THE TESTIMONY OF GOD’S STONE WITNESS AND
PROPHET THE GREAT PYRAMID IN EGYPT
General Description of the Great Pyramid—Why of Special Interest to Christians—The Great Pyramid a Storehouse of Truth—Scientific, Historic and Prophetic—Bible Allusions to It—Why, When and by Whom Built—Importance of Its Location—Its Scientific Lessons—Its Testimony Concerning the Plan of Redemption—The Plan of the Ages—The Death and the Resurrection of Christ Indicated—The Downward Course of the World, Ending in a Great Time of Trouble—The Nature of the Trouble—The Great Reformation Movement Marked—Length of the Jewish Age Indicated—The “High Calling” of the Gospel Church Shown—The Course of the Church’s Consecration—The End of the High Calling Marked—Date of the Second Advent of Christ—How Restitution Blessings for the World are Indicated—The Course of the World During the Millennial Age—Its End—Contrast of the Two Conditions, Human and Spiritual, as Indicated in the Pyramid—The Pyramid Refutes Atheism, Infidelity and all Evolution Theories, and Verifies both the Plan of the Bible and Its Appointed Times and Seasons.
“In that day shall there be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt and a pillar at the border thereof to the Lord. And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt.”
THE ancients recounted seven wonders of the world, and at the very head of the list named the Great Pyramid of Gizeh. It is situated in Egypt, not far from the present city of Cairo. No other building in the world equals it in size. One of the leading granite men of this country, who made a personal inspection of the Great Pyramid, says: “There are blocks of stone in the Pyramid which weigh three or four times as much as one of the obelisks. I saw a stone whose
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estimated weight was 880 tons. There are stones in it thirty feet in length which fit so closely together that you may run a penknife over the surface without discovering the breaks between them. They are not laid with mortar, either. There is now no machinery so perfect that it will make two surfaces thirty feet in length which will meet together as these wonderful stones in the Great Pyramid meet.” It covers an area of about thirteen acres. It is 486 feet high and 764 feet broad at its base. It is estimated that the Great Pyramid weighs six million tons, and that to remove it would require six thousand steam engines, each drawing one thousand tons. In fact, the wealth of Egypt is not sufficient to pay laborers to demolish it. From these facts it is evident that, whoever was its great designer, he intended that it should be an enduring monument.
Viewed from whatever standpoint we please, the Great Pyramid is certainly the most remarkable building in the world; but in the light of an investigation which has been in progress for the past thirty-two years, it acquires new interest to every Christian advanced in the study of God’s Word; for it seems in a remarkable manner to teach, in harmony with all the prophets, an outline of the plan of God, past, present and future.
It should be remembered that, aside from the Great Pyramid here referred to, there are others, some of stone and some of brick; but all of them are mere attempts to copy it, and are in every way inferior—in size, accuracy and internal arrangement. And it has also been demonstrated that, unlike the Great Pyramid, they contain no symbolic features, but were evidently designed and used as sepulchers for the royal families of Egypt.
The Great Pyramid, however, proves to be a storehouse of important truth—scientific, historic and prophetic—and its testimony is found to be in perfect accord with the Bible,
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expressing the prominent features of its truths in beautiful and fitting symbols. It is by no means an addition to the written revelation: that revelation is complete and perfect, and needs no addition. But it is a strong corroborative witness to God’s plan; and few students can carefully examine it, marking the harmony of its testimony with that of the written Word, without feeling impressed that its construction was planned and directed by the same divine wisdom, and that it is the pillar of witness referred to by the prophet in the above quotation.
If it was built under God’s direction, to be one of his witnesses to men, we might reasonably expect some allusion to it in the written Word of God. And yet, since it was evidently a part of God’s purpose to keep secret, until the Time of the End, features of the plan of which it gives testimony, we should expect that any reference to it in the Scriptures would be, as it is, somewhat under cover—to be recognized only when due to be understood.
Isaiah, as above quoted, testifies of an altar and pillar in the land of Egypt, which “shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt.” And the context shows that it shall be a witness in the day when the great Savior and Deliverer shall come to break the chains of oppression and to set at liberty Sin’s captives—of which things our Lord preached at his first advent. The scope of this prophecy is but dimly seen, however, until Egypt is recognized as a symbol or type of the world of mankind, full of vain philosophies, which only darken their understandings, but ignorant of the true light. As Israel typified the world which shall be delivered from the bondage of Sin by the great antitype of Moses, and whose sin-offering has been given by the antitype of Aaron, so Egypt represents the empire of Sin, the dominion of death, which for so long has held in chains of slavery many who will be glad to
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go forth to serve the Lord under the leadership of one like unto but greater than Moses.
In many passages of Scripture the symbolic character of Egypt is indicated; for instance. Here, aside from the fact that our Lord as a babe was for a time actually in the land of Egypt, and Israel also for a time actually in Egypt, there is evidently a typical significance as well. The Son of God was in the world for a time for the sake of those he came to redeem and deliver; but he was called out of it—Egypt—to the higher, divine nature. Likewise those who are called to be his brethren and joint-heirs, the “members of his body,” the true Israel of God, are called out of Egypt; and the Master testifies, “They are not of this world, even as I am not of this world.”
