, Cyriis, the king of Persia, permitted the surviving 99
captives, along with those born in captivity, to return and restore their desolated country, and begin again their distinct national life. Rut God regarded then1 no longer as His representative kingdoin ; for although their ~iatioualjtywas restored (Ezra 6 : 16-22 ; S : 35), thcy were not again permitted to have a king " sitting upon the throne of the Lord " (Nehemiah g : 33-37). They were henceforth servants in their own land, subject to Gentile kingdoms. According to the express pronouncement of Jehovah, through the mouth of his prophet Ezekiel, the kingdom would not be restored to Israel until I-Ie would come whose right it is, namely, the great and longpromised Messiah (See Ezekiel 21 : 25-27).
T h e First A++earance of the King Q
Afterwards, when the disciples were accustomed to the appearing at intervals of their risen Master, whom they now knew was no longer dead, but was greatly chailgecl (for he was now a spirit being, assuming fleshly bodies in which to appear to his followers and thus convince thein of his resurrection froin the dead), they enquired : " Lord, wilt thou at this titile restore again the kingdom to Israel ? " But the Lord Jesus had previously declared, when he had wept over Jerusalem and pronounced their house desolate, that they should not see him again until they said : " Blessed be he that cometh in the naine of the Lord." They had, indeed, shouted these very words when they inct him riding into the city ; but Jesus did not accept this demonstration as the fulfilment of the prophecy. He knew that the tiille was yet future when the people of Israel would, froin their hearts, proclaim him as their King. In the meantitne, Jesus had said, " Jerusalem must be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled."
At the time of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, the " wise men from the east " came to Jerusalem enquiring where he was who was " born king of the Jews." The advent into the world of him whose right it is to reign over Israel and restore the kingdom was, therefore, know11 in the world. Jesus himself admitted this truth when he said : " To this end was I born." The prophet Zechariah had also proclaimed the Icing's advent when he said, " Rejoice, greatly, 0 daughter of Zion ; shout, Q daughter of Jesusalem : behold, thy King comet11 unto thee : he is just, and having salvation ; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upoil a colt the foal of an ass.'; Jesus Christ was therefore recognised by the waiting people as the long expected Icing ; for when he came riding into Jerusalenl from the Mount of Olives, they shouted : Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord " ; and they spoke of him as the " Son of David." Yet, soon after all this demonstration, he was crucified ! His faithful disciples were overwhelmed with grief, and were greatly perplexed. They said : " We trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel." But the risen Lord rebuked them for their lack of perception : " 0 fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spolien : ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory ? "
These times of the Gentiles, referred to by our Lord at his first advent, coincide with the " seven times " of Israel's punishment spoken of by Moses ; for Jerusalem began to be " trodden down of the Gentiles " when Nebuclladnezzar destroyed the city and temple, and dethroned the last liing in 607 B.C. The punishment upon God's chosen people through the loss of their kingdom, was accentuated by the madness of the Gentile nations who held sway over them. This madness of the Gentile i~lling-powerswas illustrated by seven times " of madness passing over the head of Nebucliadnezzar, who was the first king of the first of the Gentile universal empires (See Daniel, chapter 4). As seven literal years of madness happened to Nebuchadnezzar the man, so seven symbolical years were to pass over the head of the great symbolical irnagc, which, Daniel c:xplained, represenled all the universal empires who would s~~ccessively oppress the nation of Israel (See Daniel, chapter 2). N(.l)~~chadnezzar himself represented the head of gold in the :;yr~~l)olical image.
I00
I0 I
"
TIze
"
Severt T i m e s " Tlznt Passed Over ~ ' e b u c h n d n e ~ z t c r
"
1914 a.u.was thc 1..'+~n! of the ' 3 ~ ' e v e . 2'inzes l~ " With Nebnchadnezzar the seven tiines of niadness upon the Gentile nations, and seven times of punishment upon Israel, began to run their course. l'rorn Autuinn of thc year 607 B.C. these seven times, or 2520 solar tropical years, elided in A~ltuill~i of tlie year 191'1 A.D. At this date 1914 A D . , therefore, accordiirg to t h e prophetic Word, " He whose right it i s " assumed his great power and began his reign, a spirit being, the invisible King of Israel, and of the whole world. " Proclaim among the nations, ' The Lord reigneth ! "' " How beautiful upon the mountains [kingdoms] are the feet of hinl that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that biingeth good titlings of good, that publishetll salvation ; that saith unto Zion, ' Thy God reigneth ! ' " " All tlie ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God."
l'lze First Appearing of Israel's King was Necessary Thus, while Jehovah proclaimed through the mouth of his prophet that his typical kingdom on earth would be overturned until he would come whose right it is t o reign over Israel and the world the birth into this world of that King 605 years later, or 1915 full years before the due time for him to assume his Kingly power, was necessary. He required t o establish his right to be King by proving himself absolutely obedient in every particular to his heavenly Father. He required, also, to purchase fallen mankind from death through his own willing sacrificial death as a perfect man. The sacrificial death of the Man Christ Jesus was accomplished when he was 333 years of age, in Spring of the year 33 A.D. We read : " I n due ,time Christ died for the ungodly." We see therefore that the very date for the ciucifixion had been fixed by Jehovah beforehaid. Froin tlie date of tlie detlironement of Judali's last king, 607 KC., until the date when Jesus rode into Jerusaleirl and was proclaimed as the promised King, 33 A.D., an interval of 638; years had elapsed. And from tlie date when the world's Saviour was born into the world, and was spoken of as the I0 2
King of the Jews," z B.c., until the date of the elid of Gentile doniinion over God's chosen people when the glorified Lord took to himself his great power and began his reign as King, 1914 AD., an interval of 1915 years ran its course. This longer period of 1915 years is equal to almost exactly three times the length of the shorter period. (6388 multiplied by 3 equals 19154.) "
The Grent Pyramid's Precise Indication of the Dates of our Lord's Eivst Advent In Section VII, pages 61 t o 64, we have shown how the dates of Christ's birth, baptism, and crucifixion are indicated connectedly at the upper end of the First Ascending Passage. As much depends on a clear understanding of this symbolical indication, we thinlc it well to repeat the explanation in this place, expressing the points in other words. In the synlbolism of the Great Pyramid, the Queen's Chamber represents the perfect human life, as Adam had it before his disobedience lost it for him. The level, or plane, of human perfection is therefore represented by the floor-level of the Queen's Chamber. The Man Christ Jesus is, figuratively speaking, pictured as being born on this plane of human While born a perfect Man, Jesus was also born subject to the Law of Moses, and in duty bound to observe this Law in every detail. He was a perfect Israelite of the tribe of Judah, and he did always those things that pleased his heavenly Father. This fact of his birth under the Law, in addition to his birth as a perfect Man-child, is illustrated in a very convincing way in the symbolical Great Pyramid : When we produce the line of tlie Queen's Chamber floor-level northward, we find that it intersects the floor of the First Ascendiiig Passage near its upper end. The floor of the Queen's Chamber is lower than the floor of the major part of the Horizontal Passage which leads to this cllair~ber. This depression in the chamber's floor is just that exact amount, that the produced line of it crosses the First Ascending Passage floor 334 indies down from the upper end. That is, between the point where the two floor-lines cross 103
each other, and the beginning of the Grand Gallery, which is also the end of the First Ascending Passage, there is a floor-space of 334 inches (See the diagram on page 62). As the First Ascending Passage represents the Law Age of the nation of Israel, and as the level of the floor of the Queen's Chamber represents the plane of human perfection, we can easily see that the particular point on the floor of the First Ascending Passage which is horizontally in alignment with the floor of the Queen's Chamber, very convincingly marks the date 2 B.c., when the perfect Man Christ Jesus was born subject to the exacting requirements of the Law of Moses at the end of the Law Dispensation. And the 334 inches between this precise point on the floor of the First Ascending Passage, and the upper end of that passage, clearly corresponds to the 33fr years of our Lord's earthly life. Therefore, the end of the First Ascending Passage marks the date of his sacrificial death on the cross, by which he redeemed the people of Israel froin under the curse oi' the Law, being made a cui-se for them, as it is written " Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree " (See Galatians 3 : 12, 13). By voluntarily laying down his huinan life in sacrificc, Jesus Christ nailed the Law to his cross, and " made an end of the Law for righteousness to eveiy one that believeth." Those of the people of Israel who believed were not only freed from the Law, but were given the privilege of becoming " Sons of God," that they might be joint-heirs with Christ in the Kingdom. Just as the upper terminal of the First Ascending Passage marks the date of our Lord's death, so the beginning of the Grand Gallery represents his resurrection from the dead on the third day. The lofty Grand Gallery symbolises the Gospel Age which begail immediately after the Law Age ended at tllc death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The faithful anlong the people of Israel passed from Moses to Christ ; and they are pictured ascending the Grand Gallery with Christ to the Kingdom honours represented by the King's Chamber. And believing Gentiles during the Gospel Age, after the majority of the nation of Israel were cast off because of their unbelief, are also pictured as ascending with their Master to the heavenly inheritance. For we read that the ent tiles were " made nigh by the blood 104
of Christ." Therefore, while at first the Gentiles are reprcsented on the downward course of the Descending Passage, " afar off " froin the cominonwealth of Israel, and not by nature heirs of the Kingdom-opportunities, yet the open Well-shaft, which symbolises in the Pyramid the ransom-sacrifice of Christ, provides a way of escape from the death condition, and asi opportunity through faith to reach the Grand-Gallery privileges (See Ephesians 2 : 11-18).
The Dzrration of the Gospel Age While the Well-shaft symbolises the grand central truth of tlie Scriptures, that Jesus Christ was " delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification," the actual date of his death and resurrection is clearly marked by the vertical line of the Grand Gallery north wall, close to the open mouth of the Well-shaft. (The situation of the Well's upper end is fixed by other important considerations ; and by other related time-measurements this upper end marks the date of our Lord's sacrifice.) Just as the 334 inches at the upper terminal of the First Ascending Passage corresponds to the 334 years of our Lord's earthly life as a perfect man under the Law, so the continued measurement up the floor-line of the Grand Gallery corresponds with the years of the Gospel Age that followed the date of the resurrection of Christ. This floor-length of the Grand Gallery is practically 18816 Pyramid inches, a measurement definitely established not only by the practical measurings of careful workers at the Pyramid, but fixed beyond any possibility of doubt as iriteiltional by the inany scientific proportions of the building. Thus, 18814 years from the date, Spring of the year 33 A.D. when our Lord died and rose-again, ends in Autumn of the year 1914 A.D. The upper floor-terminal of the Grand Gallery is, therefore, rgI5 inches from the point on the floor of the First Ascending Passage which inai-lrs the date of the birth of the " King of the Jews " in Bethlehem. This floor-length of 1915 Pyramid inches corresponds with the period of 1915 solar tropical years from the birth of the Man Christ Jesus, to the eventful year 105
1914 A.D., when he began his glorious reign of righteousness, the invisible King of earth. (The precise floor-length, according to the theoretical standard dimensions of the Pyramid, is only about a 20th part of an inch more than the exact 1915, namely, 1915,0538 + Pyramid inches.) The King's Chamber syrnbolises the Kingdom of Christ, as well as the Kingdom class who are joint-heirs with him, according to the promises of God ; for Jesus himself said : " Fear not, little flock, it is the Father's good pleasure to give you the Icingdom." The fact that the exact dimensions of the King's Cliamber are identified with the floor-measurement of 1915 inches, corresponding to the 1915 years from the birth into this world of him whose right it is to take the Kingdom, and during which his joint-heirs of the Kingdom have been called out from the world, is full of significance. We recall that the vertical height of the level touched by the upper floor-terminal of the Grand Gallery above the floor-level of the Queen's Chamber, is equal to the sum of the King's Chamber's length, width, and height, Q.E.D. Therefore, the King's Chamber itself, through the medium of this definitely measured-off section of the floor of the approaching passages, points to the year 1914 A.D. (For the details of this calculation see the companion book of this series : The Great Pyramid : Its Scientijic Feat~res.) In the Pyramid's symbolical language this correspondency seems to say : " From the date when the world's Saviour was born into this world, and proclaimed ' King of the Jews,' 1915 years must elapse before He with his spirit-begotten joint-heirs of the Gospel Age can rise sufficiently above earthly influences (as represented by the floor-level of the Queen's Chamber), and attain to the full measure of the spiritual I(ingd01n. The fact that the level of the floor of the King's Chamber is a few inches higher than the upper terminal of the Grand Gallcry floor, represents that an interval must elapse between the assumption of Kingly power by Christ, and the glorification to the spirit nature of the last of the members of his " Body." The few body-members who are " alive and remain " while the other members are already " caught up " to heavenly glory with Christ, are called in the Scriptures " the feet of him." While still in the flesh, these feet members of Christ are doing 106
Kingdoirl work, in conjunction with their glorified Head. The late Charles T. Russell refers to this necessary part of the work of the Kingdom : " Several Scriptures show that there is a special work for the last members 01 the body to do on this side of the veil, as important and as essential a part of Kingdom work as that of the glorified rnembers on the other side of the veil." In accordance with this Scripturally-supported belief, the Lord's diligent children, thc " children of the Kingdom," have since 1914 A.D. proclaimed, and still continue to proclaim, that " Millions now living will never die ! " They proclaim with no uncertain voice that '"The Kingdom of Christ has now begun ! " They proclaim that " The old world has ended ! " and that it came to an end in Autumn of the year 1914 A . D . Charles T. Russell continues : " One by one the ' fcet ' class will pass from the present condition, in which, thougli often weary and wounded, they are always rejoicing, to the other side the veil ;-' changed ' in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, from mortality to immortality, from weakness to power, from dishonour to glory, from human to heavenly conditions, from animal to spirit bohes. Their w o ~ kwill not cease with this change ; for all those who will be counted worthy of that change to glory will be already enlisted in the service of the Kingdom on this side the veil ; only the weariness, the labour features, will cease with the change-' They shall rest from their labour, but their works fo1lo.1 with them '-Revelation 14 : 13." " 'l'he mission of the feet, which is no insignificant part of the Kingdom work, will be accomplished. Though their message is popularly hated and discredited and they are despised by the world as fools (for Christ's sake), as all his faithful servants have been throughout the Gospel Age, yet, before they all are ' changed ' and joined to the glorified members beyond the veil, they, as agents of the Kingdom, will have left such records of that Kingdom and its present and future work as will be most valuable information to the world and to the undeveloped and over-charged children of God who, though consecrated to God, will have failed to so run as to obtain the prize of our high calling." (See Studies i n the Scriptuves, Vol. 111,pages 235-238.)
