C. T. Russell Quotes on the Pyramid
(1st Watchtower President)
1874 ".. this measurement [of a length of an interior passageway discovered inside the Pyramids - it has no reference in Scripture] is 3416 inches, symbolizing 3416 years .. This calculation shows A.D. 1874 as marking the beginning of the period of trouble" {TKIC 1897 ed 342} [In ZWT Nov 1 1904 326, he further justified the "3416 inches" by writing "We cannot therefore see how any longer measure for the passage could be possible." It is strange then that TKIC 1916 ed was changed to read: "We find it to be 3457 inches, symbolizing 3457 years .. Thus the Pyramid witnesses that the close of 1914 will be the beginning of the time of trouble .." It should be noted that C.T.Russell, the founder of the Watchtower Bible and tract Society, was a pyramidologist, a spiritist, a Knights Templar (Free)Mason (of York Rite, Allegheny Pa.), and believed in healing-handkerchiefs, phrenology, the Winged-Sun-Disk, Enochian Magical planes and many other strange things, a few of which are illustrated by quotations later in this text. There is space for less than 1% of what could have been included! The symbolisation of years as inches is a complete nonsense, as the ancient Egyptians never used the inch as a measuring unit!]
1878 "And though, in a sense, the grandeur and blessing of the new dispensation began at the birth of Jesus ('Luke 2:10-14,25-38'), yet the Great Pyramid should, in some way, indicate the full length of Israel's favor. This we finally found to be most ingeniously shown. The granite 'Plug' proved to be the exact length to fill out this period to the very limit. Then we knew 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 today corroborating the Bible, as to both its plan and its chronology. In measuring this passage with its 'Plug,' we should consider it as though it were a telescope, with the 'Plug' drawn out until the upper end reaches the place originally marked by the lower end of it. The distance downward from the north entrance of the 'Grand Gallery' to the lower end of the granite 'Plug' is 1470 inches, to which if we add the length of the 'Plug,' 179 inches, we have a total of 1649 inches, representing 1649 years; and the one inch-year of difference between this and the 1650 years shown by the Bible chronology of that period is easily accounted for when we remember that one end of this granite 'Plug' had been considerably chipped by those who endeavored to force it from its fixed position in the passageway. Thus, exactly, does the stone 'Witness' corroborate the testimony of the Bible, and show that the period from the exodus of Israel from Egypt until the full end of their national favor, A.D. 36, was 1650 years. But let none confound this period with the period shown in the Parallels of the Jewish and Christian dispensations - showing the two ages to be each 1845 years in length, the one from the death of Jacob to A.D. 33, and the other from A.D. 33 to A.D. 1878." {TKIC 346-7}
1881 "Further, where the special favor of the general Gospel call ceased (October, 1881), the blessing upon the world would seem to be due to have a beginning. The 'Well,' which marks at its upper end the ransom which secures the coming blessing, should, it would seem, at its lower end (where it connects with the downward passage) mark the date when restitution blessings would begin to reach the world. It seems to say, Here the benefits of the ransom will begin to bless all the families of the earth, when the elections or selections of the Jewish and Gospel ages are completed. Now if we adopt the clearly marked close of the special call and favor of the Gospel age, 1881, as the date at which the call to restitution blessings was due to have a beginning, and if we regard the lower terminus of the 'Well' as marking that date (1881), we find something of interest by measuring back along that 'Entrance Passage' to the original entrance of the Pyramid. This distance we find to be 3826 pyramid inches, thus representing 3826 years. And if our supposition be well founded, 3826 years before A.D. 1881 some notable event must have occurred. And as we search the historic records of God's Word to see if any notable event occurred at that time, we find a remarkable confirmation of our supposition; for, just 3826 years before A.D. 1881, which would be B.C. 1945, Isaac, the typical seed of promise, became the heir of all his father Abraham's wealth, and was thus in position to bless all his brethren - Ishmael, the son of Hagar (type of fleshly Israel), and the many sons and daughters of Keturah, Abraham's second wife (typical of the world in general). Thus the 'Entrance Passage,' from the outside edge down to the nearest edge of the passage connecting with the 'Well,' marks in year-inches the period of time from the day the typical Isaac (in whom typically centered the promise of blessing to the world) became heir of all, B.C. 1945, to A.D. 1881, when the blessing was actually due to the world through the antitypical Isaac - the Christ, the heir of all things. Gal. 3:16,29. We measure the time from the date of Isaac's inheritance, and consequent privilege of blessing his brethren, to the year A.D. 1881, thus: Isaac came into possession of his inheritance at the death of his father Abraham, which occurred 100 years after the Abrahamic Covenant was made (for Abraham was 75 years old when the Covenant was made, and he died at the age of 175 years). Then from the Covenant to the death of Jacob, Isaac's son, was 232 years; and from the time that Isaac came into his inheritance - 100 years after the Covenant was made - to the death of Jacob would be 132 years (232 years less 100 years). To this we add the 1813 years from the death of Jacob to our Anno Domini, and we have the date 1945 B.C., the date when the typical Isaac came into possession of all that Abraham had. ('Gen. 25:5') And this 1945 years B.C. added to the 1881 years A.D. makes the 3826 years indicated in the Pyramid inches as the length of time that must elapse between the typical blessing of his brethren by the typical seed, Isaac, and the blessing of the whole world through the antitypical Isaac, the Christ. Does the question arise with any, what beginning of restitution work was marked by October, 1881? We answer: Nothing occurred which the world could discern. We still walk by faith and not by sight. All the preparatory steps toward the great restitution work since the date 1881 are to be reckoned as droppings of the great shower of blessing which shall ere long refresh the whole earth. That which occurred in 1881, like that which occurred in 1874, can be discerned only by the eye of faith in the light of God's Word. It was the date of the close of the high calling, and hence the date for the beginning of restitution announcement - the Jubilee trumpet. About that date the author, and, so far as he knows, no one else, had noticed the distinction between the call to the divine nature, open during the Gospel age, and the opportunity for restitution of human perfection and all that was lost in Adam, due at the close of the Gospel high calling." {TKIC 365-7}
1883 "God [had] placed the Great Pyramid [of Gizeh in Egypt]" {WR Sep 1883 525} [compare with claim that Great Pyramid of Gizeh in Egypt was built under direction of Satan, made in {WT 1928 339-45/355-62}]
1910 [Expected "Rapture of the Saints", based on measurements in corridor in the Great Pyramid of Gizeh] {TKIC 364} [Omitted in TKIC post-1910 editions]
1914 "We find it to be 3457 inches, symbolizing 3457 years .. Thus the Pyramid witnesses that the close of 1914 will be the beginning of the time of trouble .." {TKIC 1916 ed} [TKIC 1897 ed 342 stated ".. this measurement is 3416 inches, symbolizing 3416 years .. This calculation shows A.D. 1874 as marking the beginning of the period of trouble .." - but 1874 had passed.]