‘Isaiah (31:1,3)’, referring to the great trouble now impending, says, “Woe unto them that go down to Egypt [to the world] for help [for worldly ideas and plans, and for counsel as to how they should act in the crisis of this great day]; and stay on horses [who endeavor still to ride the old, false doctrinal hobbies], and trust in chariots [worldly organizations] because they are many; and in horsemen [the great leaders in false doctrines] because they are very strong; but who look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord [for the safety and victory in this day of trouble will not be with the multitude]!…Now the Egyptians are men, and not God, and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord shall stretch out his hand [his power—the power of the truth and other agencies—as he will do shortly], both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is helped [by the powers of Egypt—the world’s ideas] shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.”
It will be after all human plans and schemes have failed them, and when men shall have learned their own sinfulness and helplessness, that they will begin to cry unto the
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Lord for help. Then Jehovah will show himself a great Savior; and he has already prepared the Great Pyramid as a part of his instrumentality for convincing the world of his wisdom, foreknowledge and grace. “It shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the Lord of hosts [a witness to his foreknowledge and to his gracious plan of salvation, as we shall presently see] in the land of Egypt: for they [the Egyptians—the poor world, during the great time of trouble coming] shall cry unto the Lord because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a Savior, and a great one; and he shall deliver them. And the Lord shall be known to Egypt [the world], and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day [in the Millennial day—at the close of the time of trouble], and shall do service with sacrifice and oblation: yea, they shall make vows unto the Lord and perform them. But the Lord shall smite Egypt [the world—in the great time of trouble just at hand]. He shall smite and heal it. And they shall return unto the Lord, and he shall be entreated of them, and shall heal them.” ‘Isa. 19:19-22’
While the additional, corroborative evidence given by the Great Pyramid to the written Word of God will be a fresh cause of rejoicing to the saints, it is manifest that its witnessing is chiefly intended for the world of mankind during the Millennial age. The testimony of this peculiar and remarkable witness will give to mankind fresh ground for faith and love and zeal, when in due time their hearts are prepared for the truth. It is remarkable, too, that (like the Plan of the Ages in the written Word) this stone “Witness” kept silence until now, when its testimony shall shortly be delivered to (Egypt) the world. But the saints, the friends of God from whom he will hide nothing, are privileged to hear the testimony of this witness now, before the worldly mind is ready to appreciate its testimonies. Only when ready to obey the Lord can any appreciate his witnesses
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‘Jeremiah (32:20)’, when speaking of God’s mighty works, declares that he hath “set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even unto this day.” God showed signs and wonders in Egypt when he brought Israel out in triumph; but he also “set signs and wonders” there, which remain “even unto this [our] day.” The Great Pyramid, we believe, is the principal one of these very signs and wonders; and it now begins to speak to scientists in their own language, and through them to all men.
The Lord’s questions and statements to ‘Job (38:3-7)’, concerning the earth, find a remarkable illustration in the Great Pyramid, which is believed, in itself and by its measurements, to represent the earth and God’s plan with reference to it. The illustration used is that of a building, and we believe that it fits only to a structure of pyramid shape. The language, while it applies primarily to the earth, is framed to fit the illustration given in the Great Pyramid. First, the preparation of the foundation, the rock on which the Great Pyramid is built, is noted. Second, the arrangement of its measures, a feature very prominently shown in the Great Pyramid, which abounds in significant measurements. “Who hath stretched the line upon it?” The perfection of the shape of the Great Pyramid, and its exactness in every respect, prove that its construction was guided by some master architect. “Whereupon are the sockets thereof made to sink?” The Great Pyramid has four corner socket-stones sunk into the solid rock. “Or who laid the corner-stone thereof?” A pyramid has five corner-stones, but the reference here is to one particular corner-stone—the top stone. The four sunk as socket-stones into the rock have already been referred to, and the remaining one is the top corner-stone. This is the most remarkable stone in the structure—itself a perfect pyramid, the lines in the entire structure conform to it. The question, therefore, with reference to it is significant.
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and calls attention to its peculiar fitness, and the wisdom and skill which prepared and placed it as the top stone.
This ancient structure being thus repeatedly referred to in the Scriptures, we cannot doubt that, if questioned, this “Witness” of the Lord in the land of Egypt will bear such testimony as will honor Jehovah, and fully correspond with his written Word. We thus introduce this “Witness” because the inspiration of its testimony will doubtless be as much disputed as that of the Scriptures, by the prince of darkness, the god of this world, and those whom he blinds to the truth.
Why, When and by Whom
was the Great Pyramid Built?
This question has been much discussed of late years, from both scientific and Scriptural standpoints. For thousands of years no satisfactory answer to the question was discovered. The old theory that it was built as a vault or tomb for an Egyptian king is unworthy of credence; for, as we shall see, it required more than the wisdom of the present day, to say nothing of that of Egypt four thousand years ago, to design such a structure. Besides, it contains nothing in the way of casket, mummy or inscription. It was not until we had come into the time called in Daniel’s prophecy “the Time of the End,” when knowledge should be increased, and the wise should understand God’s plan (‘Dan. 12:4,9,10’), that the secrets of the Great Pyramid began to be understood, and our questions began to have a reasonable answer.
