The Holy Bible Teaches Globe Earth.

Strathos said:

You know what else isn't written about in the Bible?

A flat earth.

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SeventyOne said:

This will be my last comment on the matter.

With that question, I'm asking creationists only, because it is the only source founded in reality. Anyone else floating around out there under the evolutionary delusion will be unable to answer it. Period.

No amount of posturing, arguing, or debating will ever change that. There's nothing more to say.

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Zetetica said:

The Bible does NOT refute, and I repeat, does NOT refute a classical enclosed "flat earth", as believed in a lot of ancient cosmologies (including the Earth model in the Koran). Does it confirm it though? That's up for debate, even by me; I've simply not studied far enough into it to be certain and I refuse to trust FEs at their word due to their bias.

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Zetetica said:

However, does the Bible confirm a globe Earth? No, though it may possibly be vague enough (I'm still unsure) on the details that people can read a globe into the text.

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A_Thinker said:

The Bible also does not refute a spherical earth.

The Bible provides very little information about the shape of the Earth. That should not be surprising, since the purpose of the Bible is to inform about spiritual matters, not to inform us in the arena of the physical.

You would also have to read a "flat earth" into the text. The Bible does not describe the earth's shape, other than as a circle ... hung on nothing ... (Isaiah 40:22, Job 26:7)

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https://www.asa3.org/ASA/PSCF/2001/PSCF9-01Schneider.html said:

What, then, can we make of Job 26:7? While its sense is hardly plain, one notion it certainly does not convey, I would tell my students, is that of a spherical earth held by the force of gravity in space (Morris). The earth that hangs on nothing is also the earth that rests on "pillars," which tremble when God shakes the earth (Job 9:6), or upon a "foundation" with bases and a cornerstone (Job 38:6). It is also the dry land that God separated from the waters of the encircling deep (Gen. 1:9-10; Job 26:10; Prov. 8:27), that the psalmists describe as "founded ... upon the ocean, set ... upon the nether-streams" (24:1-2, JPSV; cf. Exod. 20:4), the earth which God "stretched out ... above the waters" (136:6 KJV). I see no value in trying to reconcile these many and varied metaphorical images with our own image of a spherical, rotating planet--aside from the fact that these ancients did not think of the earth as a planet. What Job 26:7, indeed the entire creation hymn of which it is a part, does convey, in all of its majesty and mystery, is the presence and power of the One who creates and sustains, and who holds all of the creation under his gaze. The response it calls for is awe, not scientific analysis.

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Zetetica said:

Earth hangs on nothing because it's on a physical foundation.

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A_Thinker said:

That's a very tortured interpretation.

If the Earth rests on foundations, then it doesn't hang, which makes Job 26:7 meaningless.

I interpret scripture's statements about the Earth resting on foundations ... like I do the scriptural declaration that "Jesus is the Rock". Such statements convey the sense of stability that God gives to His creation.

Another scriptural example of this is when we are taught by Jesus to "build our house (faith) upon a Rock (Christ), ... rather than upon the sand (anything else).

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FEZZILLA said:

There is nothing vague about what the Bible says about the shape of the earth. The Bible very clearly teaches globe earth as I have demonstrated on this topic and in my recent post as well.

Do not be fooled by Islam or the Qur'an as the Qur'an is the complete antithesis of the Holy Bible. Here is what the Qur'an says about the shape of the earth which is backed by an ancient reputable tafsir -- and not just any muslim is allowed to interpret the Qur'an.

Noble Qur'an 79:30: "And after that He spread the earth."

Tafsir al-Jalalayn (Feras Hamza Translation),

"and after that He spread out the earth: He made it flat, for it had been created before the heaven, but without having been spread out."

Noble Qur'an 88:16-21 (with emphasis on verse 20),

16. And rich carpets (all) spread out.
17. Do they not look at the camels, how they are created?
18. And at the heaven, how it is raised?
19. And at the mountains, how they rooted (and fixed firm)?
20. And at the earth, how it is outspread?
21. So remind them (O Muhammad)---you are only one who reminds.

