Herodotus extensively interviewed an Egyptian priest about the building of the pyramid and he attested that a noted stranger abode in Egypt at the time of Cheops, a shepherd, to whom rather than to Cheops the Egyptians attribute this edifice. The Egyptians call him “Philition” or “Philitis.” Josephus also quotes Manetho, an Egyptian priest and scribe, who says there was a period in the Egyptian past when, by peaceable means, some “shepherd kings” had the Egyptian rulers “in their hands.” Manetho said that some say they were Arabs. Seiss, with characteristically sound scholarship and reasoning, makes a case that the biblical Job was the Arabian who directed the Pharaoh in the building of the Great Pyramid. Seiss points out that the image of a pyramid is “unquestionably” the subject when God addresses Job out of the whirlwind in Job 38:

Seiss says that since YHWH’s object is to convince Job of his incompetency to judge of and understand Him, it is as if the Almighty is saying: You laid the foundations of the great structure in Egypt, but where were you when I laid the foundations of the far greater pyramid of the earth? You laid the measures of the pyramid in Egypt, but who laid the measures of the earth, and stretched the line upon it? You fastened down in sockets the foundations of the pyramid in Egypt, {the Great Pyramid is built on four sockets} but whereupon are the foundations of the earth fastened? You laid the pyramid’s completing capstone amid songs and jubilations, but who laid the capstone of the earth when the celestial morning angels sand together, and all the heavenly sons of God shouted for joy?

In our day the idea of shepherds being special agents of God in the building of a monumental structure would be ludicrous in the extreme. Such is our age. The fault line of commentators referred to above is sharp, because the difference between faith and unbelief is the difference between light and darkness. The Bible says that God revealed to shepherds some of the most important information ever given to humankind:

Abraham was also a shepherd, like Job, wealthy with flocks and herds. How is it that he was brought to the attention of the pharaoh of Egypt and the King of Gerar in his travels?¹⁸ Was it simply that Sarah, his wife, was so pretty? The Jewish records say that Abraham was learned in the science of astrology and with his elaborate knowledge of the heavens and their meanings he attracted the attention of these kings. We know from the biblical record that God communicated with the shepherd Abraham many times, several times using the “stars” as a teaching vehicle. YHWH Himself directed Abraham’s eyes toward the heavens, indirectly corroborating the Jewish oral tradition that says Abraham was a gifted astrologer:¹⁹

The eye of faith sees it as a real and distinct, not vain and imagined, possibility that the Pyramid was directed by shepherds guided by Divine wisdom. Such faith offers a sufficient explanation of what would otherwise be the dilemma posed by the advanced knowledge and technology exhibited by the Pyramid. It is with those who do not accept the Divine authorship of the Pyramid with whom the burden rests for a better explanation.

THE PLACE OF THE PYRAMID IN THE BIBLE

There is a biblical reference to the Great Pyramid which is instructive:

Notice that there is a reference to an “altar” and a “monument” that will be in Egypt. The location of this “altar” and “monument” is sketched in terms which seem to be contradictory; it will be at the “border” of Egypt at the same time it will be in the “middle” of Egypt. The apparent contradiction offers a chance to pinpoint the identity of this “monument” since few candidates would be able to be both the “border” of something, and also its “middle.”

Note the horizontal line below the bottom of the delta quadrant.

The Pyramid is at the center AND the border of Egypt

This represents the border between the two countries making up ancient Egypt: Lower Egypt (the delta) and Upper Egypt (the South). The Great Pyramid is at the border of Upper and Lower Egypt. Yet this is also the center of the land of Egypt if the two ancient countries be viewed as one, a single Egypt. Note also that the Pyramid is at the center of the natural quadrant formed by the regular curvature of the delta. It is also at the center of present Egypt in that Cairo is the capital of the country and at the center of its business and cultural life. It is also at the border of ancient Egypt in still another way.

The Great Pyramid is sometimes called the “Great Pyramid of Gizeh”. “Gizeh” means “border’, thus indicating in still another way that the Pyramid is associated with a “border”. The name “Gizeh” is probably drawn from the fact that anciently the borders of Egypt were considered to extend as far as the watered, green areas all along the Nile. The desert outside this fertile strip was not really part of the country. Thus the division line between fertile strip and desert is the natural “border” of Egypt. It is along this “border” that the Pyramid is situated. Thus by two separate sets of triple confirmation, the Great Pyramid answers the apparent riddle of being at both the border and center of Egypt. To find any other object or concept fulfilling this prophecy’s specifications would be extremely unlikely. The Biblical standard of proof, given at Deuteronomy 19:15 and affirmed in the New Testament (at Matt. 18:16 and 2 Corin. 13:1) has been met:

The Pyramid is certainly a “pillar” as the text calls for, and also an “altar” in the sense of being a witness to the Lord. This sense for “altar,” as a structure of witness and not for offering sacrifices, is used several times in Scripture, such as this reference in Joshua 22:

An interesting occurrence of gematria also helps pinpoint the Great Pyramid as God’s special revelation. Here is the Hebrew of the Pyramid text, Isaiah 19:19, 20:

The Hebrew of Isaiah 19:19,20

Gematria is the science of finding meaning in the numerical value of words. In the Hebrew language each individual letter has a numerical value. Thus every word has the numerical value of the sum of the value of its letters. If one adds up the numerical value of all the Hebrew characters in the Great Pyramid text the value is 5449. This is the height in inches of the Great Pyramid!

THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE PYRAMID

The Great Pyramid has been called “the Bible in stone” because its passage systems reveal geometrically, in line and symbol, the same profound spiritual truths and plan of salvation specific to the Bible, as will be seen as this study unfolds. And just as there are time prophecies of significance in the Bible, the Pyramid’s silent geometry reveals a remarkable chronography, prophetic time in stone.

The challenge to deciphering the prophetic scale is deciphering what measure of length equals what measure of time. The key to this scale is given in the Pyramid, in the upper horizontal passage system’s first ante-chamber, in what is known as “Enoch’s circle.” Enoch was translated when he was 365 years old. A circle is a symbol of eternity and Enoch thus “entered eternity” at 365. The circle formed in that first antechamber, defined by the floor and the two hanging walls measures 365.25 inches.

The Pyramid speaks with geometry, not words

The term “inch” is probably ultimately derived from Enoch’s name, for he was bestowed with many secrets of knowledge and filled with the spirit of prophecy. Being a student of mensuration, and probably the pre-eminent “father” of that discipline, it is fitting for the “inch”, the basis of the English system of measures, to be a memorial of the prophet Enoch. This is rather like Lincoln finding his place on every American penny. Enoch stands as a symbol for the character and faith which must be obtained by those who would pass through earth’s final ordeals and be translated at last when the Messiah returns at the end of this present wicked age. With the scale of an inch for a year, the Pyramid yields its chronography.

That a linear measure could represent a time period is alluded to by Jesus Himself in the Sermon on the Mount. The Savior asks at Matthew 6:27, “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?”

The Greek for “stature” indicates “age-length,” not linear length. Jesus is not giving a formula for how to grow a basketball star, of seven-foot-plus stature, but rather is asking, “Which of you by worrying can add one ‘cubit’ of time to his life-span?” One authority claims that Jesus’ association here of a time measure and a linear measure is the only such usage in all of ancient Greek literature. While the point Jesus is making is that worry is fruitless, he is secondarily mixing a metaphor which yields the interesting equation that length can equal age. This simple idea will be plugged into part two of our study of the Pyramid.