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Does It Say The Earth Is Flat In The Bible

Bible Verses About Earth Being Fixed And Immovable

Pastor’s Perspective 7/26/2016 – Flat Earth, Cherubim and More

He established the earth upon its foundations,So that it will not totter forever and ever.

Tremble before Him, all the earth Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.

For He spoke, and it was done He commanded, and it stood fast.

The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty The Lord has clothed and girded Himself with strength Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.

Say among the nations, The Lord reigns Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved He will judge the peoples with equity.

Your word is settled in heaven.Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations You established the earth, and it stands.

The whole earth is at rest and is quiet They break forth into shouts of joy.

For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens ,I am the Lord, and there is none else.

A Spherical Earth Is Deception

You know what always baffled me Jerry?

I recall a conversation I had with a flat earth believer once.

They told me,

Believing the earth is spherical is apart of the deception in the world.

Personally, I thought that was odd, it just didnt make sense to me.

So I asked,

How exactly does believing in a massive universe deceive me?

They really didnt have a good answer.

So I went on to explain,

For me, a massive universe only proves and displays Gods majesty and greatness!

Seeing Gods heavenly celestial bodies is marvelous and increases my faith in the Being who created everything!

Just like we are told in Psalms 19:1-4 concerning the stars, and in Romans 1:20.

What Does The Bible Mean By The Four Corners Of The Earth

The expressions the four corners of the earth and the ends of the earth used in the Bible are not to be taken literally, as if the earth were square or had ends. Instead, these evidently are figures of speech referring to the entire surface of the earth. The Bible uses the four points of the compass in a similar way.Luke 13:29.

The Hebrew term translated corners or ends seems to be an idiom based on the word for wings. According to The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, because the wing of a bird is used as a covering for its young, acquires the meaning of the extremity of anything stretched out. The same reference work adds that at Job 37:3 and Isaiah 11:12, the term means the coasts, boundaries, or extremities of the land surface of the earth. *

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Does The Bible Teach That The Earth Is Flat

Flat Earth Theory support has grown rapidly. This is largely due to the influence of social media. Unfortunately, many well-meaning Christians fall for this theory. These websites claim that until 500 years ago, it was largely taught that the earth was flat. However, if you look at many of the ancient scholars this claim is disproven. Geoffrey Burton Russel, a medieval scholar taught that the earth was spherical. So did Aristotle. Even Eratosthenes in the 2nd century accurately measured the circumference of the earth. These early writers held to a geocentric view, it included a spherical earth.

Two late 19th century skeptics are largely to blame for this theory. John William Draper and Andrew Dickson White. These two men held to the Conflict Thesis. They believed that due to the religion that largely dominated medieval Europe certain intellectual advancement was halted. And that it was only after man escaped his religious bindings in the Renaissance that he was able to think for himself. They claim that the church opposed Galileos heliocentric theory due to their blindness from their faith. However, the contention in accepting Galileos theory was largely due to the geocentric theories promoted by Aristotle and Claudius Ptolemy.

Creationism and flat earth

2) Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

Verses that Bible critics use

Another verse that is used is Job 37:10, and the breadth of the waters is straitened

Is The Firmament A Dome Over The Earth

Does The Bible Say EARTH IS FLAT??

The cosmology of the flat earth holds that a dome covers a circular, flat earth, with its edge resting on the earth beyond the ice wall of Antarctica. The stars are affixed to this dome, while the sun and moon are above the earth but beneath the dome. Some have called this a snow-globe cosmology, because of its resemblance to a snow-globe. Supposedly, this is the cosmology that the Bible teaches. Ironically, skeptics make the same argument, but their intent is to discredit the Bible. Few flat-earthers appear to be aware of this fact or the irony. Let us examine the Scriptures that supposedly support this cosmology.

Key in this discussion is the firmament. The Hebrew word rÄqîaâ is translated as firmament in the King James Version. It appears a total of 17 times in the Old Testament, with over half of the occurrences in chapter 1 of Genesis alone. The word is a noun that derives from the Hebrew root rqâ, meaning to stamp out.4 An example of this action is to stamp or pound a metal into thin sheets. This is a common practice with gold, because gold is so malleable. Gilding is the process of attaching gold leaf to objects, giving the impression that the objects are pure gold. For instance, the Ark of the Covenant was gilded with gold leaf over acacia wood . Gold leaf can be pounded or rolled so thin that bright light can be seen through it. From the meaning of this word, we can deduce that the rÄqîaâ is something that has been pounded or stretched out.

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Did Bible Writers Believe The Earth Was Flat

No, this false idea is not taught in Scripture.