Tafsir al-Jalalayn (Feras Hamza Translation),

Verse 20: "And the earth, how it was laid out flat?, and thus infer from this the power of Allah, exalted be He, and His Oneness? The commencing with the [mention of] camels is because they are closer in contact with it [the earth] than any other [animal]. As for the words sutihat, 'laid our flat', this on a literal reading suggests that the earth is flat, which is the opinion of most of the scholars of the [revealed] Law, and not a sphere as astronomers (ahl al-hay'a) have it, even if this [latter] does not contradict any of the pillars of the Law."

Then there is the embarrassing Qur’an 68:1 which has been covered up by modern Islamic scholars to avoid western laughter.

Noble Qur’an 68:1,

“Nun. [These letters (Nun, etc.) are one of the miracles of the Quran, and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings]. By the pen and what the (angels) write (in the Records of men).”

The Nun is the whale who held up the flat earth according to Islamic tradition. Now most of the proof is strictly in Arabic, since English readers would totally and completely reject any thought of Islam if they knew about this myth. The verse above says little to us in English but Tafsir Ibn Kathir explains how the Nun, the whale, held up the earth on its back. But here again that is the Arabic version which omits this part in the English version. But there is a classical Tafsir in English that does contain the Islamic interpretation of the verse.

Tafsir Ibn Abbas,

“And from his narration on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas that he said regarding the interpretation of Allah's saying (Nun): '(Nun) He says: Allah swears by the Nun, which is the whale that carries the earths on its back while in Water, and beneath which is the Bull and under the Bull is the Rock and under the Rock is the Dust and none knows what is under the Dust save Allah. The name of the whale is Liwash, and it is said its name is Lutiaya'; the name of the bull is Bahamut, and some say its name is Talhut or Liyona. The whale is in a sea called 'Adwad, and it is like a small bull in a huge sea. The sea is in a hollowed rock whereby there is 4,000 cracks, and from each crack water springs out to the earth. It is also said that Nun is one of the names of the Lord; it stands for the letter Nun in Allah's name al-Rahman (the Beneficent); and it is also said that a Nun is an inkwell. (By the pen) Allah swore by the pen. This pen is made of light and its height is equal to the distance between Heaven and earth. It is with this pen that the Wise Remembrance, i.e. the Guarded Tablet, was written. It is also said that the pen is one of the angels by whom Allah has sworn, (and that which they write (therewith)) and Allah also swore by what the angels write down of the works of the children of Adam.”
Altafsir.com - The Tafsirs - التفاسير

Islam may not be the only worldview that actually believes the earth is flat. But the Islamic influence in the west may be driving many once intelligent westerners to follow the flat earth deception. The Hindu model of the earth was a flat disc held up by elephants who stood on the back of a very large sea turtle. Here we see how Islam boldly teaches flat earth. And there is an Islamic belief that a whale holds up the earth, and beneath the whale there is a bull and then a rock. And while the Qur’an does say the earth is not held up by pillars, it does believe the earth is held up by a physical object. The Bible teaches that the earth is not held up by any physical or visible object (Job 26:7).
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FEZZILLA said:

The Spinning Globe Post.

Job 38:14, The Rotation of the earth

“It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment” (KJV)

Other Translations:

“It is turned as clay to fashion, and all stand up as a garment” (1599 Geneva Bible).

“It is turned like clay by the seal,
and it stands out as a garment” (MEV)

“It turneth itself as clay of a seal And they station themselves as clothed” (YLT).
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Bible Commentaries

So it [the earth] is turning in a full rotation facing the dayspring (v.12). Henry Morris hammers this one down very well in his classic work The Remarkable Record of Job, p.40,

"Job suggests not only that the earth was suspended in space but also that it rotates about its north-projecting axis. “Hast thou commanded the morning since they days; and caused the dayspring to know his place; That it might take hold of the ends of the earth; that the wicked might be shaken out of it? It is turned as clay to the seal; they stand out as a garment” (Job 38:12-14). Though figurative language, this reflects a true physical process. God is pictured as taking hold of the two ends of the earth’s axis and turning it as if it were a clay cylinder receiving an impression from a seal. The seal toward which the earth is turned, however, is not a metallic pattern. Rather, it is the “dayspring,” evidently the sun fixed in its place.”

