Dead Men Tell Tales

by Harry Rimmer

This seems to have established a precedent at Karnak, for the original temple was added to by Thothmes the First, who faithfully followed the example of his predecessor, and told what a mighty man he also turned out to be! Then Seti the First followed him, to be in turn replaced by Thothmes the Third, and neither neglected to carve the tale of his power and successes on the additions to the original temple that Usertesen had started.

The next builder was Amenhetep the Third, and after him the three successive Ramses all built extensive votive shrines and temples. The amount of carving, painting, and hieroglyphics that covers all this mighty pile of stone work is almost unbelievable, and leaves the beholder amazed and somewhat awed.

The most noteworthy section of the standing ruins is the great hypo-style hall, which is one of the architectural wonders of the world. This hall is 171 feet deep and 338 feet in breadth. The roof was supported by 134 mighty columns, set in 16 rows, of which the two central rows were by far the highest. The roof of this great hall was 78 feet above the floor, and the entire structure was covered with reliefs and painted scenes from the conquests and lives of the builders.

Here are to be found the most gratifying evidences of the integrity and accuracy of the Scripture that the most ardent devotee of the Bible could desire. The Pharaohs who appear in the text of Holy Writ are there on Karnak’s walls as well, and this testimony of ancient heathen monarchs is conclusive and final.

As the kings of antiquity consistently carved upon the walls, the pillars, and the beams of Karnak the proud record of their conquests, it is inevitable that this source of material should be drawn upon heavily by the exponent of the Scripture. In a later chapter we shall return to Karnak again and again to read these treasured accounts.

There are many other temples of antiquity that are of almost equal value, such as the great temple at Luxor. Students have long been familiar with the nature of the great pyramids which have also a great contribution to make to our sources of evidence. It is to be noted, however, that only an honest and honorable evaluation of these evidences is of any aid to the faithful student of the Scripture.

One of the greatest but most nonsensical heresies of our generation is the false teaching that parades under the name of “British-Israelism.” This ridiculous fantasy is predicated upon the false premise that the Great Pyramid is a prophecy erected under divine leading. By a weird interpretation of its mathematical proportions, it is presumed to portray a prophetic record of coming events. It is the source of more fantasy than has ever been derived from any other misapplication of coincidence!

The advocates of British-Israel heresy claim that the pyramids were never used as burial sites. This is, of course, arrant nonsense. They were nothing but stupendous graves.

We have ourselves been in the burial chambers of the Great Pyramid and have seen the sarcophagi.

We have had the pleasure of examining the great stone casket that was taken out of the pyramid, containing the mummy of the buried king, as well as the replica thereof which was put back into this burial chamber to satisfy the interest of visiting tourists.