SECTION XI11 TIIE " SEVEN TIMES" MEASURBRIENT IN GREATPYRAMID
THE
TILL further to emphasise the connectiori between the advents of Jesus Christ as King, and the long interval known as the " seven times " of Gentile power, we find that the Grand Gallery in the Great Pyramid shows, by one method of measuring it, this period of Gentile dominion, each inch in the measurement representing a year in history. The angle at which the floor of the Grand Gallery ascends, and the total floor-length are such, that the sum of the horizontal length, and the vertical height, of this passagc is equal to a little over the round 2520 Pyramid inches. (The precise sum is about 2520i inches.) By this method, thercfore, while the actual floor-length of the Gallery agrees with the number of years between our Lord's entry into Je~uaalemas King in fulfilment of the prophecy of Zechariah, and his assunlption of Kingly power a t the close of Gentile dominion in r914 A.D., yet the angle of the floor's ascent makes it possible for the Gallery to also indicate thc longer period of the " seven times." By both incthods of measuring the Grand Gallery (i.e., thc direct method along the floor, and the angular method) the upper floor-trrnlinal marks the date 1914 AD., the date of Christ's second advent as King over all the earth. " Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever." (See Isaiah g : 7, and Daniel 7 : 27.) There are several other time-measurelnents in the Great Pyramid which indicate the Scriptural period of " seven times," or 2520 years. One of these terminates at the Pit, or Sub108
S
terranean Chamber, thus corroborating the Bible in its declaration that troul~lorlstin~cqwould attend the setting up of the 1Gngdom. This greal time of tronble upon the nations when their lease of power expires, is owing to the fact that thc " kingdoms of this world " will not lightly relinquish theil- dominion, held for SO long. Satan, the " strong man," is struggling to retain his hold upon mankind, but the One who is stronger will ultimately bind the great deceiver. The Subterranean Chamber very fittingly symbolises the utter destruction of Satan's empire, which destruction began in 1914 A.D.as shown by the Scriptures, and corroborated by the Great Pyrarnid. (See Vol. I1 of Great Pyramid Passages.)
SECTION XIV
I
N the time-measurements we have noticed, the Great
Pyramid clearly corroborates the duration and parallelism of the Jewish and Gospel Ages. The length of each of these Ages is proved from the Scriptures to be exactly 1845 years, so that any date in the former has its parallel date in the latter 1845 years afterwards. I t is important to recognise that time-parallels," to be of any value, must corrcspond in events as well as in dates. There are a number of striking parallels in the two Ages which help to confirm our understanding of the times and seasons. They correspond so closely that we cannot doubt they were so arranged by our loving heavenly Father, that the faith of his consecrated children might be strengthened in Him, and in His great Plan of the Ages. In the year 606 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar laid the holy land desolate and took the Jewish king and nation captive to Babylon, where they remained till the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, who, after the overthrow of the Babylonian kingdom, released the Jews from bondage, and at the same time issued an edict allowing them to return to the site of Jerusalem to rebuild the temple (2 Chron. 36 : 11-23). This was in 536 B.c., 70 years after the beginning of the Babylonian empire. Although Cyrus released the captive nation from the yoke of Babylon, this freedom was merely typical of the full liberty which Fleshly Israel shall experience after the end of the "Times of the Gentiles," when the greater Cyrus, Christ, shall release it from the humiliating bondage of the kingdoms of this world, and from the oppression of the " god of this world," Satan. This work of Christ, when finished, will be the complete antitypical fulfilment of the work of Cyrus ; but during the "
IT1
Gospel Age we can see a partial fulfilment in connection with Spiritual Israel, which was in bondage to the great apostate system of Papacy, denominated in the Scriptures " Babyloll thc Great," because its whole ritual is founded upon the iniquitous religious system of Ancient Rabylon (Rev. 17 : 3-6).
"The Babylonish Captivity of the Papnc-y " Rabylon the Great " was fully set up in power in 539 A.D., having been gradually and stealthily assuming form even since the days of the Apostles (2 Thess. 2 : 7). But in 1309 A.D., exactly 1845 years after the fall of the ancient typical Babylon, the power of antitypical Babylon the Great was brokem ; for in that year the Papal See.was transferred from Rome to Avignon in the south of France. This exodus of the centre of the Apostate Church from Rome, its seat of power (Rev. 17 : 9), is called in history " The Babylonish captivity of the Papacy," owing to the fact that it remained in exile for a period of about 70 years, during which time it was under the dictation of the king of France. In consequence of this humiliation and breaking of the power of Babylon the Great in 1309 A.D., the true Church of God, the " Israelites indeed," who had been i n bondage in this idolatrous system for 770 years (1309 minus 539 =770) were released ; cven as the ITleshly Israelites had been similarly released after their 70 years' bondage in typical Babylon of old. (See No. 7 on page 25). "
Rome Identi$ed with "Babylon the Great" Referring to the Scriptural name " Babylon the Grcat," and its identification with Papal Rome, the Rev. Alexander Hislop says : " There never has been any difficulty in the mind of any enlightened Protestant in identifying the woman ' sitting on seven mountains,' and having on her forehead the name written, ' Mystery, Babylon the Great ' with the Roman apostacy. No other city in the world has ever been celebrated as the city of Rome has, for its situation on seven hills. Pagan poets and orators, who had no thought of elucidating prophecy, have alike characterised i t as the ' seven-hilled city.' I12
"
' Propertius speaks of it as ' The lofty city on seven hills, which governs the whole world ' (Lib. 111, Eleg. 9, p. 721). Its ' governing the whole world ' is just thc counterpart of the Divine statement--' wliicli reigneth over the kings of the earth ' (Rev. 17 : 18). To call Rome thc city ' of the seven hills ' was by its citizens held to be as descriptive as to call it by its own proper name. Hence Horace speaks of it by reference to its seven hills alone, when he addresses ' The gods, who have set their affections on the seven hills ' (Carmen Seculare, Vol. VII, p. 497). Martial, in like manner, speaks of ' The seven dominating mountains ' (Lib. IV, Ep. 64, p. 254). Now, while this characteristic of Rome has ever been we11 marked and defined, it has always been easy to show that the Church, which has its seat and headquarters on the seven hills of Rome, might most appropriately be called ' Babylon,' inasmuch as it is the chief seat of idolatry under the new Testament, as the ancient Babylon was the chief seat of idolatry under the old. I t has been known all along that Popery was baptised Paganism ; but ~ o d ' i snow making it manifest that the Paganism which Rome has baptised is, in all its essential elements, the vevy Paganism which prcvailed in the ancient literal Babylon, when Jehovah opened before Cyrus the twoleaved gates of brass, and cut in sunder t11c bars of iron " (The Two Babylons). "
The Beginning of the Decline of " Babylon the Great " Just as after its subjection in Babylon for the iyfiical period of 70 years, the Jewish nation was allowed to return to Jerusalem in order that other features of the Lord's great Plan might bc worked out ; so " Babylon the Great," which is to be finally destroyed at the end of the Gospel Age, was allowed to regain a large measure of its power after the end of its typical period of 70 years humiliation in Avignon. Nevertheless, the Reformation movement gained a decided footing in 1309 A.D. ; and historians of the Middle Ages tell us that our study of the history of the Reformation must begin with Avignon. Up to that time the head of Papacy had sway over the world, HZ 113
being virtually " lting of kings," and " lord of lords." Boniface VIII had been installrd in oflicc in 1295 A.D. He was more arrogant than any previous pope ; and it was this arrog:lncc which led to l'apacy's bnmiliation. When the great apostate Church was at the summit of its power, in the very middle of the Papal millennia1 reign (See No. 5 , page 24)) he issued the famous bull called " Unam Sanctam," in which he claimed not only temporal and spiritual authority, but further, that no man could get eternal salvation except by his sanction. The king of France, Philip the Fair, was sufficicntly enlightened to see the emptiness of this n~onstrousclaim, and he repudiated the bull and was in consequence excommunicated. Philip then did something which had never before been attempted during the period of Papal supremacy-he made the pope prisoner, just as Napoleon did about five hundred years later. Boniface, being an aged man, died from the indignities and injuries received. Ilis successor died within a year. Finallp Clement V, who had sold himself to the king of France, was appointed ; but he was afraid to live in Rome. Being the vassal of the French l;ii~g he transferred the Papal See to Avignon, in 1309 A . D . , and there began the " Babylollis11 Captivity of tlie Papacy." Seven popes in succession ruled in Avignon till 1378 A.D. ; and as they were all under the dominion of Franc?, the other kingdoms of Britain, Germany, Switzerland, etc., refused to have the pope act as their umpire and arbitrator as formerly, ltnowing that his dccisions would be the dictates of Philip. I t is thus plainly evident that the imiversal power of " Babylon the Great " was broken in I309 A.D. ; and the captive Spiritual Israelites were allowed freedom to lay the foundations of the Refonned Church-the Spiritual Temple. Marsiglio, the "Morning Star of the Reformation" But only the foundations of the Spiritual Temple of the Reformation were laid in 1309 A.D., just as at the parallel date in the Jewish Age, 536 B.c., only the foundations of the House of the Lord were then laid. In both cases enemies stopped the Work. I t was not until 521-517 B.C. that tlie material temple 114
was completed in the Jewish Age ; and in the parallcl Crosl~~l Age it was not until the corresponding years, 1324-1328 A . I ) . , that the Spiritual Temple was bililt by Marsiglio, who is solnctimes calIcd " the inorning star of the Reformation." Marsiglio was the author of a book, which, when we consider the grossly superstitious day in which it was written, is a truly wonderful production. In this publication, issued in I324 A.D., he advocated Republicanism, contending that there should be no kings ; and that there ought not to be any division between clergy &ndlaity. That the Church should have nothing whatever to do with temporal affairs, and should own no property. He claimed that Saint Peter never had been in Rome, but that even if it could be proved he had been there, it was certain he had not founded the Papal Church ; and in any case the holding of the " keys " merely constituted Peter the turn-key, and not the Judge. Christ was the Judge ; and the people had the right of freedom of conscience. By these and many other telling points Marsiglio undoubtedly built the Temple of the Reformation. He forged the bolts which were effectively used by succeeding Reformers. His great anlbition was to establish Republicanism, but he realised that it could not hold in this early day, for the mass of the people had yet too much reverence for the Divine right of kings and clergy. Only the true Spiritual Israelites experienced their freedom of conscience consequent upon the breaking of the power of Babylon the Great. Marsiglio recognised that the Church should be in subjection to the Gentile powers, and not lord over them, and therefore he aimed at pulling down the Papal supremacy. With this object in view he sought for some king whom he might appoint as Emperor of the West, in imitation of Charles the Great, who would be superior to the pope and thus make the secidnr power supreme. In the year 1326 A.D., two years after the publication of his epoch-making book, he found what he wanted. King Louis of Bavaria was then quarrelling with the pope in Avignon, and Marsiglio took advantage of this quarrel, which was insignificent in itself, to forward his daring scheme. With a band of enthusiastic followers he approached King T,onis and explained his project. Louis was well pleased with 115
the proposal, and accompanied the hand to Rome. The people of Romc readily received the king, being angered at the pope's residence in Avignon. So long as tlie Papal Scc was in ilrignon, Rome was ncglectcd ; t l ~ cpcoplc of ot1ic.r countries, with their money, were now all diverted to Avignon where the pope held his court. The prospect of having the Papal See restored to Romc great!y pleased the inhabitants, and king Lonis was received with acclamation. In the year 1328 A D . Louis was crowned Emperor of thc West. This was the summit of Marsiglio's reforming work ; in that very year he clied ; and Louis, who was a man of little ability and full of superstition, being now deprived of his clever counsellor, abandoned his post and fled from Rome. The work of Marsiglio was thus finished in four years, just as the work on the material temple In the Jewish Age was completed in about four years. But as the temple, built in four years, was used forethepurpose for which i t was erected ; so the four years' work of Marsiglio was used for its special purpose, namely, the organisation of the great Reformation of the Gospel Age.
Wycliffe and the
"
Great Pn$nl Scltis~?t"
The tenlple being now ready i t was necessary to replace in it the holy vessels, that the House of God might be used in accordance with the law. This important phase of the Reformation in the Jewish Age was accomplished under the leadership of Ezra, who, in the 7th year of Artaxerxes, Spring of 468 e.c.,* left Babylon and restored the vessels to the temple (Ezra 7 : 6-). We read, also, that Ezra was well informed in the Law of the Lord, and that he instructed the pcople, who were from all the twelve tribes of Israel (Ezra 6 : 17 ; 8 : z5), and did a great cleansing work among them. The parallel year in the Gospel Age is 1378 A.D., a very prominent date in the history of the Church Reformation period,
I t was in 1378 A.D. that the great lZcforn~erWycliffe left Babyloll the Great, and restored to the true Spiritual Temple class inany precious truths and doctrines which had for long been misappropriated and hidden in the idolatrous Papal system. On the 27th of 'March in the Spring-time of the year 1378 A.D., which was 1845 years after Ezra left Babylon with the vessels for the material temple, the pope in Avignor, died ; and immediately there arose what is historically known as the " Great Papal Schism." The people of Rome determined to put an end to the Papal exile, .and appointed a pope in Rome as in former times. The king of France, of course, did not want to lose his power over the Papacy, and he appointed another in Avignon, so that there were now two popes in office. These popes naturally quarrelled, each claiming that he was the true vicar of Christ. They called one another blasphenlous names, cach accusing the other of being the Antichrist (and in this, a t least, both were correct). Wl~erlthe Schism took place Wycliffe's eyes were opened to t l true ~ Babylonish character of the Papacy, and he came out as the great Doctrinal Reformer. It was not long before he saw that the doctrine of transubstantiation was false. This error takes away the true doctrine of the Ransom-sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. When Wycliffe fully realised this he began to instruct the Temple class; and pointed out to them the pure Scriptural teaching on this question. He showed thein how Jesus Christ died for sin once and for all, and that therefore sacrifices of the Mass were not only unnecessary, but blasphemous. By teaching the Temple class the truth Wycliffe's cleansing and reforming work was in exact correspoiidence with the work of Ezra, the great Reformer of the Jewish Age.
The Reformatio~z Work of Huss was Secular as well as S$iritual
It was 13 years after Ezra left Babylon that the next phase *Artaxerxes began to reign in the year 474 B.C. His $11 year would therefore be 468 B.c., and his 20th year 455 B.C. See Section LIX in Vol. I1 of Great Pyramid Passages, which deals with the proofs that establish the date 455 R . C . for Artaxerxes' 20th year.