Some Bible critics have claimed that Revelation 7:1 assumes a flat Earth since the verse refers to angels standing at the four corners of the Earth. Actually, the reference is to the cardinal directions: north, south, east, and west. Similar terminology is often used today when we speak of the sun’s rising and setting, even though the Earth, not the sun, is doing the moving. Bible writers used the language of appearance, just as people always have. Without it, the intended message would be awkward at best and probably not understood clearly.

In the Old Testament, Job 26:7 explains that the Earth is suspended in space, the obvious comparison being with the spherical sun and moon.

A literal translation of Job 26:10 is He described a circle upon the face of the waters, until the day and night come to an end. A spherical Earth is also described in Isaiah 40:21-22the circle of the earth.

Note, the Biblical Hebrew word for circle can also mean round or sphere.

The Hebrew record is the oldest, because Job is one of the oldest books in the Bible. Historians generally credit the Greeks with being the first to suggest a spherical Earth. In the sixth century B.C., Pythagoras suggested a spherical Earth.

Eratosthenes of Alexandria calcuated the circumference of the Earth within 50 miles of the present estimate.

When the Bible touches on scientific subjects, it is entirely accurate.

What Does A Flat

The flat-Earth maps, much like actual Earth maps, do vary. For instance, one proposed on the Flat-Earth Society website show the world as a circle.

“The North Pole is at the center,” they wrote of Charles K.Johnson’s map, president of the International Flat Earth Research Society. “At the outer edge lies the southern ice, reputed to be a wall 150 feet high no one has ever crossed it, and therefore what lies beyond is unknown.”

In this version of Earth , the Sun and the Moon are about 32 miles across and circle above the Earth to give the illusion we are spinning. The Moon provides its own light, and lunar eclipses are “caused by an unseen dark body occasionally passing in front of the moon.”

Other flat-Earth maps show a square Earth, meant to be based more literally on passages in the Bible that refer to “the four corners of the Earth” . This one by Orlando Ferguson in 1893 went the extra mile in trying to square the circle by including a square and a circle in order to satisfy references to the Earth being a circle as well, including “it is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth” at the bottom of the map.

Other maps include a bubble above the Earth, with rock stretching out below. Those who believe this map say the bubble stops us from being able to get to space, raising the question of why they were so enthusiastic about Mike Hughes going there in order to find out if the Earth was flat.

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The Firmament Of Genesis 1 Is Solid But Thats Not The Point

Genesis 1 and 2 tell the story of creation, and it says things that are at odds with what modern people know to be true of the world and universe around us.

One of those issue concerns the second day of creation , where God made the expanse or the firmament. The Hebrew word for this is raqia . Biblical scholars understand the raqia to be a solid dome-like structure. It separates the water into two parts, so that there is water above the raqia and water below it . The waters above are kept at bay so the world can become inhabitable. On the third day , the water below the raqia is gathered to one place to form the sea and allow the dry land to appear.

Ancient Israelites saw this barrier when they looked up. There were no telescopes, space exploration, or means of testing the atmosphere. They relied on what their senses told them. Even today, looking up at a clear sky in open country, the sky seems to begin at the horizons and reaches up far above. Ancient Israelites and others in that part of the world assumed the world was flat, and so it looked like the earth is covered by a dome, and the blue sky is the water above held back by the raqia. The translation firmament gets across this idea of a solid structure.

Let me summarize some of the general arguments for why raqia is understood by contemporary biblical scholars as a solid structure:1

  • Other Old Testament passages are consistent with the raqia being solid
  • Gods Majesty And Greatness

    Should Christians Believe in a Flat Earth?

    This brings me to another point you may find interesting.

    I have been considering picking up the book, Return of The God Hypothesis. Its a book by Stephen Meyer, one of the people doing fantastic work for the Intelligent Design community.

    During a video where he is highlighting details of the book, he goes on to explain some very relevant details about science.

    He explained, when you look at all the early scientific writings, back in the 1800s-1900s, they all cited God as the Creator. This was before evolution had taken hold. Pretty much everyone concluded, God created everything in existence.

    It was pretty interesting.

    Mr. Meyer explained and showed clips of newspapers to cite his conclusions.

    Then it became more interesting.

    Mr. Hubble, the guy they named the telescope after begin using his telescope to look into the heavens and made some interesting observations. Some of his observations were rejected by Einstein himself. Hubble invited Einstein to come look through his telescope to make his own conclusions, and Einstein recanted his own theory by observing what he beheld through that lens!

    Science would discover, the universe is moving further and further a part. This is due to red-shift, the red wavelengths of light, this has been proven.

    Believe it or not, this was a huge problem for early evolutionists!

    You know why?

    As Mr. Meyer explained, if the universe was expanding, then it meant if you rewind the clock, the universe had a beginning!

