The great pyramid passages and chambers

have experienced when freed from their bondage in Egypt, and he will be enabled to sympathize with them, when, on being given the Law, they cried joyfully: “ All that 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 sins’—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 Al 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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