116
of the Jewish Reformation took placc. Nehemiah theii received his comniission to rebuild the malls of Jerusalem (Neh. 2), and at the end of the 6th month of that year the walls were finished (Neh. 6 : 15), and tllere began the period of " 69 weeks," or 117
483 years, to the corning of the Messiah (Dan. 9 : 25). In this work of building the walls of Jerusalem Nehemiah buttressed up the national system of the Fleshly House of Israel. So, also, 13 years after Wycliffe left Babylon the Great, tlle liefornler John Huss of Bohemia received his coinmission to buttress the Reformation walls of Spiritual Jerusalem (liev. 21 : 2) ; for the work of Huss made the lieformation nlovement of the Gospel Age a national force, and thus helped to protect the true Spiritual Israelites. Though it was in the early years of the 15th century up till liis martyrdom in I415 A.D., that Huss attracted general notice, yet it was in 1391 A.D., exactly 1845 years after Nehemiah, that he might be said to have received his commission to rebuild the walls of Spiritual Jerusalem ; for it was in that year that Huss became acquainted with the works of Wycliffe. Professor Lodge, in his Close of the Middle Ages, page 207, says : " The systematic teaching of Huss was for the most part derived from the great English teacher, John Wycliffe. It is important to remember that the Hussite movement had a secular as well as an ecclesiastical side." I n Burnet's History o i the I\'eforwzation, page 9, we read : " Before the end of the 14th century Wyclii'le had extended his line of attack to some of the special doctrines of the Western theology : but the movement which he began, though its effects were evanescent in his own country, became in the hands of more stimulating advocates [of whom Huss was the leader] a genuine national force in Bohemia." " Huss condemned Papacy's worldliness, its right of secular possessions, and objected to the supremacy of the pope. The Bible, according to him, ought to be tlie sole rule ol iaill~." (See Europe i g t the Middle Ages, page 539, by Thatcl-ier and Schwill). The Inrefztion
01Printing, and
the Revival of Learning
By the foregoing it is evident that there was a similarity in the reform work of Nehemiah and Huss, and as both had a national as well as a religious aspect they each formed a good starting-point for the " 70 weeks " mentioned by Daniel (Dan. 9 : 24, 35. See diagram oil page 110). This period of 118
70 weelis is stated as 7 weeks, and 62 weelis, and I week. We may not know the exact reason for this peculiar division, but we desire to draw attention to the fact that the 7 weeks, or 40 years, point to 405 B.c., about the time of Malachi the prophet, wlio did a reforming work by exposing thc abuses of his day. In tlie Gospel Age the 7 weeks bring us to the parallel datc I440 A.D., the time of the invention of printing, which did almost more than anything else to carry on the great work of the Reformation. Referring to this factor in the Reformation movement, Archbishop Trench in Adediaval Church History, page 423, says : " Then while abuses were never rifer, while the lives of the clergy were never fuller of scandal, while thc Papal court was never more venal, nor could less endure the beating upon it of that fierce light which leaves nothing hid,-the invention of printing (1440) multiplied a thousandfold every voice which was raised to proclaim an abuse or t o denounce a corruption. And marching hand in hand with this wonderous invention there was the Rcvival of Learning."
f -
T h e Condition of the Religious World at the First atzd Secolzd Advevtts of Jcszts Clirist Then followed the period of 6 z weelis to the coming of Jesus the Messiah in Autumn 29 A.D. This period of the Jewish Age is Scripturally a blank, for the historical canon of ttle Old Testament ends with Ezra and Nehemiah, and the prophetic books with Ma.lachi. Nevertheless we know that toward the end of that period a distinct falling away in the spirit of the Reformation had occurred, and that the Fleshly House of Israel had divided broadly into two parties, one, the Pharisees, holding to the traditions of the elders, and binding themselves faster and faster in those traditions. The other party, the Saducees, were free-thinkers, doubting and criticising the Bible ; they denied the resurrection, and began to interfere more in the world's politics. Thus when in " due time " the Messiah came to his own, we read that his own received him not (John I : 11-13). TO the small remnant who did receive him was given the wonderful privilege of beconling " Sons of God." 119
During the correspontling pcriod of 62 weeks in the Gospel Age, from I440 to 1874 A . D . , a similar ino\~en~ent took place in Nominal Spiritual Israel, misnamed Christendom. At first the good work of reform went on, but toward the end the reformir~g spirit grew less, and during this interval two general parties werc originated. One party held to the Bible, saying that they bclicvcd every word of it, though what they really held to was the traditions and creeds of the Dark Ages. Thz other party, tlle free-thinkers, began to criticise the Biblc, disbelieving great portions of it, and dabbling in the politics of the kingdoms of this world. Eve11 as thc t w u parties at the end of the Jewish Agc continued after our Lord's first Advent until the great trouble in the year 70 A.D. destroyed the nation ; so we have the two main parties with us to-day, the one binding themselves morc firmly in the traditions of the 1;athers (these are the " tares ") ; while the other is going illore and more into open infidelity (these are the higher critics, evolutionists, etc.). The result of the falling away from the spirit of the Reformation was that, when our Lord camc again at his second Advent in 1874 AD., his own received him n o t ; but again, those few who have received him have had the blessed privilcgc of becoming Sons of God, and hope soon to bc all joined with Christ in spiritual glory.
SECTION XV
w
HEN Jesus Christ ascended to the Father forty days after his resurrection, the Scriptures declare that he " sat down " at the right hand of the majesty on Iiigh, waiting till his enemies should be made his footstool (Heb. I : 3 ; 10 : 12, 13). The Apostle Peter, speaking to the assembled people, said : " And he [Jehovah] shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you : whom the heaven must retain until the times of restitution of all things " (Acts 3 : 20, 21). The return of our Lord was therefore fixed by Jehovah to take place at the beginning of the great Jubilee of earth, or the " times of restitution." According to the time-prophecies and parallel Dispensations, this second Advent of Jesus Christ began in Autumn 1874 A.D., cxactly 1845 years after his first Advent when he came as the Messiah at Jordan (See No. 8, page 25). Thc prophet Daniel, who foretold the first Advent of Messiah (Dan. 9 : 24-27), also foretold his second Advent in these words : (' At that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people " (Dan. 12 : I). Michael, or Christ, the great Prince of Israel, who " sat down " at the right hand of Jehovah till the time when he should be " sent " to put into operation the work of restitution, was thus to " stand up " on behalf of his people and delivcr them from bondage, and gather them into their own land. At that time, also according to Daniel's prophecy, the resurrection was due to begin, for " illany of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awaltc " (Dan. 12 : 2), every man in his own order, Christ's rnenlbcrs being the firstfr~uts(I Cor. I5 : 23 ; James I : 18). I t shall be shown later how the resurrection of the i~icnlbersof the " body " of Christ is indicated in the Yyranlid. 121
The prophet David lilcewise foretold of Cl~risl'scoining as the great King (Psa. 132 : 11 ; Luke I : 31-33) ; and Moses of his coming as the great Prophet (Lleut. IS : 15 ; Acts 3 : 20-22) ; but from the very beginning of their Age the people 01 Israel expectantly looked forward to the coming of the world's Saviour under the name of Shiloh.
Drirw,~b~ h7.Vnve/ian
T h e Step at the Hcad of the Grand Gallery of the Great Pyramid o f Gitcli ; showing the R a m p s termirrnting against tts n 7 1 th front ; and the low passage leading horizor~tallysouthward to the Ante-Chamber
When on his death-bed, Jacob called to him his twelve sons and gave utterance to a prophecy regarding each. The most important is that which relates to Judah : " The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a law-giver from between his feet, until Slliloli come ; and unto liilli shall the gathering of 122
the people be " (Gen. 49 : 10). 'l'hus, f1.om the time of Jacob's death onward, God's faithful people in both Jewish and Gospel Ages liave been anxiously looking forward to the Advent of tliis great Peace-maker and Deliverer. He did come, indeed, a t the encl of the Age of Israel, but the purpose of this first Advent was not for the " gatliering of the people." I t was for the preliminary work of purchasing the fallen race of mankind who had been condemned in Adam (Roni. 5 : 12, 18), by paying the ransom or corresponding price for Adam, a man's life for a man's life. I t will be remembered that after his crucifixion, Christ's disciples expressed disappointrnent at the apparent frustration of all their hopes. (Luke 24 : 21). I t was not until after they received the Holy Spirit that they understood how God, in his great Plan of the Ages, had arranged beforehand that a certain company, the " Ante-Chamber " class, must first be selected out of the world, polished and made worthy to be associated with their Lord in delivering the people, before the kingdonl of Israel could be restored. These, the prospective meinhers of the Bride of Christ, have also been eagerly looking forv~ardto thc promised coming of Shiloh ; and now they lcnow that he has arrived. They do not see liim with their natiural eyes ; they were expressly warned not to expcct to see him in the flesh (Matt. 24 : 23-27). It is ,with the eyes of their understanding that they discern him ; for the Lord was " put to death in the flesh but quickened [brought to life] in the Spirit " (I Pet. 3 : 18, 1c.v.). He is now a Spirit, not discernible by any but the spiritual, those begotten of the Holy Spirit. By their study of the timc-prophecies in the Bible, conlparing spiritual things with spiritual (I Cor. 2 : 13-15), tliese spirit-begotten ones can clearly see that tllc Lord has been present since Autumn 1874 A.D. (See Stzhdies ill the Scri$l~~res, Vol. 11, pages 187-190). This date 1874 A.D. when Jesus Christ was due to " stand up " to assume Kingly control, is indicated by the line of the north wall of the syn\bolical King's Cllanlbcr in the following way : Taking thc " l'oint of Intcrscction," where the First Ascending Passage leaties tlie Descending Passa.ge, as marking tlie date when the twelve sons of Jacob fomlded the twelve 223
'
tribes of Israel (Gen. 49 : zS), thus setting apart a people who looked forward to the coming of Shiloh according to promisc, and measuring from this point up the floors of the First Ascending Passage and Grand Gallery to the front of the Step, and then from the north edge of the Step to the north wall or entrance of thc liing's Chamber, it will be found that the Icing's Chamber indicates t l ~ edate of the Second Advent of Jesus Christ, 1874 A.U. (The actual Pyramid-inch measurement, as indicated in thc diagram, is 3687 -105 +. This corresponds to the period of 3687 years from Jacob's death in 1813 KC., to 1874 A.D., taking these two dates as whole numbers.)
Since Christ's return in 1874 he has been engaged as Chief licaper in the harvest work of gathering the whcat (thc saints) into the garner, and binding the tares (professing Christians), in bundles ready to be burned as tares, i.~., to be inanifested as not true Cllristians. Soon Satan will be coinpletely bound, and the kingdoms of this world coixyletely overthrown in the great time of trouble which began as foretold in 1914 A.D. ; and Christ's reign will eventually bring in everlasting peace.
SECTION XVI
T
HE election of the members of Christ began after the death and resurrection of Jesus, and not before ; for Jesus himself, referring to John the Baptist, said that though there were none greater born of woman, nevertheless the least in the Kingdom of heaven would be greater than John ( a t IT : I ) . This was because John the Baptist died before the inauguration of the Church a t Pentecost. Stephen the martyr was tlie first member of the " body " to lay down his life ; and thenceforward throughout the Gospel Age one member after another fell asleep in death, waiting for their resurrection at the return of Jesus Christ their " Head." This is the class who, up to the time of their death, have all been taught of God in the " School of Christ," represented in the Pyrarnid by the Ante-Chamber (John 6 : 44, 45). They might be termed the " Ante-Chamber " class ; and we think it proper to expect that the date of their resurrection, when they were due to be ushered into the presence of their " Forerunner," should be indicated by the extreme south end-wall of this chamber. On calculation it will be found that this is so. Onr study of the time-prophecies in the Bible has revealed the fact that the date of this important event was Spring 1878 A.D. According to Jeremiah (16 : 18), Zechariah (g : g, IZ), and Isaiah (40 : 2, n~argin),the Gospel Age is the " double " of the Jewish Age (See No. 6, page 25), that is to say, the period during which the nation of Israel was cast off as a people from God's favour, exactly equalled in length the period when they enjoyed this favour. Each of these Ages began on the death of its founder. On the death of Jacob (Israel) the founder of the Fleshly house of 125
Israel, the Patriarchal Age ended and the Age of Israel began (Ccn. 49 : 2, 28, 29) ; and on the death of Christ the founder of ihc Spiritu~lliou5c of 151ae1, (;ad's favo~u-was withclra~vnfroill tlic l'lcshly housc and givrn to ilrc Spirilnal honse. Tlie Scriptural proof that the " cloublc " of disfavouir to the Fleshly house oi Israel began at the death of Christ is clear.
7 he t111er1tyone rnch qpace b e h e e n !he norlh ( l e f t ) wall, and the Sranile L e a f (right), in the Anle-Chamber o f the Greal P y r a m i d of S i z e h ; showing the first granile floor-done to the right
was due to begin, was that on which our 1.ord rode into Jcrusalcm sealccl on an ass- coinparc Zccli. 9 : 9 with Luke 19 : 28-44, and notc the piopl~ccyof Ihc " shout," and our Lord's reference to it in the 40th verse in Luke's gospel-thus particularly must prophecy be fulfilled.
Tlle soulh wall of /he Anle-Chamber in the G'reat P y r n m i d of Gizeh ; showing 111.5 four deep grooves which divide /he wall info fiue equal s p o c ~ s : also /he low pasiage which leads southward lo /he K i n g ' s Chamber
It was five days before his crucifixion that Jesus, wceping over Jerusalem, pronounced the sentence : " Behold, your house is left unto you desolate " (Matt. 23 : 35). Tllere is additionally thc testimoily of Zechariah (9 : 12)-" Evcn to-day do I declare that 1 will render doublp unto thce." The context of this prophecy shows that the " day " referred to, when the " double "
As Jacob's death occurred in Spring 1813 B.C. (Sec. 11) and Christ's death in Spring 33 A.D., the total duration of the Jewish Age, the period of God's favour to the Fleshly house of Israel, was exactly 1845 years. Accordingly, the " double " of disfavour, beginning in Spring of 33 A.D. must have ended in 1878 A.D., 1845 years later. I t was in that year, at the famous
I 26
127
Rerlirc Corcgress nf Nations, in which a Jew, Lord Beaconsfield, took the leading part, that the condition of the Hebrews then residing in I'alestiue was greatly anleliorntcd. But each of these dates, 33 and 1878 &.I>., was signalised by an event of even greater importance than the loss and return of favour to Fleshly Israel. The first witnessed the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, the Head of the Christ, and the othcr the resurrection of the sleeping saints, the Body of Christ. The last members of the Church who. are alive and remain on the earth during the short period since 1878, carry out their vow of consecration unto death ; but, unlike those who died in the Lord prior to 1878, they will not have any interval of unconsciousness or sleel, ; the momei-it of their death will be the moment of their resurrection change. This is the class referred to by Pat11 when he declared : " Behold, I show you a mystery [secret] ; We shall not all sleep [lie unconscious in death], but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump " (I Cor. 15 : 51, 52). The last or seventh trump is the proclamation of the tidings of the Lord's return. John the Rcvelator also wrote of this class and called them blessed. Describing the time when the Gospel harvest would begin, he stated: " Rlcssed are thc dead which die in the Lord fvam henceforth ; Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their laboms, and their works do follow them " (Rev. 14 : 13). Seeing, therefore, that it is by the calculation of the " double " that the date of the resurrectioli of t l ~ er~lernbersof C111.ist's Body is made known, the south wall of the Ante-Chamber which marks this ,date should, properly, be the end of a timemeasurement indicating the " double." The Ante-Chamber class are those who, through their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, fulfil the Divine Law of God, as the Apostle says : " That the rightcousncss of thc l a w ntight be fz~lfilled i n zts, who walk not after the flesh [as did the Jews], b t ~ tafter the Spirit," that is, those who having been begotten to the spirit nature, mind the things of the Spirit (Rom. 8 : 4). Now, as the express symbol of the Law of God in the Great Pyramid is the Granite Plug, we could not suggest a more appropriate starting-point than this for the particular time128
mmsnren1cnt now nndcr consi~lm-,rtion. T ~ I I acI ~in , thc fornlrr case where the Grdnite l'lug recluired to Iji. recognivxl wl~cn calculating the time-period of the Law Dispensation, dnring which the Fleshly Israelites endeavoured to gain life by the works of the TAW kvitho~it faith, so h e ~ ealso, whcn dealing with the Spiritual I\raelitrs who, without works, establish this Law through faith in Cllri\I during 1;leshly Israel's " double " of disfavom (Rorn. 3 . 28-31), we require to take the Pyramid's symbol of the Divine Law Into account
Commencing at the lower 01 1101th end of the Granite Plug, and nleas~iiingup along thc floors ol tlie Firit Ascending I'assage and Grand Gallery to the Step, thcn Irom the nortll edge of the Step into the soutl~end-wall of the Ante-Chamber, 11 will 1~ founcl, after adding to this n~easure~nent the lcngth of the Granite 1'111g itself (as in Section VIII), that tl~c.total nnn1ht.r of Pyranlicl inches corresponds to thr. period of years of the Jewish Age a r ~ dits " double." (As thr Age oS T\rael was ~ 8 4 5years, as shown in No 6, page 25, t l ~ c(' I)or~ble" is nlso 1845 years, innking a total of 3690 gears. The total number ol Pyramid inches in the measmt.men t h r e~ euplained, and as shown in t h diagram, ~ i~ 3690.122 t )
J'
IZQ
The Ante-Clzan2,ber and the 144,000 Overcomers The final part of the above-mentioned total Pyramid-inch measul-e~nent,is the horizontal distance from the front, north, edge of the Step southward to the south wall of the AnteChamber. In t11e diagram this hori~ontaldistance is given as 229.198 + inches, which we tabc to be t l ~ cstandard n~easllre for this section of tllc buildillg. Within I~rnits,however, other measures are possiblc. Taking a n~easurewhich is less than a 60th part of an inch short of the standard, u c find, by a recognised Pyramid proportion, a signal confirmation of thc symbolical meaning attached to the l~ttleAnte-Chamber. The number of those who " follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth " is said by thc Revelator to be 144,000 (See Rev. I4 : 1-4). As the Ante-Chamber class, instructed in the School of Christ, the 144,000 overcomers of the Gospel Age are " sealed " in their foreheads with the necessary knowledge to enable them to co-operate with their Lord and Master in the Kingdom work (Rev. 7 : 3, 4). They were called to joint-heirship with God's dear Son during the Gospel Age, represented in the Pyramid by the Grand Gallery. But before they could bc sealed in their foreheads with the full intellectual knowledge rcquired to serve their heavenly Father acceptably, they had to bow down submissively to the Divine will, as illustrated in the AnteChamber by the Granite Leaf, under which one must bow before the full freedom of the Ante-Chamber can be enjoyed. (See the companion book : The Great Pymnzid : Its Spiritz~alSymbolism.) Therefore, in view of the symbolical meaning of all of this part of the Great Pyramid, it may be said that the entire llorizontal floor-line from the north edge of thc Step at the head of the Grand Gallery, into the south end of the Ante-Chamber, pertains to, and represents, the 144,000 followers of Christ. I t is confirmatory to find that the number of Pyramirl inches in this horizontal line indicates, by a proportionate method of calculation characteristic of the Pyramid, the actual number of the overcomers. For if we take an even IOO times this measure in inches as representing the mdius of n circle, we shall find that the length of the circumference of the circle is precisely 144,000 inchcs. (The horizontal distance in this case is 2 2 9 ~ 1 8 3 ~ 1k8.)
