The Grand Galley

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: 1. 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 itself — Heb. 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 in Pars. 179-182. (Viz. those Jews who accepted Christ as the end of the Law entered by way of the First Ascending passage representing the Law Dispensation, and those Gentiles who accept Christ enter by way of the “Well”, representing the ransom sacrifice of Christ.)

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 (of 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 – sacrificer 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, where the 120 disciples when they were assembled in the upper room at Pentecost, the exact date foreshadowed by the Law—Lev. 23: 4-17; Acts 1: 13, 14; 2: 1-18. The first Gentile to accept, and be accepted, was Cornelius, to whom the Apostle Peter was specially sent by God—Acts 10.

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 the 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 heads erect: for “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone 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.

The Jews who struggled up the First Ascending Passage, and the world who labor 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.

Nevertheless, although this way is lofty, it is a narrow way, for “narrow is the way which leads unto life “—Matt. 7: 14. It is rather less than seven feet wide above the Ramps, and the walking part between the Ramps is narrower still. 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.

The way is dark; “but unto the upright there arises 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 brightly—Psa. 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 slip.

“When I said, `My foot slips,’ thy mercy, O Lord, held me up “—Psa. 93: 18.

Should anyone willfully  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.

NOTE: The true collaboration between and the Great Pyramid Passages and the Divine Plan as found in the Word of the Lord should be taken from the perspective of how the chambers and passages appeared during the time of the Edgar brothers and their predecessors viz., Professors Flinders Petrie and Piazzi Smyth, Colonel Howard Vyse, and etc., all of these gentlemen saw the pyramid as it first appeared prior to most of the modern restorations which have taken place since then, thus their notes and most especially their early drawings and photos of the various chambers and passages are invaluable.  These early photos depict how the pyramid is supposed to be view when attempting to collaborate it with the Divine Plan. For example the subterranean chamber (or pit) should not be seen as it is today all cleaned up and well-lit, but rather it should be envisioned as it was when all the rubble was still skewed all about the floor thus giving it the appearance of an unfinished work, a chamber with no noticeable floor or bottom, i.e. a bottomless pit. The same in respects to the Grand Gallery don’t look at it from the perspective of its modern condition all restored and well-lit with all sorts of modern aids, ramps and steps to aid the visitor, but rather try to envision it as the Edgar’s first saw it as in the photo above. Only then will you truly see how the pyramid chambers and passages coincide with the Divine Plan.

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 over-comers if their strength is not in themselves, but in the Lord, and if they rely on the grace of God, “the exceedingly great and precious promises: that by these they might be partakers of the Divine nature ” 2 Pet. 1: 4.

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. There are thus seven over-lapping’s, 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. Wordsworth E. Jones 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.”

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 “exceedingly 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.

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 add to our faith the various over-lapping’s of 1), 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 Savior 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 lacks 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 Savior Jesus Christ ” 2 Pet. 1 : 5-11.

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—I Cor. 13 : 1-13 ; 6 : 2 ; Rev. 3 : 21; Psa. 96:9-13.”

The fact that the “shallow groove” or “rut” appears in the lower level of the forth overlap may imply that many brethren fall into a “rut” here having great difficulty developing patience, not only toward their fellow man, but likewise toward the brethren themselves.

(Great Pyramid Passages, Pages 107-122 par. 177-183, 185-209)

In our next post we will begin our examination of the Kings Chamber.