Does The New Testament Teach A Flat Earth?

[trophy33]

If we do not accept the idea of a flat disc with firmanent/heaven above it, what sense do these verses make? Note: I am not a flat Earth proponent, my question is for the meaning of these verses in the light of a globe and vast space of the Universe.

"And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time."

"But he continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world."

"The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all."

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God."

"After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
...Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."


"...He ascended into heaven..." Apostolic Creed

 

[Sketcher]

The same sense it makes that the moon and the stars are "up." They are beyond this world.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

If we do not accept the idea of a flat disc with firmanent/heaven above it, what sense do these verses make? Note: I am not a flat Earth proponent, my question is for the meaning of these verses in the light of a globe and vast space of the Universe.

"And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time."

"But he continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world."

"The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all."

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God."

"After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
...Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."


"...He ascended into heaven..." Apostolic Creed

I do know that the New Testament teaches of a new heaven and new earth .. and also world without end.

 

[Jonaitis]

I don't believe the New Testament teaches flat earth, neither do I believe it teaches a spherical earth. It is not the aim of the apostles to write down a defense of either.

The language we read in many places in Scripture relates to the way people observe the world around them. Also, Jesus may have had a vision in his temptation of the kingdoms of the earth.

 

[trophy33]

The same sense it makes that the moon and the stars are "up." They are beyond this world.

Actually, they are also to left, right and down.

Also, "up" from Norway is not the same "up" as from Australia.

 

[mark kennedy]

If we do not accept the idea of a flat disc with firmanent/heaven above it, what sense do these verses make? Note: I am not a flat Earth proponent, my question is for the meaning of these verses in the light of a globe and vast space of the Universe.

"And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time."

"But he continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world."

"The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all."

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God."

"After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
...Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."


"...He ascended into heaven..." Apostolic Creed

No, you will find no cosmology or astronomy antwhere in Scripture. As Galileo argued the Scrptures tell us how to get to heaven, not how the heavens work.

 

[trophy33]

The language we read here relates to the way people observe the world around them.

There are also quotations of Jesus and angels.

 

[trophy33]

No, you will find no cosmology or astronomy antwhere in Scripture. As Galileo argued the Scrptures tell us how to get to heaven, not how the heavens work.

So, what do you do with these and similar verses?

 

[MariaJLM]

No, because the writers of the New Testament were not morons. They were intelligent well-learned men.

 

[HTacianas]

If we do not accept the idea of a flat disc with firmanent/heaven above it, what sense do these verses make? Note: I am not a flat Earth proponent, my question is for the meaning of these verses in the light of a globe and vast space of the Universe.

"And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time."

"But he continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world."

"The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all."

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God."

"After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
...Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."


"...He ascended into heaven..." Apostolic Creed

Showing someone the kingdoms of the earth from a mountain never really made much sense to me until I went to Jerusalem the first time. From the mountains there are some striking views of the surrounding areas. I have a picture of myself on an overlook and behind and below me is "the road to Jericho". It was under construction at the time and covered with orange cones at the time, but hey, it was the road to Jericho.

To say that you can see "all the kingdoms of the world " is an impossibility, but with a little imagination "all the city-states of the surrounding land" is not a stretch. The Greek for "world" actually means "land".

As far as where heaven is, no one knows. The ancients considered it to be "in the clouds" but I don't think it disappeared on a sunny day. We would likely describe it in modern times as an alternate universe or a fourth dimension or something similar. Where is heaven? It's over there someplace. What direction you would go in to get there is anyone's guess.

 

[mark kennedy]

No, because the writers of the New Testament were not morons. They were intelligent well-learned men.

I fail to see what the ascension has to do with a flat earth.

 

[MariaJLM]

I fail to see what the ascension has to do with a flat earth.

It's obvious. Anybody with a brain can see that the Earth is not flat. I'm saddened for the state of humanity that Flat Earth is still a subject of debate at all.

 

[mark kennedy]

Showing someone the kingdoms of the earth from a mountain never really made much sense to me until I went to Jerusalem the first time. From the mountains there are some striking views of the surrounding areas. I have a picture of myself on an overlook and behind and below me is "the road to Jericho". It was under construction at the time and covered with orange cones at the time, but hey, it was the road to Jericho.