SECTION XVII
T
HAT the Grand Gallery represents the " walk " of the spirit-begotten of the Gospel Age, that is, the 144,000 overcomers who " follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth " (See Revelation 14 : I-5), is borne out by the symmetrical proportion in which the special angle of the ascension of this passage's floor-line is particularly recognised. The factor in this feature, which makes possible the indication of the number 144,000, is the number 6. Just as 10 is the complete number, 7 the perfect number, 5 the Pyramid's sacred number, 4 the square number, so the number 6 also has its symbolical significance, namely, imperfection, when it pertains to man i n his fallen state. But the number 6, from another standpoint, also denotes the Word of God ; for the measuring " reed " spoken of in Ezekiel and Revelation, 6 cubits long, by which the temple of God was measured, is known to symbolise the Scriptures, the standard by which the " temple " class, or the people of God, are measured. But even in this symbolical meaning the number 6 pertains to man, because the Word of God was written by holy men of old, called holy because of their faith in God, who were moved by the Holy Spirit ; and it was written on behalf of fallen men. T l ~ ebody-members of Christ, the 144,000 who overcome the world and the flesh by the Word of God, were, a s the Apostle declares, " children of wrath even as others." When Nebuchadnezzar set up his golden image in the plain ol Uura, which image is understood to have been a represcniation of the great image of a man seen by him in his dream (Daniel z : 31 ; 3 : I), he chose for its height 60 cubits, and its I>re:~dth6 cubits. .4nd in the Book of Revelation, the " number 01' :I ilran " spoken of in the 18th chapter is Goo, plus 60, plus 6. M.111, :~c.c,o~,tling to the commandment of the Lord, was to 1.31
" lshoiir " for 6 tlnys ant1 rest the 71:11. The land of Israel was to l)c tillcd ;mtl lrwvcsted for man's nse din-illg 6 years, ant\ t o rest tllc 7th. For 6000 years ruatiltind has 1a.boured under sin and ctegradation, waiting for thc advent of their Saviour- arid King i n t11e 7th 1000-YFAT ~triod. l.n a.scendirlg ihc s l ~ r - pHoor of Ihr Grant1 Ciallrry, spealcing irl, a figl.~r;iti ~ 6 stII:;r, : the :;pi1 it-11rgot fen prop]' iiri-rc.olile
tile wenlincsses of i:lw flesh, rind llecolne gradually more like
their 1,oril antl hlastcr Jesus Cllrist. 1t is through ttie sacrifice of their hnn~anity,walking in t l ~ rfool.stt:ps of their forcrnunrr, illat they ultimately attain Ill(: spirit: r-~nl-ure,and inherit tl-I? 'IGngdom wi tl-IChist. In the Great Pyra~ni
to the level 01 the Kiug's Cba~nberwhich synlbolises tlie spirit nature, and the Kingdom. But i t is only those who l~avcbeen human a t first who can become members of the 144,000 Even the Lord himself first required to become a man, and be made in " the likeness of sinful flesh," before he could ascend to his now high exaltation (See Hebrews 2 : 9-18). This thought of the necessary, primary, human nature ol the Church, the body of Christ, to which the Apostle refers when he wrote : " I t is sown a natural body ; it is raised a spiritual body " (I Corinthians 15 : 44-49), is represented in the Great Pyramid by the vertical measurement of exactly 600 inches, from the level of the floor of theaQueen's Chamber, up to thc sloping floor-line of the Grand Gallery. As the produced floor-line of the Queen's Chamber intersects the floor of the First Ascending Passage at the upper end, a vertical line of exactly 600 inches from this Queen's Chamber floor-level will touch the sloping floor of the Grand Gallery at that point which is 1354.0550 + Pyramid i~lchesup from the intersected point in the First Ascending Passage. In other words, if we measure off on the ascending floor of the passage a section of 1354.0550 + inches, and regard this measured-off section as the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle, then the perpendicular of this triangle will be exactly 600 inches, owing to the fact that the passage rises at the special angle of 2 6 O 18' 9". 7. Regard this measured-off section on the ascending floor as the diameter of a circle. The area of this circle is exactly ro times 144,000. This calculation is absolute. The area of t l ~ c circle, therefore, dependmg as i t does on the precise upwa.rr1 angle of the passage, ' m d upon the vertical height of exactly 600 inches, represents the number of Christ's body-~neimbers, tach i~lcinberbeing individually represented by an evera ao inches. Whilc tF~centire 14q.,ooo overcomers a.1.c viewccl as one body, ; r ~ l d .all are subservient to Christ as King, the Scriptures declarc that each individual member will himself be a king and priest (Revelation 5 : 10 ; 20 : 6). The number 10, when connected with ruling power, denotes complete governmental control ; ; L I I each ~ inember of the 144,000 will have allotted to him: under 133
the supervision of C:hrist, complete govel-ning power in the Kingdom, each having his own part to do (Lultc 19 : 10-19).
find that tile cliagonal of this square inclicatcs the 1915-ycar period betwcen the birth of Christ, and tllc year 1q14 A . U . For the length of this diagonal is, practically, 1915 inches. (Thc precise length is 1914.92" + inches.) This diagonal-length agrees very closely with the floorlength betwcen the point on thc floor of t h ~First Ascending Passage that inarks the ddte of Christ's birth, 2 B.c., and thc upper floor-end of the Grand Gallery wh~chmarks the date
Diagram Illustrating the Geometrical, and Mathematical, Connection between the Numbers
144,000 and 1 9 1 5 Area of the Circle = 144,000 x 1 0 Diameter of the Circle, i.c.. Side-Length of the Square
=
1345.0550t-
Diagonal of the Square = 19 14.9229 t ( Practically 1915 )
A 19 15-Year Indication Furthermore, if the diameter of the above-mentioned circle be regarded as the side-length of a square (that is, a square, each side of which is exactly 1354.0550 4 inches in length), we I34
I914 A.D. Therefore there is, by this proportionate featurc, a direct connection between the area of the circle that reprcscnts the 144,000 overcomers, and the floor-length terminating at the upper end of the Grand Gallery which is 1915 inch-years. For while the precise standard length of this inclincd floor-line is, as already shown, 1915.0538 + inches, and the length of the diagonal spoken of is 1914.92" -+ , the differerlcc is only about an 8th of an inch, and therefore thc slightly shorter length is well within the limits of the practical measures sf this floor. 135
4 Consistently with all that has been written regarding the completing of the membership of the body of Christ, the " feet " inembers still doing their necessary part while still in the flesh, and the beginning of Christ's reign over earth since 1914 a.1). when, legally, the rulership of the kingdoms of this world terminated, and therefore sincc which date the Kingship of the world has passcd fi-om their hands to the Christ, as we read : " And there were voices in heaven saying, ' The kingdom of this world is becoine the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ ; and he shall reign for cver and ever ' " (Revelation II : 15), we find still another convincing feature in the Great Pyramid which indicates the nunlber of the 144,000 with the period of the " Seven Timcs " which ended in 1914 A.D. For before He whosc right it is could take to himself his Kingdom-rule, the lease of power to the lringdoms of this world had to run its coursc, that is, the complete period of the " seven times of the Gentiles," the 2520 years from 606 B.C. to 1914 A.D., had to be accomplished. Besides recognising the number of the 144,000, and the number of years in the times of the Gentiles, 2520, the proportionate feature we now present also recognises the two levels in the Pyramid which symbolise the human and spirit natures, namely, the floor-levels of thc Quccn's and Icing's Chambers. As we have noted, the 144,000 required to leave the human nature before they could attain to the high spirit nature. The ~roportionis connected with a rectangle, thc four sides of which are : the two floor-levels referred tv, and the two vertical lincs of the north and south walls of the Grand Gallery. That is to say, the lines of the two end-walls of the Gallery where they touch the floor of that passage, are produced upward and downward vertically, till they rca-c'h the produced floorlevels of the Icing's and Queen's Chambers. The length of this definitely-indicated rectangle is, therefore, equal to the horizonta.1 length of the Graiid (.;allery, that is, 1686.7882 IPyramid inches. 'The height is equal to the vcrtical distallce between the two floor-lines of the two chambers, already stated to be 855.2032 iPyramid inches. With this length and height, the area of the rectangle is 136
j
page 197,
-
etkt
nth naae)a fsah Lap, B f e a t a %QP 7 'ma& TQ
5th frf3a
found to be 1,442,546-88 square Pyramid inches. Now, by a. characteristic Pyramid method of calculating, this total of square inches contai~~s the following three numbers : It (1) contains 10 times 144,000 ; and (2) the nulnber 2520 representing the " Seven Tiines " ; plus (3) a rerllainder which, when l~lultipliedby the perfcct nmnber 7, yields the precise length of the Grand Gallcry. For the remainder is 26.88, and this inultiplied by 7 equals 1881.6, the Grand Gallery length. The measures used for t l ~ csizc of this rectangle arc thc)sc already used in all the dilnensional features referred to in this
bouk, and in t l ~ cScientific book. They all fit in harrlion~ously with each other both as nicaslues, and as symbols ; for tlle sy~liholicalnieaning ascribed to cach part of the I'yramid, and are consistently recog~lised. t h e ~ rdirrae~~sions, ' h e fact th:~t thc tolal aiea of the lectangle i~lcludesthat little ainount extra which agrees wit11 thc G ~ a n dGallery lcngth when ~nultiplicdby 7,emphasiscs ttlc sylnbolism which connects the 144,000 with the Grand Gallery. And the inclusion in the area of the " Seven Times " indication, points once again to the iinpor tance of the 1914 A.D. date, the momentous year which witnessed thc close of that long period of 2520 years.
I37
SECTION XVlII
A
S an added corroboration that tfie upper, virtual, tloorend of the Grand Gallery inarks the date 1914 A.L)., we find that this point is the terminal of another straight-lined measurement of I915 inches, representing the 1915 years between the birth of the Man Christ Jesus, and the end of the period of the times of the Gentiles in 1914 A.D., when he exercised his Divinely conferred right and assumed Kingly authority as earth's new (invisible) Ruler. I n this harmonious dimensional feature the starting-point of the straight-lined measurement is the Pyramid's Socketlevel base line. The date of the birth of earth's future Icing may be regarded as appropriately indicated by the Socket four~dation of the Great Pyramid ; for the definite fulfilment of all tlie promises of God, and the prophecies, relating to the Kingdom and its Spiritual Ruler, all of which are so beautifully embodied in the wonderful edifice which stands so firmly on its roclcfoundation, began at that date, as we read: " For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given : and the government shall be upon his shoulder : and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall b&no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth cven for ever. The zeal of the Lorcl of hosts will perform this " (Isaiah g : 6, 7). The vertical distance in incl~esbetween the Socket-level hase, a11d the virtual floor-end of the upper terminal of the Grand Gallery, is too short t o directly agree with the period between Jesus' birth and 1914 A D . This vertical distance is 1723.6268 + Pyramid inches. But b y a n ingenious method, in which the 138
length of the Grand Gallcry is rccogniscd, the rcc111iled ilumber of inches is symmetrically yieldcd by tfie height of the Gallery's upper floor-end above the Socket base, to within less than a 3rd of an inch of the exact 1915. This method is as follows : The vertical distance separating the level of the upper floor-end of the Grand Gallery (i.e., the 1914 A.D. date-level), and the Socket-level, is the length of a rectangle. The width of this rectangle is the same number of inches as the vertical height of the Grand Gallery, tlius recognising the length of the Gallery and the angle of its ascent, and also, by association, recognising the symbolical meaning of this passage in its representation of the Gospel Age, which began a t the first advent of the Lord Jesus Christ, and ends a t his second advent.
I t is the diagonal of the definitely-fixed rectangle detailed above, which agrees in length with the period of years in question ; for with a length of 1723.6268 +, and a width of 833.7616 + , inches, the rectangle has a diagonal-length of 1914 6926 +, or barely a 3rd of an inch less than the precise 1915 inches. (The width of 833.7616 + inches is the exact vertical height of the Grand Gallery. And this width, also, when inultiplied by an even, round, 100-thmsand, is the same exactly as the number of square inches in the area of the Socket-level square base of the whole Pyramid.) The diagonalI39
length of 19x5 inches, iicarly, is therefore appropriately related to all thc dimensions of t l ~ cbldlding, besides being still another conviiicing proof of the accuracy of thc 1914 A D . date for thc begiililing of Christ's reign of righteousness.
Alzother I7zdicatiout of the 1914
A.D.