The Henry Morris Study Bible,

“38:14 turned. This figurative expression refers to God’s initiation of the earth’s rotation and the day-night cycle. Each night, like a rotating clay cylinder exposing the impressions of the seal, the earth turns to the sun (or “dayspring”), exposing the wicked and their works of the night.”

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown Bible Commentary, Vol.2,

“14. Explaining the first clause of v.13, as v.15 does the second clause. As the plastic clay represents the various figures impressed on it by a seal, so the earth, which in the dark was void of all form, when illuminated by the day-spring, presents a variety of forms, hills, valleys, etc. “Turned” (‘turns itself’,’ Hebrew) alludes to the rolling cylinder seal, from one to three inches long, such as is found in Babylon, which leaves the impression on the soft plastic clay, as it is turned about: so the morning light rolling on over the earth. Rich (‘On the Ruins of Babylon’) in Barnes, says, ‘The cuneiform writing of these cylinder seals is reversed, or written from right to left, whereas every other cuneiform writing is to be read from left to right. This can only be accounted for by supposing that they were intended to roll impressions.’ they stand--the forms of beauty unfolded by the dawn stand forth as a garment in which the earth is clad.”

The Bible Knowledge Commentary, 1885 Edition

“38:12-15. God’s control of the earth also includes the daily sequence of dawn and darkness. The dawn causes the wicked, who are active at night (cf. 24:14-17; John 3:19), to hide. It is as if the morning light were shaking them out of a blanket (Job 38:13), causing them to be broken in their power (upraised arm, v. 15; cf. 40:9). As the sun comes up the earth’s contours become evident and the wicked no longer have darkness, which they call their light, in which to work. Since Job had nothing to do with establishing or controlling this aspect of Creation how could he question God’s doings now?”

The language of Job 38:12-15 is deeply figurative but the rotation of the earth can be clearly seen as well as the sun’s stationary position in the solar system, making this passage stand out as a garment of light to those who seek the depth of truth which turns in it’s revolution out of the darkness. This passage also helps interpret Job 26:10 “the boundary of light and darkness.”

*Note: figurative language is used to capture a deeper spiritual meaning.
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Early Church Fathers on the Rotation of the Earth.

† St.Ambrose (337-397 A.D.)

The following quotations come from 4th century St.Ambrose from his work called the "Hexameron", from The Fathers Of The Church series translated by John J. Savage.

“Consequently, the year, too, has the stamp of a world coming to birth, as the splendor of the springtime shines forth all the more clearly because of the winter’s ice and darkness now past. The shape of the circles of years to come has been given form by the first dawn of the world” (p.12).

The circle of years. That sounds like a spinning globe to me.

This next quotation from St.Ambrose is long but necessary for this subject. Here Ambrose defines what immovable earth means while also quoting from a Psalm in which the earth is moving! Ambrose is explaining how the earth abides by the laws ordained for it by God, that it will not fall down (since it is suspended in space, Job 26:7). The earth will not float away. It is a fixed sphere and will not move from its ordained laws.

“How the disposition of the earth therefore depends upon the power of God, you may learn also where it is written: ‘He looketh upon the earth and maketh it tremble,’ and elsewhere: ‘One again I move the earth.’ Therefore, the earth remains immovable not by its balances, but is moved frequently by the nod and free will of God, as Job, too, says: ‘The Lord shaketh it from its foundations, and the pillars thereof tremble.’ And elsewhere: ‘Hell is naked before him and there is no covering for death. He stretched out the north over the empty space and hangeth the earth upon nothing. He bindeth up the waters in his clouds. The pillars of heaven fled away and are in dread at his rebuke. By his power the seas are calmed, by his wisdom is struck down the sea-monster, and the gates of heaven fear him.’
By the will of God, therefore, the earth remains immovable. ‘The earth standeth for ever,’ according to Ecclesiastes, yet is moved and nods according to the will of God. It does not therefore continue to exist because based on its own foundation. It does not stay stable because based on its own props. The Lord established it by the support of His will, because ‘in his hand are all the ends of the earth.’ The simplicity of this faith is worth all the proffered proofs.
Let others hold approvingly that the earth never will fall, because it keeps its position in the midst of the world in accordance with nature. They maintain that it is from necessity that the earth remains in its place and is not inclined in another direction, as long as it does not move contrary to nature but in accordance with it. Let them take occasion to magnify the excellence of their divine Artist and eternal Craftsman. What artist is not indebted to Him? ‘Who gave to women the knowledge of weaving or the understanding of embroidery?’ However, I who am unable to comprehend the excellence of His majesty and His art do not entrust myself to theoretical weights and measures. Rather, I believe that all things depend on His will, which is the foundation of the universe and because of which the world endures up to the present” (pp.22-23).

