(This needs to be updated more)
The statement and its context have been quoted repeatedly across various online forums. Although many have pointed out that the statements are not true, many site owners continue to display such statements, thereby falsely making it appear that Russell was into some kind of evil occultism. However, we find that almost every sentence in all the articles misrepresents the facts, in some way or other.
The statement quoted above contains at least two errors. Sadly, these errors have been repeated many times by others.
(1) Russell did not introduce “occultism” into his religion, unless this means that he adopted the religion of the Bible. Russell did not believe in creating a new religion, and he certainly never advocated the religion that has taken the name, Jehovah's Witnesses. However, the Bible itself refers to its message as being a secret to the world, which is blinded to its message. If the word "occult" is applied to the Bible, this would reflect a usage of the word occult as simply meaning secret, not related to heathen or demonic occultism.
(2) Russell did not teach that “the pyramids in Egypt are divine omens.”
We first should note the word "pyramids", plural. Russell had no special interest in "pyramids". Nevertheless, Russell’s study of the Great Pyramid (not “pyramids” — plural) in Egypt had nothing to do with demonic heathen occultism, nor with pagan heathen worship. The word “occultism” is defined as “a belief in supernatural powers and the possibility of bringing them under human control.” The implication of the word “occult” in most Christian circles is that demonic spirits are used, a form of witchcraft (crafty wisdom). Russell never believed in, nor taught such an idea. Indeed, he was very active in warning against forms of witchcraft, occultism, spiritism (talking with the dead), etc.
However, Russell never spoke of any pyramid in Egypt as being a “divine omen”, or that it or any other pyramid contained "divine omens". We did several digital searches of Russell's works, and could not find any place that he ever used either "divine omen" or "divine omens".
It is claimed that Russell taught that “they [the pyramids of Egypt]” contained prophetic secrets known only to him. Again, the false idea of “pyramids” — plural — is presented. Russell was interested in only one pyramid, not pyramids. He believed that one pyramid, which is totally different from all other pyramids, is God's Witness in Egypt. The only interest he had in the other pyramids was mostly in showing the differences and inferiorities of those pyramids as compared to God's Witness in Egypt.
I have not been able to find any place where Russell ever made such a claim that the Great Pyramid contained prophetic secrets "known only to him". Of course, in what he had found in his studies that added to, or was different from, what others had written before him, he could have claimed that what he had written did have information not found in the studies of authors before him. He never claimed sole proprietorship on the study of the Great Pyramid. This can be seen by his announcements and recommendations of the Edgars’ studies on the Great Pyramid (which did not fully agree with his own conclusions as presented in Volume 3 of Studies in the Scriptures).
The phrase is used that Russell was “convinced of their [the pyramids of Egypt] mystic power.” First, Russell was not convinced of any mystic power of any pyramid in Egypt, and certainly not “pyramids” [plural]. He never wrote of any “mystic power” associated with the Great Pyramid, or any other pyramid. This is an inaccurate and misleading statement, evidently designed to malign and misrepresent what Russell actually did teach.
1914
It is additionally claimed that one of Russell’s “strangest” revelations from pyramids [plural] was concerning the year 1914. It is further claimed that the year 1914 was “based on his measurements of the interior passageways of the pyramids [plural].” The author presents several inaccurate statements here. First, the year 1914 was not “based” on the interior passageways of the pyramids [plural], nor even on the passageways of the Great Pyramid [singular]. The date 1914 was definitely not originally from any measurements of the Great Pyramid. The date was determined from various Biblical time prophecies and parallels, most of which are outlined in Volumes 2 and 3 of Russell's Studies in the Scriptures. The date 1914 was definitely not originally based on the measurements of God's Witness in Egypt; it was based on various studies of Biblical prophecies. Various measurements of God's Witness in Egypt do corroborate the date, but those measurements are not where the date came from.
Russell, himself, evidently first learned of the date 1914 in the year 1876, when he studied with Nelson Barbour. While we cannot be certain as to who first presented the date 1914 as being the end of the Gentile Times, we do know that long before Barbour, E. B. Elliott in the year 1844 had already come up with the date 1914 as being the possible end of the times of the Gentiles; Elliott made no mention of the measurements of the Great Pyramid. -- "Horae Apocalypticae" (1844), pages 1429-1431.
One could read into some of Russell’s statements before 1904 that he was expecting the end of the world in 1914, although even before 1904, Russell was not expecting what many thought of as the “end of the world” in 1914. Nor did he view anything he said as meaning that the world was to end in 1914. Nevertheless, before 1904, Russell was expecting that 1914 would bring the end of the time of trouble; in 1904, however, he reversed that, so he came to understand that the end of the Gentile Times would see, not the end of the time of trouble, but rather the beginning of the time of trouble.
See:
Russell, 1914, and the End of the World
Then we are presented with another false claim that “when his 1914 date for the end of the world failed, he tried to cover his tracks.” Of course, since Russell was not expecting the end of the world to come in 1914, he had nothing to cover up regarding such.
As alleged proof that Russell tried to cover up his tracks, excerpts are presented from two different editions of Thy Kingdom Come, one from 1897 and another 1916, along with either deliberate or ignorant misrepresentation of the facts. The end result is a deception, regardless of whether deliberate or not. The presentation of the two editions in the manner presented is with evident design to make it appear that, since the end of the world did not come in 1914, Russell, in the year 1916, changed the measurement of the floor of the descending passageway. The fact is that Russell had made this change long before 1914, and this change was noted in The Watch Tower of September 15, 1909. Thus, this change does NOT at all represent any cover-up concerning 1874 or 1914. Russell still kept both dates, and continued to believe until the day he died that Jesus had returned invisibly in 1874 and the Gentile Times did indeed end in 1914. He also continued to rejoice that his expectation that the time of trouble had begin in 1914. The reality is that the material on the sites being cited presents a deception. This change in the book, Thy Kingdom Come, was made, not in 1916, as one is led to believe by the statement given, but as early as the 1905 edition of Thy Kingdom Come, nine years before, not after 1914.
Then we are given a reference to the “Chart of the Ages,” which is alleged to “promote his strange mix of biblical theology and occultic pyramidology.” The “Chart of the Ages”, however, of itself, has nothing at all to do with “pyramidology” (study of a pyramid) or even the “Great Pyramid”. We have found no place that Russell ever spoke of pyramidiology. Nevertheless, that word is often used of things that Russell did not believe in. The Chart of the Ages, however, like many similar charts, does utilize pyramids to show the progression of God’s purposes as given in the Bible. The chart was Russell’s method of giving an eye’s view of the divine plan as presented in the scriptures as he understood it.
Nevertheless, it is further claimed that "Chart of the Ages" that appears in Russell's book, The Divine Plan of the Ages, is Russell’s occult chart that is still being used by Jehovah’s Witnesses today. Two more inaccuracies are being presented to the public. The chart has nothing whatsoever to do with spiritualistic occultism, nor do the Jehovah’s Witnesses still use this chart today, as the JWs reject Russell’s teachings on the Divine Plan of the Ages, along with most of the basic Biblical truths that Russell presented.
Ronald R. Day, Sr.
More on this can be found at:
Charles Taze Russell and The Great Pyramid
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Phase 1 editing completed; updated links; still needs phase 2 editing.