Uale
Wc have noted already the importance of definite nuinbcrs, such as 7, 10, etc., in the scientific calculations of thc Great Pyramid ; for the proportionate featu~esof the monument arc essentially based upon numbers, all of which have their individual significance. We find that the number 9 enters largely into the building's symmetrical indications, sometimes as a multiplying, or dividing, number, and sometimes as a number to be added to, or subtracted from, any given total. I t is only by the adoption of this method of multiplying, dividing, adding, and subtracting, with 1-ecognisednumbers, that so many corroborations of the chronological and scientific features can be seen to be contained in the Great Pyramid. As we have pointed out before, this method is proved to be an integral part of the proportionate systcm that binds all the dimensions of the building harmoniously together. I t is the frequency with which the Pyramid's proportions show that this mathematical method may be rightly used, and the minute accuracy of the results of the calculations, that prove its intentional nature. Taking the length of the above-mentioned rectangle, that is, the direct vcrtical distance between the Socltet-level base and the 1914 A.11. date-level (as marked by the virtual floor--end of tlic i113per tcrmina.1 of the Grand Gallery), we find that this indicates the 1915-year period by another calculation, in which the ilumbers 5) and :lo enter as factors : For ~o times the direct vcrtical rlistar~ceof 1723.6268 . I - , when divided hy g, yields the figure r g q .14o -I-,thus again presenting the thought of thc date of Christ's birth, 2 B.c., being conilected with the foundational line of the Pyramid, and of the date of his entry as King over Israel and the world, 1914 A.D., being connected with the level of the building which is fixed by the upper virtual floor-terminal of the symbolical Grand Gallery. 140
The 14.4,000,and the 2915-Year .Period The significance ol the two features that proporlionntely coiroborate the outstanding period of 191s yeais betweeri oilr T.ordJs birth, and the date rqrq A T). wllen lie a\snnled his power a.; King over a11 t l ~ eeaith, 1s ac,crnt~~'itrri when it r i seen that the exact length, :lnd width, of, tllr let t ~ i i g l rto which we have referred, glveil to that rec-t~nglea n ;Ilea o l s r l ~ el ~x t r ~ ~tllat t, when irt konrtl in squaie Pyram~d inc,lies it il~tlicares the number of the. Overcorners of the C;osptll Age, ruitl the period of 2915 years frorn Chri\tls birth to the end of the Millenn~al 1 eign. These inclicalions, like illany similar ones, are 1 lot direct, I,ut proportionate ; and the factors g and IO are rccluired in the calculations : As explained, the length of the rectangle is the vertical height of the 1914 A.D. date-level above the Pyramid's Socketlevel base, namely, 1723 6268 +, while the width is the same as the vertical height of the Grand Gallery, 833.7616 +, iriches. With this length and width, the area of the rectangle is found to be, to within about a 40th part of an inch, 1,437,094 square inches. When we deduct from this area g inches, we get the remainder 1,437,085. Now this remainder of 1,437,055 square inches is short of an even 10 times 144,000 lo the extent of 2915 inches. Or, in other words, if we add to the remainder of 1,143,085 the iluinber 2915, and divide the sum by 10, we get 144,000, Just as the 144,000 overcomers are identified with the 1915-year period, a \ shown elsewhere, so they are also identified with the 291.5year period ; for they reign mlth Christ for the 1000 yc~lls following the inauguration of the Kingdorn in 1914 A D , the " feet " members talting their part in this Kingdom work whilc <,ill1in the flesh ant1 awaiting their change to the s p ~ r icondition. t This inetliod of showiilg a period by the omission of a corresponcling number of inches from a given total, is fairly often to bc swn in the calci~lntlousof the Creat Pyramid, 111rt as a pwio(1 inay somc,ti~ncil)r ii~d~cnirtl hy its inc.liisioi1 with othrr appl npi iatc pcriorl\ ill n iol,~l,
The Rectangle, and its Close Indication of the Duration of the Solar Tro9ical Y e a r Still another harnlonious feature related to the dimensions of the rectangle spoken of in this Section, shows that the particular year which is represented by the inch-measures connected with it, is the solar tropical year, which is also the historical year. For these dimensions agree with the duration of tlie solar tropical year, by a proportion in which the perfect number 7 is required as a factor, as well as the number 10. The agreement is correct to within less than a 1000th part of a day in the full year. If we deduct from 10 times the sum of the length and width of the rectangle the perfect number 7, the remainder is equal in inches to the number of days in 70 solar tropical years. In the Scriptures the number 7 is specially connected with time, as previously noted. (The sum of 10 times the length and width of the rectangle, minus 7, equals 25,566.8850+, while the number of days in 70 solar tropical years is 25,5669539 t . The tliiference is eo688 + oi an inch in the measurement.)
SECTION XIX
ROFESSOR C. PIAZZI SMYTH'S opinion regarding the "basement-sheet" of the Descending Passage (Seepage SS), namely, that its present north-beglnnmg was designed by the ancient Architect to form an integral part of the Pyramid's synlbolical system, receives strong support by the mathematical cslculations presented in the companion book, The Great Pymmid: Its Scientific Features, pages 94-100. We arc not surprised to find that the important date of the flood is accurately indicated a t this Entrance part of the Pyramid ; for tlie Descending Passage appropriately represents the downward course of the " Present Evil World " which began when the " Old World " was destroyed by the waters of the deluge, and which will end in the fiery trouble symbolised by the Subterranean Chaniber or Pit ( z Pet. 3 : 6, 7). Professor C. Piazzi Smyth was the first to exprcss the belief that the Entrance must, by some method, commemorate the deluge ; and in Vol. I11 of his Life and Work at the Great Pyramid, he shows by astronomical calculations that the coincidence of ceitain stellar signs (Draconis and Aquarius) on the meridional line of the passage, points in a general way to the time of the flood. Professor Smyth confessed, however, that owing to t h e widely divergent opinions of accredited chronological authorities (whose findings he quotes), he was unable to decide on the exact date of the flood, and that his views must thus be tal-\en as approximate only. We have stated the grounds for our confidence in the authenticity of the original Hebrew text of the old Teqtarnent ; and from this we are enabled to fix the date as 2472 B-c.-See the Bible dates in Section 11. I t might be asked: How is it possible to satisfactorily prox7ethat the Bntranrr of the Pyramid was intcrldcd to indicate I13
P
the flood-date ! We hold that the wonderful fitness of tlie symbo1ic;~lfeaturcs of the Pyramid, and tllc cxact harmonious co-relationship of all tllc time-measurements, are sufficient proofs of intention ; even as we recognise that the beautiful llaririo~ly of the nnrnrrons time and other featiires of the Scriphtvcs, is an i:vidence of pre-arrangement or1 the part of its Dlvint: Auttior. When we find, therefore, that the conlmencem e l ~ tof the roof of the Ilescending Passage (01: that part of the roof which is rlirecily and scliiarely opposite the north-beginning of the " basement-sheet ") indicates the date of tlie flood in a number of important time-measurenlents, we are assured that this indication was specially designed 1,y the great Mijst~rBlri1dt.r.---See tlir diagram on page 97. The T;lood, and Christ's Baptism, Scri~turallyconnected
"'
There is a chroilological parallel between the flood and Christ's baptism, which, according to the Apostle Peter (I Pet. 2 : 20, 21) are related to one another as type and antitype (See No. 8 on page 25). The complete period of years between the beginning of the typical flood, and the beginning of the antitypical outpouring of the Holy Spirit, is corroborated by n corresponding Pyramid-inch time-measurement. We have already proved t h a t the date of Chrisl's baptism is indicated by that point on the level of the Queen's Chamber floor (the Plane of Human Perfection) which is vertically in line with tlie Grand Gallery nor111 wall. If we measure northward lrom this point horizontally to the floor of the First Ascending Passage (See diagram, page 142), then down the inclined floorline to the " Point of Intersection," and from thence upward toward the Entrance of the Pyramid, we shall find that the point on the floor of the Descending Passage which is vertically in line with the roof-commencement, indicates the clate of the l.){qinning of the flood, 24739 B.C. (See diagram, page 97). Thus the Pyramid, like the Scriptures, indicates a connection hetween the flood, and the immersion with the Holy Spirit. (Tn this time-measurement the beginning of the flood is indicated, although the vertical " Flood-line," shown in the diagram on page 97, also indicates the date of the drying-up of the flood 144
a year later---Compare Gen. 7 : 11, with 8 : I;, 14. Tlic pcriod from the beginning of the flood, to the baptism of Christ when the Holy Spirit first began to be poured out, is, therefore, a little under 2502 years. The precise total of Pyramid inches in thc lileasurement detailed above, and as shown in thc diagrams, is: 2501.9045 +.--See also footnote on page 63). The anointing of Jesus in Autumn of 29 A.n.was the beginning or the antitypical baptism of the Holy Spirit, .cvhich will ultirnately " submerge " the whole world, as the Apostle intimated when he quoted Joel : " And it shall come to pass in the last (lays, saith God, I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh." The fact that the date of Jesus' baptism is indicated at tllc commencen~entsof the Grand Gallery and Horizontal Passagc, well illustrates Joel's prophecy and the Apostle's application of it, namely, that in " those days " of the Gospel Age, symbolisc~l by the Grand Gallery, the Lord's " servants and handm:lidcns " would have the Holy Spirit pourecl upon them ; and tliat " aftelwards " the " sons and daughters " of thc Secoricl Ad;~m during the time of the New Covenant (symbolised by thc Horizontal Passage to the Queen's Chamber),.would also have Gocl's Holy Spirit poured upon them. (Acts 2 : 16-18.) This time-measurement, therefore, which connects the Ixginning of the Descending Passage with the beginning of the Iiorizontal Passage, contrasts Noah the father of the " Prcscilt Evil World," with Christ the " Everlasting Father " of the " World to come wherein dwelleth righteousness." NOTE: The lneasurc of 23.362 l'j.raf?zid inches show11 in thc dingram on page 97, ,i.e., the floor-distance bet~veen thc north cdgc of Ll~e Descending Passage " basement-sheet " and the vertical " Flood-line," is based 11po11the right-angled, transverse, height of the Descending IJassr~3? roof above the floor, in this case taliru l o be 47.2648 -t Pyramid ilzclr~s, and upon the correct theoretical downward angle of 26" 18' 9".7 lor the passage. According t o the measilres of Professor C. Piazzi S n ~ y t l l ,a s published in his Vol. TI of LiJc a ~ z dIVork, thc transverse height ol thc Ikscending Passage is Iron1 47.0928 t , to -17 . 2 7 ' 6 +, I'yrariiid i?zckes. Tn thc First Ascending Passagc just above thc upper end of the Granite Plug, the mean transverse height of the roof above the Roor is 4'7.2493 i Pyvalaid i?zci~es. We believe t h a t slight variations in measure, within narro.rv limits, were intended, as wc have found ill other measure(1 parts of the building.
F< 2
r 4.5
Creator, the Bible would not have required to be written, nor the corroborating Pyramid to he built ; for the Bible is a record of God's plan for man's redemption. In symbol, Adam and Eve are represented as standing on the solid rock enjoying the full uninterrupted light of heaven, haviilg nothing between them and their Maker. Immediately after the transgression they were cast out of this light and entered the darkness of sin and death, represented by the dark Descending Passage in the interior of the Pyramid.
SECTION X X
w
H I L E the roof-commencement of the Descending Passage indicates the date of the flood, which inaugurated the " Present Evil World," Adam's " day " of condemnation, in which the cvorld was started on its downward course to destruction, is indicated by the -floorcommencement, i.e., the north edge of the " basement-sheet." I n the Pyramid's symbolical time-measurements these two indications are consistently recognised throughout. When God pronounced the sentence of condemnation against Adam, saying: " In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die " (Gen. 2 : 17), we must not understand that the " day " referred to was one of 24 hours, for according to the record of Adam's death, he had lived for 930 years. The harmony of the time-parallels, shown on pages 24 and 25, warrants our clai~nthat this " day " of condemnation was a thousand years long (2 Pet. 3 : 8). In consequence of Adam's disobedience against the Divine command, the whole race of mankind has been born in sin, and all are condemned to die, as the Apostle says : by one man sin entercd into the world, and death by sin : and so death passed upon all Inen " (liorn. 5 ; 12). In the symbolism of the Great Pyramid, the human race is represented as labouring down the steep Descending Passage on the way to the Pit of destruction, because of the condemnation passed upon their federal head on that " day " in which he sinned. The date of the end of this 1000-year " day " is, therefore, appropriately indicated by thc north edge of the "basement-sheet " in a number of time-measurements. (See diagram, page 97.) To understand the application of the present time-measurem m t , cve must remember that, had Adam not disobeyed his "
146
Toward the end the end of the " day " of condemnation Adam died ; and his children, born in degradation and powerless to retrace their steps, had perforce to continue on the downward way. The lower they descended the darker bccame their path, until there was b a l e 1 sufficienl illunlination to remind then1 of thc great light and freedom once enjoyed by father Adam. When they passed the bend a t the lower end of the passage, they lost even that little trace of light, and weie compelled to go on in complete darkness till they fell into the Pit of death. The Entrance to the downward passage is situated a ( o~~\itlcrablc distancc ahovc. thc rock-has(: of thr l ) ~ ~ i l d i ~ lT11is g. 117
distance was not fixed in a haphazard way b y tllc Archit-ect, as we have noticed, but was so arranged, that the period of Adam's 1000-year " day " is indicated in thc following way : by the measurement from the levelled rock-base up the inclined face of the casing to the ancient Entrance, t h ~ ndown the now missing portion of the Descending Passage to the north edge of tlic " basement-sheet ." (The total nunnber of Pyramid inches in t l ~ i smeasurement, as shown in the diagram, is rooo ,1810 + .)
Adam's 930 Years Sho?e~.e,llby the Pyramid According to the stateme~ltof the Bible, the exact age of Adam a t death mas 930 years, or just 70 years short of the full 1000. This difference of 70 years is corroborated in the Pyramid by the difference between the two inclined heights of (I) the ancient floor-beginning, and (2) the north edge of the " bascn~cntshcet," of the Descending Passage above the natural rock-levcl. Thc second one of these two inclined heigtits is taken along a line which is exactly parallel to the first one, i.e., parallel to the casing-stone surface. The precise difference betu.een thesc two inclined measures is 70.0917 + Pyramid iflches. Thus thc north cdgc of the " basement-sheet " lnarlis both tllc cnd of Atlain's 1000-ycar " (lay " of condemnation, and tllc date of llis actual tlcnth ; ~ (130 t yc;irs of age: ((;en. 5 : 5 ) .
SECTION XX1
I
N his 5th Edition of Our Inhevitance i n the Great Y y m f n i d ,pagc 296, Professor C. Piazzi Smyth draws attention to the four " angular " stones which lie conspicuously above the Entrance of the Pyramid. He demonstrates that their purposc was evidently to monumentalise the 7r (Pi) angle of the sides of the building, viz. : 51" 51' 14~I.3, but does not suggest a reason why this clomina~lt angle of the Pyramid should be particularly indicated a t the Entrance. (Diagram, page 88.) We suggest the follo\ving as being a possible symbolical reason : The great " angular " stones preserve, b y their inclination toward each other, the scientific 7r angle 03 the Pyramid's four sides. They thus seem to say, in figurative language, that a t one time a perfect Pyramid stood here a t the Entrance of thc Descending Passage. As the apex of the inside angle formed between the two sets of inclined stones is in line, nearly, with tlic level of the Queen's Chamber floor, this perfect pyramid would represent Adam, who was created a perfect man. 111the Sci-iptures, Jesus Christ is likened to the head cornerstone of a pyramid, of which the great stone Pyrainid in Egypt is a synlbol (Psa. 118: 12 ; Matt. 21 : 42). I t is therefore quitc in accord with the Scriptures, and with the Pyramid's corroborative symbolisms, t o liken Adam, who in certain aspects was a type of Christ, to a small perfect pyramid standing on the levcl of the Queen's: Chamber floor, immediately above the Entrailcc to the passage dov711 which he afterwards is represented as falling in consequence of his disobedience. Now, tihe direct vertical distance between the north edge of the " basementsheet " of the Descending Passage, and ttie level of the Queen's Chamber floor, is exactly a 25th of the complete vertical height of the whole Pyramid. (This vertical distance is 232.5201 + I49
l'yrn~tzid inclzcs, aiicl is ;LII ~ x a c t25tll 1);li.t of tlie 1~111Soc:lietto-apes vertical height of the building, i.r., 51313.0101 -t.)
