Well I cannot tell you the true nature of the earth as I have never seen it from the outside looking in. And sadly the only pictures we supposedly have of earth are all computer graphic images...that in itself will make one wonder why we don't have a real picture if the earth is truly the way we are told it is.
From a biblical standpoint I can say that the very first mention of the earth is in
Genesis 1:1 and the second mention is
Genesis 1:9-13 and neither mention the shape of the earth at all;
Job 22:14 states that the sky is circular;
Job 26:10 and
Proverbs 8:27 state that the waters are circular;
Isaiah 40:22 states that God sits above the circle of the earth; and,
Revelation 7:1 &
20:8 state that the earth has four corners. From this we may conclude that the heavens and the seas are circular while the earth is square. I say this because while a circle and a sphere are circular and round: a circle is a two dimensional plane figure while a sphere is a three dimensional solid figure. And in the case of a square it always has four corners whereas a cube has eight corners. The circle and square are also the only two dimensional objects which are 360 Degrees by nature.
Unless I missed any passages of scripture giving the shape of the heavens, the earth, and the seas or the ones I have cited are incorrect: the
Bible is clearly showing us our earth is flat.
And let's not forget that during the war against the Amalekites God ordered the Sun and Moon to stop moving...not the earth (
Joshua 10:12-14).
Well my thoughts on it I shared in posts #25 and #26. Below are the passages in the
Bible which describe the earth having four corners:
Revelation 20:8
Revelation 7:1
Acts 13:47
Ezekiel 7:2
Jeremiah 31:8
Jeremiah 25:32
Isaiah 43:6
Isaiah 41:9
Isaiah 11:12
Job 38:13
Job 37:3
Now in nature the only shapes which qualify as having four corners are the square, rectangle, rhombus, and trapezoid: which are all two dimensional plane figures. The circle of the earth referred to in
Isaiah 40:22 refers to the same circle mentioned in
Proverbs 8:27 and
Job 26:10 which all point to the waters having a circle drawn around them. This brings up the problem of squaring the circle:
Ok, some basics. I take the Bible literally but in context. The Bible is not flat. What this means is that some passages are given but not meant to be quoted out of context to prove something. Quoting Job's friends as a basis for any theology is foolish since God called them fools. Idiots are given long passages in the Bible to express their opinion. That doesn't mean we should take it.
In addition, taking the Bible literally doesn't mean that one takes the clearly figurative passages literally. in 1 Corinthians 9:22 when Paul says he has become all things to all people, that doesn't mean I believe Paul was a pepperoni pizza with anchovies. Paul is clearly being figurative in his language.
So, let's go through these passages.
Job 22:14 -You're quoting one of Job's friends.
Job 42:8 NLT
"So take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on your behalf. I will not treat you as you deserve, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has.”
Stop quoting Job's friends, God said they were not accurate.
Job 26:10 NLT
He created the horizon when he separated the waters; he set the boundary between day and night.
I don't see it there.
Proverbs 8:27 NLT
I was there when he established the heavens, when he drew the horizon on the oceans.
Not there either.
Isaiah 40:22 NLT
God sits above the circle of the earth. The people below seem like grasshoppers to him! He spreads out the heavens like a curtain and makes his tent from them.
In this case the Earth is a circle - not the sky. But notice the number of metaphors in this non-prose passage. It goes against what you are saying and even if it didn't the style of writing implies you are not on steady ground.
Revelation 7:1 NLT
Then I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds so they did not blow on the earth or the sea, or even on any tree.
This is an apocalypse with primarily figurative language. Is Jesus a sheep? Should we be asking shepherds if they have seen any sheep walking around with its throat cut?
Revelation 20:8 NLT
He will go out to deceive the nations—called Gog and Magog—in every corner of the earth. He will gather them together for battle— a mighty army, as numberless as sand along the seashore.
Even in the figurative language of an apocalypse, John is clearly saying that the armies are being gathered from all over the earth and not just in the corners of a flat earth.
Isaiah 49:6 NLT
He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”
This is the passage Acts 13:47 quotes from. Once again the phrase obviously mean to spread it everywhere, not just the corners of the Earth. In addition, Paul and Barnabas were at Cypress. Is Cypress a corner of the Earth?
Ezekiel 7:2 NLT
“Son of man, this is what the Sovereign LORD says to Israel: “The end is here! Wherever you look— east, west, north, or south— your land is finished.
No flat earth here.
Jeremiah 31:8 NLT
For I will bring them from the north and from the distant corners of the earth. I will not forget the blind and lame, the expectant mothers and women in labor. A great company will return!
The Hebrew usually means remote parts and sides. In English term a remote corner could mean Montana or something similar. The bible is not declaring the world to be flat.
Jeremiah 25:32 NLT
This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: “Look! Disaster will fall upon nation after nation! A great whirlwind of fury is rising from the most distant corners of the earth!”
Once again, you chose a passage with metaphors galore. This is not a clear statement that the earth is flat. "Corners" is the translation to English. "Remote parts" might be a better translation for those with problems with idiomatic English.
Why in ‘remote, cold corners’ of the world, melting ground is giving way
Using this phrase does not mean that PBS believes the world in flat.
https://www.amazon.com/Jews-Remote-Corners-World-Cowen/dp/B002MGVUKY
Ida Cohen does not believe the world is flat.
The remote farm at the edge of the world - BBC Reel
The BBC does not believe the world is flat.
Using the phrase "corners of the Earth". does not imply the world is flat.
Isaiah 43:6 NLT
I will say to the north and south, ‘Bring my sons and daughters back to Israel from the distant corners of the earth.
ditto
Isaiah 41:9 NLT
I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, ‘You are my servant.’ For I have chosen you and will not throw you away.
ditto
Isaiah 11:12 NLT
He will raise a flag among the nations and assemble the exiles of Israel. He will gather the scattered people of Judah from the ends of the earth.
ditto
Job 38:13 NLT
Have you made daylight spread to the ends of the earth, to bring an end to the night’s wickedness?
No flat earth here either.
Job 37:3 NLT
It rolls across the heavens, and his lightning flashes in every direction.
Nope.
Zilch. You got nothing. Nowhere in the Bible does it say and explain that the earth is flat and if you go too far, you will step over the edge to oblivion. Nowhere does the Bible explain that the Earth is a square and not a sphere. You have an idea you are imposing onto the Bible.
Don't feel bad. You're doing the same thing the Classical Theists do every day and get away with. The sad thing is that most people on the forum and all the moderators believe in classical theism the same way you believe in a flat Earth. But like Classical Theism, the Bible does not support a flat Earth. You can force it to fit your belief if you want to. But then you are forcing the Bible to conform to your beliefs as oppose to conforming your beliefs to the Bible.
