The great pyramid passages and chambers

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 ‘tthe 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.

RESUME OF PROOFS.

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. representing the fact that the people have 2 Its termination at the Pit, which symbolizes no real hope, and are without God—Eph. Gehenna, the condition of death from yA lil, as which there will be no awakening. 6 '!The measurement of its length agreeing with 3 Its low roof necessitating the bowing of head the Scriptural chronology regarding the and shoulders, so symbolizing the world duration of the Second Dispensation. groaning under the yoke of the Adamic 7 ‘The position of the lower end of the Well curse. tallying with the date of the beginning of 4 Its increasing darkness, representing the in- the Reformation period. creasing ignorance of the world regarding 8 !The junction with the Small Horizontal Pasthe character and purposes of God. sage to the Pit, representing the date of 5 Its slippery floor and absence of supports, the end of the Reformation period.