We have seen that, in his fallen state, Adam is represented at the end of his 1000-year " day " of condeinnation, standing a t the north cdgc of the " basement-sheet." Thus, tlie little pyramid, now reckoned as having fa.llen like Adam from the Queen's Chamber floor-level down to the " basement-sheet," its apex just touching the linc above which symbolises the I'lane of Human Perfection, represents Adam a t the full end of his 1000-year " d a y " losing all llold upon his at one--time perfect 11ulnan state, a.nd falling into tlic, Ucsccnding Passage condition of death (See the diagram).
The fact that Adam is represented by a pyramid which is an exact 25th the size of the Great Pyramid, may explain the reason for the Queen's Chamber being situated at the 25th masonry course of the building. This seems to be the Pyramid's method of corroborating the Scriptural dcclaration, that Adam was made in the image of his Creator, and that he was the earthly type of the Spiritual Adam (Rom. 5 : 14)) Christ, who is syinbolised b y the whole Great Pyramid. As the pyramid rc.yresenting Adam is a 25th of the size of the whole Pyramid, it follows that the dimensions of the latter in cubits is exactly reprod~~ccd in irlches in the little model ; for a cubit equals 25 inches. The number of iiiches in the baselength of the little pyramid is 365 . Z ~ ' Ji , . ~tlie , same as the number of days in tlie solar year.
A
di
DAM, and the Man Christ Jesus, arc the only two wlio have stood upon the " Plane of Human Perfection." Through his disobedience Adam fell froin this perfect state, and the whole human race share in his condemnation to death. I n due time, according to the fore-arranged plan of God, Jesus Christ' left the glory which he had with the Father before the world was, and became flesh and died the " just for the unjust," and thus ransomed mankind from the grave. By thc co~npletionof Christ's glorious 1000-year " Day " of Restitution, 2874 A.D., all the world will have regained " that which was lost." But all who were secretly harbouring the spirit of the Adversary, having yielded only feigned obedience during the Restitution process (Psa. 66 : 3, margin), will be deceived by Satan when he is let loose from the bottomless Pit during the " little season " of 40 years which follows, and God will destroy them along with Satan in the Second death (Iiev. 20 : 1-3 ; Psa. 37 : 10). All who pass the final test will have demonstrated that they are not only perfect in body as Adam was before his fall, but that they have developed the perfect character of their Redeemer, who stood immovable in faith, love, and loyalty to God the Father even under the great trials to which he was subjected during his earthly ministry (Psa. 37 : 29). We would understand, therefore, that by the date 2914-2915 A.D., the redeemed race will experiencc to the full the glorious hberty of the children of God, with complete dominion over the earth (Compare Nos. 2 and 3 on pagc 24). As the " Plane 01 Human Perfection " is representrd in the Great Pyramid by the level of the Queen's Chamber floor, .md as the Ransom-sacrifice of Christ is symbolised by the T
Well-shaft, tlicsc two important fc:itures ~llustgovcrii t.liis Limc-
measurement . We have already proved that the north cdgc of t l ~ c IJescending Passage " bascmcnt-sheet " n~arlrstlie cncl of tlic First Adam's 1000-year day." This point is below the lcvcl of the (jueen's Chamber floor, and thus represents Adam in liis condemned state. The point on the Queen's Chamber floorlcvcl vertically above the north edge of the " bascnient-slleet " would, therefore, very well represent Adam in liis perfection, and would form the most appropriate starting-point for tllc time measurement now under consideration. If, then, we begin from this point as marking the date whcn Adam fell froin perfection, 4126 B.c., and rneasurc at the usual rate of a Pyramid-inch for a year verl.ically down till wc reacli the level of the lower Well-opening (the level of the top edge), then horizontally southward to the north edge of the opening, and from thence vertically upward till we regain the level of thc Queen's Chamber floor, we shall find that the termination of our long measurement indicates the date 2914-2915 A.D. This time-measurement is the Pyramid's method of illustrating t l ~ eApostle's brief, but comprehensive state~nellt of God's Plan of the Ages : " As in Adam all die, even so in Christ sliall all be made alive "-I Cor. 15 : 22. (The sum of the two vertical, and thc horizontal, lines is 7040.8796-tPyramid i?z,clzes, and therefore agrees in inches with the number of years from 4126 U.C. to 2915 A.D.) "
w
E read that
" death reigned from Ada111 to Rloses" (Koin. 5 : 14) ; and that the law of Moses, although "ordained to life," was found after all to be a way to death, owing to the weakness of the flesh (Rom. 7 : 10). When, however, Jesus Christ came a t the end of the Law Dispensation and abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the' Gospel (2 Tim. I : IO), the opportunity to " pass froill death unto life " was then offered to all who would exercise the necessary faith (Julln 5 : 24). But although the resurrection power has been working in the footstep followers of Christ (Rom. 6 : 4), the time of their real, in contradistinction to their reckoned, resurrection from the dead, when death shall have no more dominion over them; was unalterably fixed by God according to his set ti~nesand seasons. Thus, the Scriptural time-features show that, since the " day " when the First Adam brought death into the world, none could hope to pass from death unto life in the actual sense, till the inauguration of the Second Adam's 1000-year " day " of regeneration. We have seer1 in Section XVI that very early in this glorious " day," namely, in 1878 A.D., 34 years after the return of the Second Adam, the illembers of the " Bride " class who fell asleep during the Gospel Age have received their resurrection change, and are nnw with thcir T20rdwaiting till the full number of the elect company are " caught u p together " with them (I Thess. 4 : 15-17). After this the general resurrection will begin, for Cl~ristmust reign till he has put all enenlies under his feet, and tlie last cnemy that shall he destroyed is death (I Cor. 15 : 22-26). The year 1878 A.D., therefore, was in the purposes of God the extreme time-limit for the absolute power 154
ol t1ea.l-11ovcr t l ~ ewurld ; for wl~cu" this mortal sl~all11a.v~ 1)ut oil. immortality, tlzcn shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, ' Ileath is swallowed up in victory.' " The Great Pyramid corrohorates this Scriptural teacliing l>y illcans of its symbolisms and inch-year rneasurcs, by the longest possible symmetrical mcasurernent between the outside Entrance and the lower mouth of the Well-shaft. We havc demonstrated that the north edgc of the Descending Passage " hasementsheet " marks the end of the First Adam's 1000-ycar " day " of contlemnation ; arid i t has also bee11 proved tha.t the Wellshaft symbolises the ransom-sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Clii-ist,
by which means alowe any t a n escape tllr l)e\ct.nding-Pa\sagc condition of condeinuation to death brought up011 the worltl through A4dain'ssin The measurement from thc north edge of the " bascmentsheet," first vertically do\vn to the level of the bottom of the Well-shaft, then horizontally 5outhwarcl to the ccntre of the opening of the Well* agrecs with the long pcriod of years during which ihc downwarcl conric of t10,~th lrds held absolute ?way Dctails and measnres con~~ectcd with the lowcr ul)eiiiiig ol the \Yellshaft are given in Vol. 11 of Gre'lt Pyrat~zidPussuges.
I55
ovc:~.tlrc: woi.ltl, fro111 the c:ilcl OU the First Adaui's ~ooo-ycar " (lay " of cursing-, till 1878 .%.u.whcn tllc death-state first 1)c.gan to 12c " sn~altowcdup in victory " with tllc &sing of tllc fc~llowcrsof ('llrist, early in tlle Second Adam's glorious 1000-year " (lay of l~lessing. (Froin the end of Adam's 1000-yc8.r " tlay" of conciemnation, 31264 B.c., to tllc bcgiilniilg of t l ~ e ', first rcsurrcction," when tile body of the Christ rose froill t l ~ c slcc11 of death, 1 5 7 7 A.D., is 50031 years. Thc total mcasureinont which represents this period in tile Pyramid is 5003 .SoO; + I-)!'rn~nidinches, which is barcly a. 3rd of ail iricll iriore tllail tlic exact rcquirc~ncnt.) "
T
IIlC remarkable connection that is known to cxist hctwccri. thc Great Pyrarnid which marks the ce*ntrc of tlrc scctorinl-shaped land of Lower Egypt, and the ancicnt: city of 13etlilehem where the licdecmcr was born, is detailed in the coinpanion 1)ook : 7'1~eGreat Pyuanzid : Its Scientijc 1;entrtrrs. ' h i s connection is not only that of angle (the straight linc 1)etwccn the Pyramid and Hethlehem, runs from the Pyranlitl north-eastward to Bethlehem a t the same angle to the Pyi-anlid's ~ a r a l l e l of latitude, as the passage-ways in the building ascent1 and descend, namely. 26" 18' yf'.7), ; L I I ~ of ?tlr.aszwe, lint is symboliial also. Syinbolically, the Great I'yrai~lid is n mctterial rcprescntntion or Jesus Christ, the holy, Iiai.i~ilrss,aild uuclefi1c.d So11 of God. Or, in anotllcr pictui-c, our T,ord is syn~bolised1)y thc heat1 corncr-stone of the monnmrnt, arid his body-menlhers. the spiritbegotten class of the Gospel Agi:, arc represcl~tcdas hcing built "1) t o Him, ttlns l ~ e c o ~ i ~ thr i n "~ fnlncss of Ilim t11at fillet11 all i l l ill1 " (Ep11. I : 18-23).
7'hc aoeriire and lrarnwuy-car lillc hetwccri Cairo o11d [he Pyrurr~idso/ Gizch
The connection by measurc, which is ill~~stratcci in the two accornpanying diagrams, is very wonderful, and very confirmatory of the whole teaching of the Great Pyramid. Briefly : The interval bf years between the dates of thc erection of the n~onllnlent,and of the birth of the Man Christ Jesus, 2138, is rvl)rcscl~tetlill Pyraillid cubits by a coinplete circle, each even ~ o o orlrl)it.; in the circnmi'c~renceof this cirrlc corrrsponciillg to 757
one year ; for in the circumference are exactly 2738 times 1000 cubits in all. And the diameter of thi.; circle is the straight line coilnrclirlg the Pyramid with Bethlehem, the length of the line being the distance separating the Pyramid and Bethlehem according to the known geographical positions of both.
The 1915-Yeav Igzdicatiogz Then, by anotlicr rnf>tllod oi measuring, the 1915-year interval between thc birth of Jesus in 2 n.c., and 1914 A.n. when he began hi5 Klngdoln rcign over the ealth (thoug1~ invisible to human eyes, hut c l e s ~ l y perceived as pvesent hecause of the unitcd testimony of all the time-prophecies of the Scriptures.---Src (he cliagramq on pagcs 2 - 2 5 ) , i~ ,~l-,o 158
represented in Pyramid cubits, and again by a complete circle, each even ~ o o ocubits in the periphery of which corresponds to a year. The diameter of the circle is in this case the base-line of the right-angled triangle, the hypotenuse of which triangle is the straight line between the Pyramid and Bethlehem, rising from the Pyramid's latitude, i.e., the said base-line, a t the unique angle of 26" 18' g".7 as mentioned above. The length of the hypotenuse of the right-angled triangle, that is, the distance between the Pyramid and Bethlehem, necessarily has a direct bearing on the length of the base-line of the triangle ; and this length is so proportioned that the circle described on the baseline has the circumference of exactly 1915 times an even 1000 Pyramid cubits of 25 Pyramid inches each. (See the further description of these features in the ScienZ
7'he hleas~weqf 2138 P ~ o ~ c ~ r f i c ~ iKelnt~rl i ~ ~ t t ~to : ~the ).~ J;o?oev I
N thc Grcnt Pyramid's time-measurement which marlts thc date 2140 B.C. as correct for the year of the ercctioll of the monument (as detailed in Section XXV of t11c .Ccil?rzt$6c book), we have taken 628.oG8S + Pyramid inches :IS the floor-distance between the " Point of Intersection " nr~tl the scored lincs on the walls of the Descending Passagc. This is a fair mean of the practical measures published by Professors Sillyth and Petrie, and is confirmed by our own practical lneasuring a t the place. (A full account of our operations at tllc Great Pyramid during the years 1909, and 1912, is given in thc 1st volume of our Great Pyvn~izid Passage.) Professor Smyth's figurc for this floor-distance is, in Pyramid inches, 627.9714 ; Professor Petrie's figurc is 628 a42095 ; whilc o11r own came out a t 628.02135. The actual mean of these threc measured lengths is 628.1379, which is less than a 14th part of an inch more than the standard length required by theory. Professor Smyth is in nearly a.11 his measures a little too short, as was pointed out by Professor Petrie, and which Professor Smyt11 acknowledged later in his works. On the other hnncl Professor Petrie tended to make his own measures a little too long. The theoretical quantity is found very often to lic between their extreme rneasures ; and because of this these theoretical or standard n~easul-rsmay be safely accepted as correct. The important period of 2138 years between the dates of the building of the Great Pyraniid, and the birth in Bethlehem of our Lord, is proportionatc to other measured sections of t h e Pyramid : rfm
1.101-izontalJ.'a.ssage lexdii~gto thc Pit, is indicated very csactly hy meails of a proporliouatc method of calculatil~gwhich wc, Ilavt, keen in otlicr sucll 1-elationsl~ipsin the I?yramid. Thc basis of this calcnla.tion is thc period of 2138 years, wllicll we arc now cc?nsidering. Add a ronnd, cven, 10-thnnsa.nd iucllcs to 2138 inrhcs, : ~ t 1 ~.egardthe s u n a.s the perjmetcr of a squarc, The lengtkr of olle side of this square is allnost precisely the same as tllc floorIrngth of thc lower rcacli of thc 1)escending Passagc. Tile difference, such as it is, is only about a 1ooot11 part of a11 inch. (Tllc sum of 2138 and an rvcn 10,000, whcn divided by '1. to givc tlic length of oilc sidc oE thc squarc, yields 3034 .jinches. '.fl~estandard length of tllc lowcr rcach ui the Llescending Passage is 303~f.5010-t .) Or we may rcversc this feature, and ShOMr tllc corrcspondeac;~, in rr~lothcrway : Regard thc floor-length of this lowcr scction oE thc Ilcsccnding Passage as the side-length of a square. The precise perimeter of this square is, therefore, 12,138.0041 + l'yramid inches. This perimctcr is cqual to the sum of a rouncl ro,ooo, plus the floor-distance between the scored-lines (whidi lnark the date, Autumn of 2140 B.C. as shown), and the upprr cnd of the First Ascending Passage, but at that point on Lhe passage-floor which marks the date of Jesus' birth, Auturrlll of the year 2 B.C. This point, as we have noted, is in direct horizontal alignment with the ~ u e e n ' sChamber's floor-levcl. (The floor-distance referred to is 2138.0777 + inches.) That this important lower sectioll of thc Descending I'assagc sliould havc the above-mentioned proportionate relationship to thc period, or measurc, of 2138, is clearly appropriate, whcn we remember that the angle of the Descending Passage is thc same as the angle of the straight line between the Pyramid and Bethlehem where our Lord was born, and that the distance between the Pyramid and Bethlehem, reckoned in Pyramid cubits, agrees through the ratio 7T with the period or measure L' I 61
of 2138 (See Sect1011 )ill 1 111 t l ~ eScieqitijic hook). 'lllerc is a fitness in all these agreements which is very conviricing of the whole teaching of tbc Great Pyramid. And this featurc is still more apparent when we find still another appropriate measure in the Great Pyramid agreeing with this 2138 period as follows : Tlze 2138 Period Indicated by the Two Levels of the King's and Queen's Chalnbers Thc Scriptures declare that " He that descended, is the sarne al.50 that ascended " (Ephrsians 4 : 10). In other words, the Lord Jesus Christ, sent into the world from his former spiritual habitation to suffer and die for mankind, was afterwards received into glory, the& to become Lord of the living and the dead and to receive his Kingdom. This Script~zral declaration is illustrated b y the angle of descent between the city of Bethlehem, so~zth-westward to lcgypt's centre, occupied by the Great Pyramid. I t is also ill~zstrated by the two levels in the Great Pyrainid w11icl1 syinbolise the spirit and l~urr~ari plar~es,namcly, the floors of the Icing's and Queen's Chambers. As the Great Pyramid, in its perfection when built, is the direct symbol of the perfect. 5inless, Son of God, who, when he came into this world, was 1101-nin Rcthlehem as foretold by the prophet (Micah 5 : 2 ; Matthcw 2 : 4-6), the period of years which separated thc dates of the erecting of the Pyramid and the birth of Christ Jesus, 2 ~ 3 8 is , therefore coilstantly brought bcfore our notice when we speak of the length and angle of the straight line connecting the Pyraniid with Bethlehem. Now, the vertical distance betwecn the two levels of the King's and Queen's Chambers, froin floor to floor, also indicates the 2138-year interv;rl, by the following inctliod : liegard an even 10 timcs this precisc vertical distancc between these two floor-levcls as the lcngth ol thc pcrimetcr ol a square. I t will he found that thc length of one side of this square is almost exactly a round 2138 Pyrainid inches, the difference being less than a 100th part of an inch (The ~ e r t i c a ldistance between the two floors is 855 .zo3zgg + Pyrdmid inches. This multi162
plied by ro, thcn divided by 4, gives the side-length of the square referred to, namely, 2138.0082 i-inches.) The Getlmetrical. Relationship Between t h ~ TWO ! Adjoining Periods of 2138 and 1915 Years As in the two proportionate features just considered, so in this additional feature the basis of the calculations is a square. We have already noted the importance of the connection of the interval of 2138 years (between the erectillg of the symbolical stone Witness in Egypt and the birth of the Mail Christ Jesus), with the 1915-year interval which immediately followed, ending in 1914 A.D. when Christ took to himself his great power and began his reign. We now draw attention to the fact that there is a geometrical connection between the two numbers, 2138 and 1915. This connection is shown by a plane geometrical figure, the basis of which, as we said, is a square. Draw a square with an area of exactly an even IOO times 2138 square inches. The side-length of this square is 462.3851 + inches (i.e., the square-root of IOO ~ 2 1 3 8 ) . Inscribe a circle within this definite square. The diameter of the circle is, of course, the same as the side-length of thc square. Therefore, multiplying this diameter, or side-length, by the ratio T , we find that the length of the circunlferellce of the inscribed circle is 1452.6256 + inches. The s u p of the diameter and circumference of the inscribed circle, is almost exactly a round, even, 1915 inches. (The precise sum is 1g15.0108 + inches, which is little more than a 100th part of an inch over the exact 1915.) By this simple geometrical and mathematical method, the three very important dates, namely: first, 2140 B.C. for the erection of the symbolical Great Pyramid, second, z B.C. for the birth of the world's Saviour and King, and third, 1914 A.D. for the beginning of the righteous reign of this King of Glory, are all prominently and symmetrically indicated. Thus we perceive still more evidence of intentional design in all of Jehovah's grcat Plan of the Ages.