“However, in the circular quality of a sphere these elements are confused and lose the impulse of their course, inasmuch as a sphere is turned around in its orb and hence the elements above change place with the elements beneath and vise-versa” (p.23).

The circular quality of a sphere [Strong’s H2328 - H2329]. This sphere is turned (Job 38:14). We can see how Ambrose is reading and interpreting Scripture.

The next citation from the Hexameron of St.Ambrose deals with how 4th century skeptics of the Bible claim that the earth cannot be a sphere because water could not remain on it.

“And first of all these interpreters wish to destroy the profound impressions which frequent reading of the Scriptures have made in our mind, maintaining that waters cannot exist above the heavens. That heavenly sphere, they say, is round, with the earth in the middle of it; hence, water cannot stay on that circular surface, from which it needs must flow easily away, falling from a higher to a lower position. For how, they say, can water remain on a sphere when the sphere itself revolves?” (p.52).

In the next quotation Ambrose begins the paragraph with “Scripture points out”, and then cites from Isa.40:22,

“And further on: ‘Who sitteth upon the globe of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as locusts, who stretcheth out the heavens as an arch?’ Who, then, ventures to put his knowledge in the same plane with that of God?” (p.231).

† Clement of Alexandria (150-215 A.D.)

Clement was a 2nd century church father. The following is taken from his writing called The Instructor, which I’m citing from the very last page of Book III entitled To The Paedagous:

“And when the seasons, in their circling course,
Winter and summer, spring and autumn, each
Should come, according to well-ordered plan;
Out of a confused heap who didst create
This ordered sphere, and from the shapeless mass
Of matter didst the universe adorn;--
Grant to me life, and be that life well spent,
Thy grace enjoying; let me act and speak
In all things as Thy Holy Scriptures teach”
(Ante-Nicene Christian Library, Vol.1).

And the Holy Scriptures taught Clement about the sphere of the earth and the circular course (rotation) of the 4 seasons. How do you get 4 seasons on a flat earth anyway?

† St.Clement of Rome (35 - 99 A.D.)

"20.The heavens revolve by His arrangement and are subject to Him in peace. 2 Day and night complete the revolution ordained by Him, and neither interferes in the least with the other." (Clement of Rome; Ancient Christian Writers, Vol.1: "Epistle to the Corinthians," Chapter 20:1-2, p.22).

Even back in the 1st century A.D., 2000 years ago, long before the modern era of science, Clement of Rome read about a spherical earth that rotated on its axis. What verse are the ancient Christian church fathers reading? I believe its all in the Book of Job, as verses like Job 26:10 and Job 38:14 indicate how the earth turns (rotates). Even Job 37:12 expresses with similarity how the weather patterns of the earth move all around the habitable globe.
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FEZZILLA said:

I also have posts here covering the earliest and most important of the early church fathers, including Clement of Rome (who is mentioned in Philippians 4:8) and from the first century of Christ on up they read globe/sphere earth from the Bible.

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FEZZILLA said:

I think I'll stick with the ancient understand of Scripture over your 21st century deviation from sound doctrine. I cited from more credible sources than you did so Job 38:14 means spinning globe. And yes, I do understand the spiritual meaning of the passage very well. But that figurative does not remove the fact that the earth is turning (v.14) facing the dayspring (sun) in v.12.

All the early church fathers read spinning globe from Scripture.

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FEZZILLA said:

The early church fathers read spinning globe from Scripture.

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FEZZILLA said:

Yes...it means the Bible teaches spinning globe earth.

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