    Genesis 1:1 right?

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    Flat Earth Science And The Bible

    The following is from Rob Skibas The Bible and the Still Flat Earth at Below are a number of Bible verses without commentary. Unless otherwise noted, all of the Scriptures are taken from the KJV. Pretending you have never heard of a globe or even a flat earth before, lets just allow the Bible to speak for itself. Read them over a couple of times, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what they mean. Without forcing an interpretation based on preconceived notions, meditate on them and ask yourself, What is the Bible really showing me concerning the nature of the heavens, the earth, the sun, moon and stars? Then, in the next section after this one, I will give my commentary on these Scriptures, revealing what I believe they are saying to me.

    The Scriptures below are arranged by topics in order to set the stage for what will follow. I have placed the book of Job before Genesis as many scholars believe it is the oldest book of the Bible. And I have also emphasized words in bold for us to consider as we read. This is by no means an exhaustive list of Scripture. It is essentially just a first run, which I will continue to add to as I find more in the future.

    Scriptures concerning the nature of the heavens/sky above and their relationship to the earth:Job 9:8 Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.

    The Flat Surface Of The Earth

    How can you tell if the earth is flat or round? According to some flat-earthers, if you climb to the highest central point and you can see everything to the end of the earth, then it is flat. This idea of the ends of the earth is mentioned in the Bible, which says in Daniel 4:10-11: These are the visions I saw while lying in bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky it was visible to the ends of the earth. On a round earth it would not be possible for such a tree to be visible from everywhere on earth. Does this Bible verse then say that the earth is flat?

    In reality, the text does not refer to a physical reality rather it is the description of a dream of king Nebuchadnezzar. As we know, dreams do not abide by the laws of physics. The Bible is actually very clear about this passage. The dream, as interpreted by Daniel, refers to something completely different to a physical tree on earth. The tree in the dream is actually Nebuchadnezzar himself.

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    How Can You Prove The Earth Is Round

    There are many ways to prove the Earth is round, but perhaps the easiest method is to merely go to the seaside, look out to sea, and locate a boat. As you’ll observe if it’s distant enough, it appears to dip below the horizon. Or save yourself the trouble of going to the seaside by looking at this image of wind turbines.

    This wouldn’t happen if the world was flat you would be able to see the boat clearly on the horizon. Unless you caught the boat during the precise moment it fell off the edge of the Earth, of course, which nobody in the history of our species ever has.

    Nothing Will Be Restrained From Them

    Does the Bible say the Earth is flat?

    God said at the Tower of Babel,

    All of the people are of one language and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

    Genesis 11:6

    I think thats a pretty powerful statement myself.

    What has man imagined to do?

    Travel to the moon, other plants, and explore space.

    I believe we have done that.

    Not only our nation, but many other nations have space programs as well and we can all see their photos. Ironically enough, two billionaires just traveled into space for the first time. High enough above the earth to see its curvature anyway.

    This brings up an interesting point, space travel will soon be cheap enough where more and more people can make the voyage. It would be my opinion, but the flat earth concept will soon be a thing of the past as more people can see with their own eyes the curvature of the earth.

    Not that we cannot see that today through the photos of numerous space programs. Not to mention the satellite communications and things like the precession of the equinoxes.

    Is that really an honest and valid worldview to hold?

    I dont think so, especially when the Bible itself indicates the earth is round.

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    Weekly Q & A With Dr William Lane Craig

    William Lane Craig April 06, 2018

    This is the weekly Q & A blog post by our Research Professor in Philosophy, Dr. William Lane Craig.

    Question

    Dr. Craig I have been listening to your lectures and such off of YouTube, and they greatly help me with questions. However, this one is more along the lines of interpretation of the Scriptures. Recently, I have noticed, is the huge amount of Christians who are popping up along the Internet, claiming the Bible supports the flat earth theory. They theorize that the world is flat, with a dome, or firmament above it, supported by pillars. They also say the stars reside in the “dome”. They use verses such as Job 37:18, 38:13, Psalm 96, 1 Chronicles 16:30, Genesis 1 and 2, and 1 Samuel 2:8. I have searched for answers, and I have found some, but I would like to hear some answers from you, as well. Thank you in advance

    Chris

    Dr. William Lane Craigs Response

    I suspect whats going on here is internet infidels masquerading as Christians in a misguided attempt to make the Bible look silly. These people have no understanding of literary interpretation or literary genre. I have seen one person even claim that when the Bible uses such figures of speech as the four corners of the Earth it asserts that the Earth is a square! Imposing such wooden literalism on even modern parlance would make all of us Flat Earthers as well!

    This post and other resources are available on Dr. William Lane Craig’s website: www.reasonablefaith.org

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