T h e T w o Periods of 21 38 and 1915 Y e a r s are Ge~metricall~y Related t o the Precessional Cycle Period
I
I The Areu -of the S~nullSqunr.c' 1 I is exactly 2138 x 100 I I
Diagram l llustrating the Geometrical, and Mathematical, Connection between the Numbers 2138, 1915, and 25,694 164
As the Precessional Cycle period of years was the primary basis for the' important discovery of the building-date of the Great Pyramid (as demonstrated by the exact positions of the notable stars Alpha Draconis, and Alcyone of the Pleiades, at that date), and as the number of years in the precession is found to be corroborated by the perimeter of the Great Pyramid at that precise level in the building which marks the termination of the 1915-year time-measurement, it is certainly a still further confirmation of our faith in the teaching of the Pyramid to find that, geometrically, and mathematically, these three periods of 2138, 1915, and 25,694-5 years are each related to the other. This relationship is contained in a further development of the plane geometrical figure just detailed, namely, the square, having an area of precisely IOO times 2138 square inches. We now regard the diagonal of this square as being the sidc-length of another, larger, square. The side-lengths of both squares are thus determined by the precise area of the first, small, square, with its inscribed circle indicating the 1915-year period. The calculation connected with these two squares which indicates the precessional period is as follows : The length of the diagonal of the small square, which is also the side-length of the large one, is 653.9113089+ inches. The perimeter of the large square is therefore 2615.64523 + inches. From an even 10 times the perimeter of the large square, deduct the length of one side of the small square. The remainder is 25,694.0672 + inches, which is equal to the years in t l ~ e 131ecessional cycle. There are other proportionate features connected will1 illis gro~netrical, figure, all confirmatory of the fol.rgoiuy,, 3 1 ~ 1 confirlnatory of the Pyramid'r; mrasulrs generally.
SECTION XXVI THE SYMMETRICAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THE SOLARYEAR, TIIE ~ R E C E S S I O N A I ~CYCLE, A N D THE 1915-YEAR,I'ERIODS
as the diameter-length of the above-mentioned circle, is 2,377,935.394638 + square inches. The even 100th part of the area of the square is 23,779.35394 + square inches. We can symmetrically divide the area of a square into IOO equal parts by dividing its length into 10 parts, and then its width into IO parts, all
T
HE foundation of this feature is a circle, the area of
which is as many square inches as there are square cubits in 7 x 2 tlnles the Socket-base area of the Great Pyramid. In other words, the area of this circle is, in inchrs, equal to the ilulllbei ol days in r l Limes the square of tlie soldr tropical year. There are 365.24219866 + days in the solar tropical year, and therefore 133,401.863687 + days in the square of the year. (In the area of the Pyramid's Socket-level square base there are 133,401 863687 + square Pyramid cubits.) Thus, in 14 times the square of the solar year the number of days total to 1,867,626.091626 + ; and this, reckoned in inches, is the area of our circle. (The number 7 is in Scriptures specially connected with time.) We desire now to find the diameter of this circle, the area of which is, as we see, definitely determined by the day-value of the solar tropical year, and the perfect number 7 ( i e , 14, the double of 7). For the further development of this feature is connected with the square of the diameter of this circle. That is to say, we require to ascertain the precise area of a square, the side-length of this square being the same exactly as the diameter-length of the circle. If we know the area of a circle, it is easy to find the square of the diameter of that circle. We need only to multiply the known area of the circle by 4, and divide the result by the ratio T. (Or we can multiply the known area of the circle by 4, and then multiply again by the reciprocal of the ratio T . The value of the reciprocal of the ratio T is .3183098861837g + .) Calculating with this wf,ll known mathematical rule, we I 66
equally spaced. Our feature has to do with this symmetrically divided 100th part of the full area of thr square. To the area of the small 100th-part square rrdd exactly 1915 inches. The resultant sum is as many square inches as there are years in the precewional cycle of the equinoxes. Thus, 1915 inches added to 23,779.35394 +, the area of tbe 10ot11-part small square, totals to 25,694.35394 + square inches. This total is the same as the perimeter of the Great Pyramid at the 167
inch Perimeter at the Mean Socket-level Base Is equal t o Days In 100 Solar Tropical Years
d
level of the upper floor-end of the Grand Gallery, which floorend inarks the termination of the 1915-inrll time-measurcmcnt The d~fferencebetween the two totals is no1 more than nbont a 1000th part of ail inch. Instead of dividing the area of the square into IOO equal parts, we may explain the feature in this w a y : TO the full area of the square add an even 1-00 times 1915 inches. The resultant sum is equal to an even 100 times the perimeter of the Pyramid a t the 1914 A.D. date-point level. (The sum of the area of the square and IOO times 1915 is 2,569,435.3946+ inches. And IOO times the perimeter of the Pyramid at the level which marks the date 1914 A.D. is 2,569,435.2904-k inches. The difference between these two large totals is little more than a 10th part of an inch.) The correspondency in the above feature is therefore practically exact. I t further demonstrates the wonderful harmony of all the dimensions of the Great Pyramid, both toward each other, as well as toward the durations of the solar tropical year, and the precessional cycle, and their relationship to the outstanding period of 1915 years between Christ's birth and 1914 A.D. I n augmenting the precise area of the square by the addition of the round number of IOO times 1915, we are following one of the methods of calculating required in a large number of the Pyramid's geometric and mathematical proportions, examples of which we have presented in the companion book entitled : T h e Great P y r a m i d : Its S(:iefztiJic: Featz~res,which see.
The Solar Y e a r , the l'recessio~t, and 1915, Corzr~c.cl~d by the I'yuamid's D i ~ r ~ e n s i o ~ ~ s
Ground Plan of the Great Pyramid Showing the Mean Socket~levelSquare Base, and the Horizontal Sectional Area at t h L ~ P V Cnlarked ~
by the Upper Terminal of the Gland Gallery Floor
16s
1
The dit~~ci~sions of the Great Pyramid are so wonderl~llly Ijalanced, that they everywhere bear out the main teaching of the moni~ment. The day-value of the solar tropical year i.; given us in the perimeter of the building a t the Socket-level base, the number of inches in this perimetcr being equal to the nl~mberof days in an even IOO years. The year-value of the great precessional c y c l ~of the equinoxes is given 11s in Ihr per~nlrteruf t l ~ r1,uilding at l l ~ rlrvrl ut the upper fluol-er~duf 169
the Grand Gallery, tlie level which we may appropriately name the " 1914 A.D.date-level." The nunlber of inches at this level is equal to the number of years in the precession. Here, then, we have two squares at different levels, the lower one showing the solar F a r , and the upper one showing the precession. And the vertical distance betwcen these two levels is connected definitely with the highly scientific dimensions of the King's Chamber, as noted in Section VIII of the Scientijic book. Looking down upon tlie Pyramid as upon a plan, the square of the 1914 A.D. level would seern to be centrally placed within the Socket-level square. The straight, and horizontal, line between the adjacent corners of the two squares is 1914,468 + Pyramid inches, or about half an inch less than the precise 1915. This horizontal line is, of course, part of the base-cliagonal of the building. This feature means that the vertical height of the 1914 A.D. level was so adjusted by the great Designer, that its horizontal diagonal distance inward f r o ~ neacli base corlle1 of the building is between 1914 aucl 1915 Pyramid inches, thus still again bringing before our vision the central truth of the Holy Word, and the central truth of the Pyramid too, namely, that the Saviour of the world was born into the world, known to be both Saviour and King, in the year 2 B.c., and that after an interval of 1915 years, in the year 1914 A.D., he came as earth's invisible King of righteousness. (The semi-diagonal of the Pyramid a t the Socket-level base is 6456.6308 + inches ; and the semi-diagonal a t the 1914 A.D. level of the building is 4542.1627 t- inches. The difference is 1914.4680 + Pyramid inches.)
SECTION XXVII
DAM'S creation, according to the chronology of tlie Bible, took place at the date 4128 B.c., or, more particularly as explained in Section IV, 41282 years before 1st January A.D.I. The year before the creation of Adam can, therefore, be named the " zero " year, or the year " o ", the beginning of which is 4129; years previous to A.D.I, that is, 41292 B.C. This year is just before the advent of man on earth, and thus is properly styled " pre-historic " ; and because it is outside of the scope of history, but of special importance as being the very year preceding the first appearance into the material universe 01 God's noblest earthly creation, Man, it is proper to expect that this " zero " year, while not marked by any point within the Pyramid's passage system, would nevertheless be found to be connected with the building by some method.
A
T h e Method by which the " Zero " Y e a r i s Indicated Mr. E. W. T. Macdonald, a Scotsman resident in Hendon, England, and a very enthusiastic student of the Great Pyramid, suggested that the important " zero " year might reasonably be marked by a definite geometrical point in the rock below the base of the Pyramid, namely, by the intersection of the two straight lines produced downward into tlie rock of: (I) the outer casing-stone surface of the building, at its special angle of 51" 51' 14" .3, and (2) the floor of the First Ascending Passage, with its distinctive inclination of 26" 18' 9 " . 7 This intersection, purely geometric, is within the confines of the building because in direct line with the casing-stone surface, and is connec$ed with the passage-system owing to its location T7I
on the line continuous with the Ascending Passage's floor. At the same time, this point is an appropriate one to mark the " zero " year, for though definitely related to the building by its two domina.nt angles, it is sufficiently removed from the passage-ways to demonstrate that the year i t indicates is not within the history of mankind. But there is another method by which this geometricallyfixed point shows the pre-historic nature of the year which it marks, and that is that none of the time-measurements, or dimensional features found in connection with it, are direct,
reetion of our Lord. Jesus Christ, Spring of 113 A m . , marked by the line where the First Ascendir~gPa.ssagc atrd Grand Ciallery ~rieet. This line: of delliarcation between the two asceridirrg l ~ s s a g e swould, tlirrcforc, w r y wcll forin the starting-point for thc downward incli~lecl t i m e - i i l c a s u i - e n produced to tlre " zero " point. If tlie tirne-lneasui-en~entwerc a direct one, the number of iriches in this straight line woulcl agree with tlrc: pre(:isc liuinber of years between Spring of the year 33 A,!). a n d the beginning of the " zero " year 41294 B.C. But when wc accurately calculate, by the usual trigonometrical rules, the I~tigtllof the fi~oduced floor-line, from thc " Point of Tntersection " down to the " zero " point, and add tliis to tile floorl ~ n g t lof~ the First Ascendiiig I'assage, we find that tlic total number of Pyramid inches is less than that required. Hut the ail~ount'of shortage is an exact iruinber particularly relaietl to thc inoriument's yroportionatc features, iiamely, all ever1 100. By this indirect iiiethotl, co~lvincingbecause of its syrunletry, the Pyrair~idindicates the begilliliilg of the " zero " year qracj: R.c., the gea.r before Adam became a living soul." (The period of yeai-s ill rluestiorl is 41614, frvnl 41zgi B.C. to 32% A . D . , i.c., t o Spring 33 A.D., the date of our Lord's death and resurrectioll as marked by the upper, southern, end of the First Ascending l'assage. The floor-length of thc First Ascendiiig Passage is 1543.4642 +, and the total length of the produced floor-linc to the " zero " point is 2517.9590 +, Pyrainid indics. The :~\unof thcsc two Icngths, plus an cvcn 100, is 4161 .4233 -I-, or lxa,ctically 4161i inclics.) "
lmt are indirect. I n other words, there is no Pyra.mid-incli ti~ne-rneasureinei~tbetween any point in the passages illat nlai-ks an established date, which directly connects the year 4129$ R.C. a t this " zero " point. The " zero " point in11ica.tions are all connected with proportionate measures, which, llowever, are in themselves symmetrical and harmonious with the 1)uildingJsmathema tical and geometrical design. The one well-established date in the Scriptural clirunology wl1ic.11 is convinc,ingly iilarlircl by an appropriate point in the Pyramid's passage-walrs, is the year of the death and rcsur172
7'hc Iizterval bel-i@ee?ttile " Zero " T'ecrv t ~ i l dthe of tltc Israel.tles f v o ~ ~B,qy+t t
~ X O ~ I ~ S
A I I O ~ ~ Pprolxn-t~onatc It ~ ~ n c - ~ n e a s ~ i r r n ~inc l Iwhich t, thc pettect riuinhrr 7 1s a Idctor, confirlns the Pyranlid's iriark~ng of the " zero " ye, 7. Egypt is the Scriptural type of the world going after " other gods " in its degradat~on,and hence hastening downward to tlie pit of destruction. The Descending Passage is a fitting illustration of this depraved condition of the world, a symbol that I73
is further strengthened by the interesting fact that, at the time when the Great Pyramid was being built, Alpha Dsaconis, the stellar representation of Satan, the " god of this world," shone right down the central line of this passage a t midnight. The " Point of Intersection," therefore, where the First Ascending Passage branches upward from the Descending Passage, convincingly marks the date of the Exodus ; for it was then that Jehovah separated the people of Israel from the world to be a " peculiar treasure " unto himself, and measurably lifted them above the other nations by giving them the perfect law, and instituting sacrifices which typically cleansed them from sin. From the beginning of the " zero " year to the date of the Exodus, is 2514+ years (4129a B.C. to 16142 B.c.). This interval is corroborated proportionately by the length of. the prodztced floor-line of the First Ascending Passage, from the " zero " point to the " Point of Intersection." For when we deduct 33, that is, half of the perfect number 7, from the number of inches in this produced line we get, practically, 25144 (2514.459 +). The number 3$ is, in the Scriptures, usually associated with suffering, as, for instance, the 34 years of our Lord's earthly ministry during which he " suffered in the flesh " ; and the 34 " times " of oppression against the saints of the Gospel Age. The Apostle tells us that " death reigned from Adan1 to Moses " (Rom. 5 : 14), and hence the special number 3; connected with the above proportionate measure, mav be taken as indicative of the condition of suffering in the world because of the deathsentence, before the law of Moses gave the first opportuility of gaining life.