The first work of importance on the subject, proving that the Great Pyramid possessed scientific features, was by Mr. John Taylor, of England, A.D. 1859, since which time the attention of many able minds has been given to the further study of the testimony of this wonderful “Witness”; especially
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since Prof. Piazzi Smyth, Astronomer-Royal for Scotland, visited it, for several months made its peculiarities a study and gave to the world the remarkable facts of its construction and measurements, and his conclusions therefrom. To his scholarly and scientific work, “Our Inheritance in the Great Pyramid,” we are mainly indebted for the data made use of in this chapter. Our illustrations are copies of a few of the twenty-five plates with which the latest edition of that work is embellished.
A few years after Prof. Smyth’s return, came the suggestion that the Great Pyramid is Jehovah’s “Witness,” and that it is as important a witness to divine truth as to natural science. This was a new thought to Prof. Smyth, as well as to others. The suggestion came from a young Scotsman, Robert Menzies, who, when studying the scientific teachings of the Great Pyramid, discovered that prophetic and chronological teachings coexist in it.
Soon it became apparent that the object of its construction was to provide in it a record of the divine plan of salvation, no less than the record of divine wisdom relating to astronomical, chronological, geometrical, and other important truths. However, not having discerned the scope and completeness of the plan of salvation revealed in the Scriptures, these gentlemen have thus far failed to note the most wonderful and beautiful features of the Great Pyramid’s testimony in this direction, which we now find to be a most full and complete corroboration of the plan of the ages and the times and seasons therewith associated, as taught in the Scriptures and presented in this and the preceding volumes of the Scripture Studies series. And, further, we see that this storehouse of knowledge, like the major part of the Bible store, was kept purposely sealed until its testimony should be needed and appreciated. Does this imply that its great Architect knew that a time would come when its testimony
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would be necessary? In other words, that a time would come when God’s written Word would be lightly esteemed, and even his very existence questioned? when human philosophy, under the name of science, would be lauded and every proposition subjected to its tests? Has God decided to prove himself and his wisdom by those very tests? So it would appear. This structure will yet confound the wisdom of the wise as a “Witness” for the Lord of hosts—”IN THAT DAY”—which is already begun.
Prof. Smyth has concluded that the Great Pyramid was built in the year 2140 B.C., reaching this conclusion, first, from astronomical observations. Perceiving that the upward passage angles correspond to a telescope, and that the “Entrance Passage” corresponds to an astronomer’s “pointer,” he set about to investigate to what particular star it could have pointed at any time in the past. Calculations showed that α Draconis, the dragon-star, had occupied a position in the heavens which looked directly down the entrance, at midnight of the autumnal equinox, B.C. 2140. Then, considering himself as an astronomer at that date, with his pointer fixed upon α Draconis, and considering the ascending passages as though they were a telescope, which they much resemble, he calculated what constellation or what notable star would have been before his telescope thus fixed at the particular date indicated by his pointer, and found that it must have been the Pleiades. So wonderful a coincidence convinced him that the date of the Great Pyramid’s building was thus indicated; for α Draconis is no less a symbol of sin and Satan than Pleiades is a symbol of God and the center of the universe. The Great Pyramid thus indicates that its Architect knew of the prevalence of evil and of its domination over the downward course of mankind, and indicates also what lies beyond all human sight—that the only hope for the race is in Jehovah.
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This conclusion of Prof. Smyth’s as to the date of the Great Pyramid’s building, was most abundantly corroborated, later, by certain measurements by which the Great Pyramid indicates its own date of construction. A realization of the fact that the Great Pyramid exhibits a wisdom of design which the Egyptians could not have possessed—a divine wisdom which must have been worked out under the supervision of some inspired servant of God—has led to the conjecture that Melchizedek was its builder. He was “king of Salem [that is, king of peace] and priest of the Most High God,” and as a person and type occupied so high a position as to be a blesser of Abraham, who also paid him tithes. Of this we can know little, except that Melchizedek was a great and peaceful king, and that he lived about that time, and not far distant from the site of the Great Pyramid.
It is conjectured that Melchizedek, though not himself an Egyptian, used Egyptian labor for the construction of the Great Pyramid. And to some extent the traditions of Egypt support such a theory. They reveal the fact that Egypt had a peculiar invasion about this date by a people whom tradition merely denominates Hyksos (i.e., Shepherd Kings or Peaceful Kings). These invaders seem not to have attempted to disturb the general government of Egypt, and, after staying a time for some purpose not recognized by the tradition, they left Egypt as peacefully as they had come. These Hyksos or Peaceful Kings are supposed to include Melchizedek, and are assumed to have been the builders of the Great Pyramid—God’s altar and “Witness” in the land of Egypt.
Manetho, an Egyptian priest and scribe, is quoted by Josephus and others as saying: “We had formerly a king whose name was Timaus. In his time it came to pass, I know not how, that the deity was displeased with us; and there came up from the East, in a strange manner, men of ignoble