To say that you can see "all the kingdoms of the world " is an impossibility, but with a little imagination "all the city-states of the surrounding land" is not a stretch. The Greek for "world" actually means "land".

As far as where heaven is, no one knows. The ancients considered it to be "in the clouds" but I don't think it disappeared on a sunny day. We would likely describe it in modern times as an alternate universe or a fourth dimension or something similar. Where is heaven? It's over there someplace. What direction you would go in to get there is anyone's guess.

It can be the sky or the abode of God and the angels. If ancients thought they were the same thing they were mistaken.

 

[(° ͡ ͜ ͡ʖ ͡ °) (ᵔᴥᵔʋ)]

If we do not accept the idea of a flat disc with firmanent/heaven above it, what sense do these verses make? Note: I am not a flat Earth proponent, my question is for the meaning of these verses in the light of a globe and vast space of the Universe.

"And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time."

"But he continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world."

"The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all."

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God."

"After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
...Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."


"...He ascended into heaven..." Apostolic Creed

Above = Spiritual world
Below = Physical world

 

[mark kennedy]

It's obvious. Anybody with a brain can see that the Earth is not flat. I'm saddened for the state of humanity that Flat Earth is still a subject of debate at all.

I'm puzzled that it's still an issue and insulted that anyone serious about that Scriptures think the Scriptures teach any such thing.

 

[Halbhh]

Actually, they are also to left, right and down.

Also, "up" from Norway is not the same "up" as from Australia.

Well perhaps the only even plausible sounding argument made to me by one flat earther that used a NT verse is about how when Christ returns all will see Him. Which if a simplistic literal interpretation would suggest a geometry difficulty.... (how can people on opposites sides of a sphere see Someone in one location (notice the several assumptions)).

If...we assume there is such as thing as something difficult for God.

Which in fact nothing is, physically.

Ever.

My response was simply that since God made physics, He can alter it at will.

He is not limited by this physics He created, and He can do the impossible. He can bend light around the Earth I'd expect, or even suddenly relocate people if needed, or even perhaps suddenly remake the Earth, or likely anything else we can imagine.

 

[trophy33]

Showing someone the kingdoms of the earth from a mountain never really made much sense to me until I went to Jerusalem the first time. From the mountains there are some striking views of the surrounding areas. I have a picture of myself on an overlook and behind and below me is "the road to Jericho". It was under construction at the time and covered with orange cones at the time, but hey, it was the road to Jericho.

To say that you can see "all the kingdoms of the world " is an impossibility, but with a little imagination "all the city-states of the surrounding land" is not a stretch. The Greek for "world" actually means "land".

As far as where heaven is, no one knows. The ancients considered it to be "in the clouds" but I don't think it disappeared on a sunny day. We would likely describe it in modern times as an alternate universe or a fourth dimension or something similar. Where is heaven? It's over there someplace. What direction you would go in to get there is anyone's guess.

I see what you are saying, but you cannot see multiple kingdoms from there. Even if we would say that the "whole world" is the Roman empire, still not even close.

Notice that kingdoms are not cities.

 

[trophy33]

Above = Spiritual world
Below = Physical world

So, why was Christ taken up to clouds? I.e. "up" in space?

If there is no meaning in going physically up to heavens, then what was it for?

 

[Resha Caner]

If we do not accept the idea of a flat disc with firmanent/heaven above it, what sense do these verses make? Note: I am not a flat Earth proponent, my question is for the meaning of these verses in the light of a globe and vast space of the Universe

None of those verses necessitate a flat earth.

 

[Resha Caner]

So, why was Christ taken up to clouds? I.e. "up" in space?

If there is no meaning in going physically up to heavens, then what was it for?

"Up" has nothing to do with the shape of the earth. You can go up from a flat earth, round earth, triangular earth, anything. All "up" indicates is a direction relative to where you currently stand.

The Bible never tries to place heaven in a specific location. Though Christ's ascension was physical, we have no idea where he actually went.