L)il.lzensiovzal Pro;bortions Connected w i t h the " Zero " P o i n t A Precessional Cycle Indication Lt is now established, both in this book, and in the other entitled : The Great Pyranzid : I t s Scientific Features, that many of the Pyramid's indications are. bascd upon proportionate calculations, and that this method of proving the numerous corroborative features of the building is intentional. Thus, by taking advantage of this distinctive past of the Pyramid's I74
.
scientiiic design, we call show that tlic " zero " year point is coilnected with a measurement that agrces with the duration of the precessional cycle. I t is obvious that the exact location of this geometric " zero " point is altogether dependent upon, not only the two scientific angles of the Pyramid's casing-stone surface and its interior passage-ways, but also upon the precise position of the Ancient Entrance of the building, and the point on the floor of the Descendiilg Passage from which the First Ascending Passage branches upward. There is nothing of a haphazard nature about the " zero " point, therefore, although geometric. The precessional-cycle indication is connected with the full height of the Great Pyramid, in conjunction with the position of the " zero " point ; and the factors used in the calculation are the numbers 3 and 50. When we compute, by the rules of trigonometry, the full Pyramid-inch length of the straight i~lclinedline, from the level of the " zero " point upward to the apex of the Pyramid, we find that 3 times this length, plus the special Pyramid number 50, yields the same number as there are years in the precessional cycle, in this instance 25,695 .277 + . (The inclined height of the Pyramid, from the Socltet-level base up the casing-stone surface to the apex, the measurement being taken up the central line of the building's northern flank, is 7391.5578-t Pyramid inches. The length of the produced casing-stone line, from the Socket-base level down to the level of the " zero " point, is 1156.8678 +. The sum of these two lengths multiplied by 3, and 50 added, equals 25,695,277 +. Or if we add 7 x 7, i.e., 49, which is also a special Pyramid number, we get 25,694.277 +. As we have hitherto noted, the duration of tlic precessional cyclc rangcs bctwccn, or closc to, 25,694 and 25,695 years.)
T h e " Zero " P o i n l Level Indicates the S i z e of the P y r a m i d . The consistency oi' tlle " zero " point with the Pyramid's dimensions is still, further supported by the following proportionate calculation : Regard the level a t which this " zero " I75
point is located as constituting a " subterranean " base to the whole Pyramid. This geometric base is, by calculation, 909.8061 + Pyramid inches vertically below the builhng's Socket-level base ; and the side-length of this lower base, found by producing the sloping lines of the Pyramid's four flanks downward at the same casing-stone angle of 51" 51' 14".3 to that precise ,, zero " level, is 10,560 .I751 + inches. I t is the diagonal of the " zero " base, which indicates the size of the whole Great Pyramid. For the length of this geometric diagonal, plus the Pyramid's basic number 10, is equal in Pyramid inches to the sum of : (I) the vertical Socketto-apex height, and (2) the length of the Socket-level base-line, of the building. The difference between the sum of these two principal exterior dimensions of the Great Pyramid, and the sum of the " zero " base-diagonal and the complete number 10, is only about 2 of an inch. (The " zero " square base diagonallength, plus 10, equals 14,944.3428 + inches. The sum of the Socket-to-apex vertical height, and Socket-level base-side length, of the Great Pyramid is 14,944.0651 + inches. The difference between these two definite sums is .2777 + of an inch, i.e., little more than a quarter of an inch.) There are other dimensional proportions connected with the " zero " point, but these are sufficient to prove its authenticity.
The " Shortening " of the Time There is one possible time-indication in the Great Pyramid which ought not to pass unnoticed ; but as it is partly of a date yet future, we can only draw attention to it by presenting the calculations which seem to support it as reasonable. Part of this time-measurement has already been fulfilled in accordance with the interpretation we give it, and because of this it is not impossible that the future part may be fulfilled. Measuring upward from the " zero " year point to the upper end of the First Ascending Passage, adding, as shown, an exact IOO inches to this measure, we arrive at that placein the Pyramid's passage-system which marks the date of our Lord's death and resurrection, 33 A.D. And contin~lingour 11pward measur~ment M~ I77
to the south end-wall of the Grand Gallery we find the datc I914 A.D. to be here marked. This south wall of the Grand Gallery is vertically in alignment above the north wall of the rock-cut Subterranean Chamber, which chamber is symbolical of the destruction into which the nations of Christendom entered when the great war was precipitated upon the unsuspecting world in Autumn of 1914 A.D. While the " first shot to be fired " in the war was on 28th June, 1914 A.D., when the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, nephew of the Emperor Francis Joseph, and heir to the Hapsburg throne, was assasinated in the streets of Serajevo (for histories of the world-war begin with this date) ; and while exactly a month later, on 28th July, Austria-Hungary formally dieclared war against Serbia ; and on 1st and 3rd August Germany declared war on Russia and France ; yet it was when Great Britain took up arms on midnight of 4th August that the greatest war in the history of the world can be said to have begun in earnest. America declared war on Germany on 5th April, 1917 ; and after fully another year and a half of most desperate agony, the Armistioe was signed on 11th November, 1918, largely through the peace efforts of President Wilson of the United States of America. What a prayer of thankfulness and cry of relief went up from the whole earth on that memorable day of the Armistice ! I t was suggested by Mr. Wm. Reeve of Toronto, Canada, in his small work on the Pyramid publislled i111909, that the words of our Lord Jesus respecting the shortening of the days of trouble, as expressed in Matt. 24 : 21, 22, might be interpreted in the time-measurements of the Pyramid, by taking the shorter period of a month to the inch, instead of a year. He pointed out that this method of measuring could appropriately begin to count from the south end-wall of the Grand Gallery, as it was believed that this wall marked the date of the commencement of the great tribulation spoken of by the Prophet Daniel, and pointedly referred to by our Lord in the text cited above. For Jesus said : " For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, 178
there should no flesh be saved : but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened " (See also Mark 13 : 19, 20). The south wall of the Grand Gallery marks the date 1914 A . D . ; and, in this symbolical representation, the low passage leading horizontally southward to the Ante-Chamber illustrates the troublous time into which Christendom entered in Autumn of that year, the Elect themselves experiencing in a special sense the great hardships of the period. But, said Jesus, " for the elect's sake, whom hc hath chosen, he hath shortened the days." (Mr. Wm. Reeve suggested the date 1910 for the beginning of this trouble; but for many years students of the Bible knew that I914 A.D. was the date foretold in the Scriptures.) When the Armistice was signed a " breathing-space " was provided, especially for the Lord's people, the " Elect." The length of the low passage from the line of the Grand Gallery's south wall, to the north wall of the Ante-Chamber, agrees in inches with the number of months (Biblical months of 30 days each), between the 4th-5th August, 1914 A.D., and 11th November, 1918, when the Armistice was signed. (The first low passage is, in its accurate theoretical length, 51.9792 + Pyramid inches, that is, praclically 52 inches. At 30 days to the inch this length represents 1560 days ; and from the 5th of August, 1914, to the 11th of November, 1918, including the extra day in 1916 which was a leap-year, there were 1560 days.) I t is, of course, natural to suggest that, as the first low passage by its length thus exactly agrees with the period of tribulation caused by the world-war, each inch rcprcsenting thc Biblical month of 30 days, the same scale of measuring along the Antechamber's floor to the south wall of that chamber would mark a definite date there also. Reckoning with the theoretical AnteChamber length of 116.2602 + Pyramid inches, and the month of 30 days to the inch, the period represented is 3487.8, or practically 3488 days. Taking account of the leap-years, 3488 days from 12th November 1918, end on 30th May 1928, which must be close to Pentecost of that year. If we continue the interpretation of the first low passage to the second low passage, this second passage could be held to represent the final trouble upon the world, and upon the Lord's children (I Thess. 5 : 1-6). The walls, floor and ceiling of the I79
first passage are of limestone, while that of the second are of granite ; and the length of the second is, according io the theoretical measures which we accept, IOO .8434 + Pyramid inches. That the south wall of the Ante-Chamber, which is also the north-beginning of the low granite passage leading to the Icing's Chamber, should mark the date 1928 A.D. may be regarded as appropriate enough, and in keeping with the other time-measurements of the Pyramid ; for this point also marks, by the other method of measuring explained in Section XVI, the date 1878 A.D. Between these two dates is a period of 50 years, just as there was a period of 50 days between the parallel date to 1878 A.D., namely, 33 A.D. when our Lord rose from the dead, and the great Pentecostal day when God poured out his Holy Spirit upon his waiting C h u ~ ~(Acis l l 2 : 16-18).
Three useful books on the Great Pyramid:
1
1
i i
I
I j
The companion books of this series are entitled :
I
The Gvenf Pyramid: Its Scientzjfc Ferrtuvcs ( Y a r f 1 o f r9r4 n.n. and the Great Pyramid) The Great Pyrau~id: Its S$i~iLurzZ Sy~nl.oZisisl/r I
(I) The Great Pyramid : Its Spiritual Symbolism (144 pages). (2) The Great Pyramid : Its Scientific Features (224 pages). (Part I. of 1914 A . D . and the Great Pyramid.) (3) The Great Pyramid : Its Time Features (184 pages). (Part 11. of 1914 A . D . and the Great Pyramid.) Price : For a single copy, 2/3, or 55 cents. 6 copies a t the rate of z/-, or 50 cents, per copy. 12 copies a t the rate of ~ / g ,or 45 cents, per copy. 48 copies and over a t the rate of 1/6, or 35 cents, per copy. The three books, printed on stouter paper, may be procured bound together in stiff boards covered with good cloth, and title blocked in real gold. Price of above three Pyramid b o o b bound together in cloth: One copy for 8/6, or $2.00. 10 copies at the rate of 7/6, or $1.75, per copy. 25 copies and over at the rate of 6/6, or $1.50, per copy.
Great Pyramid Chart
This chart is drawn true to scale from actual measurements taken in the Pyramid by Dr. John Edgar, and his brother Morton Edgar, during 1909 and 1912. I t is the only diagram of this monument which has the accurate length of the Descending Passage, and the correct dimensions of the building generally. I t can be procured in tluee sizes, but the 44 feet by 3 feet size, printed on cloth, which contains the dimensions of every part of the Pyramid, is specially recommended. The wonderful symbolisms and Pyramid-inch time-measurements of the building demonstrate beyond all doubt the great importance of the date 1914 A . D . . one ot the most momentous years in history. The price of the 49 feet by 3 feet size: New Edition, lithographed in five colours on cloth, 4/-, or $1.00, per copy. Old Edition, lithographed in black, on cloth, 3/-, or 75 cents, per copy. Small size, 3 feet by 2 feet, printed in black: On Cloth, Single copy, 1/6, or 3 5 cents. 5 copies, 1/3, or 30 cents, per copy. On Paper, Single copy, 6d., or 12 cents. 5 copies, 4d., or 8 cents, per copy. 10 or more copies, 3d., or 6 cents, per copy. Special large size, suitable for lecturing from in large halls, 104 feet by 7 feet, hand painted on cloth, coloured, 35/-, or $8.50, per copy.
Chronological Chart This chart of,:he chronology and time-features of the Bib$ is that which appears in the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society's Bible. It is clearly printed, and proves most helpful to an understanding of the " times and seasons." It is fully explained in Vol 11 of the work entitled " Great Pyramid Passages." 44 feet by 3 feet, printed on cloth, 3/-. or 75 cents, per copy. 18-in. by 12-in., on art paper, bound with brass top and bottom for hanging on wall, 3d., or 6 cents, per copy; six or more coples, z i d or 5 cents, per copy. 7-in, by 4$-in., stiff art card, twelve copies, 6d., or 12 cents. Postcard size, for correspondence, fifty copies, 1/6, or 35 cents.
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Address Orders to MORTON EDCAR, 224 West Regent Street, Clasgow, Scotland
NOTICE The Booklets noticed below are good value. They have been, and still are, much used in the spread of the knowledge of the Truth, the subject-matter of each being in perfect harmony with " Studies in the Scriptures." Many write expressing their thankful appreciation.
These
11 Booklets all uniform in size and price.
Where are the Dead i Socialism and the Bible. Mythology and the Bible. The Great Pyramid and the Bible. Memoirs of Doctor John Edgar. Memoirs of Aunt Sarah. A Tree Planted by t h e Rivers of Wntcr. The Preservation of Identity in the Resurrection. Abraham's Life-History an Allegory. Faith's Foundations, also Waiting on God. Prayer and the Bible.
TWO STYLES OF BINDING These handy and useful little books are neatly bouild in distinctive coloBrs, either in paper covers or in stiff boards covered with good cloth. The cloth-bound brochures have the title blocked in gold on the cover and form a neat little library-a truly valuable little collection, containing a mine of information in a very small space. Paper-bound : Per copy 23d., or 5 cents. One dozen copies. 21-, or 50 cents. 50 copies, 71-, or $1.75. IOO copies, 131-, or $3.25. 500 copies a t the rate of 121-, or $3.00, per loo. 1000 copies a t the rate of IT/-, or $2.75, per 100. Cloth-bound : Per copy, ad., or 16 cents. Eleven copies, 79d., or 15 cents, per copy. Twenty-two copies, 7d., or 14 cents, per copy. Forty-four copies, 64d.. or 13 cents, per copy. Eighty-eight copies, 6d., or 12 cents, per copy. Note-Orders New Edition
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for quantities may be assorted
WHERE ARE THE DEAD ?
"
Large Size
Since first published in 1908, Dr. Edgar's little brochure on " Where are the Dead ? " has had a wide circulation. Many have expressed a desire to procure this important address in a larger and more durable form. We have, therefore, prepared a Special Edition, printed on stout antique papkr, with large clear type. I t is bound in stiff cloth boards, and measures 7&-in.by 5-in. Price : Per copy, 21-, or 50 cents. Ten copies at the rate of 119, or 45 cents, per copy. Address Orders to MORTON EDCAR, 224 West Regent Street, Clasgow, Scotland
