Does the Bible Actually Teach That The Earth Is Flat?

does the bible teach that the Earth is flat some Skeptics argue that the Bible portrays a flat Earth they cite verses such as Revelation 7:1 which speaks of Four Angels standing at the Four Corners of the Earth in Psalm 75:3 which says the god holds the pillars of the earth firmly other passages including Deuteronomy chap 13:7 job 28:4 Psalm 48:10 and Proverbs 30:4 are also cited as evidence that the Bible teaches a flat Earth as they mention the ends of the Earth but are these critics correct does the bible contradict science by teaching that the Earth is flat the Bible does not provide any information on the shape of planet Earth it neither confirms that the Earth is flat nor does it state that it is sperical there are certain passages that are often referred to as evidence of a flat Earth however let's closely examine these passages to see if they indeed depict the Flat Earth Revelation 7 verse1 says after this I saw four Angels stationed at the the four corners of the Earth holding back the Four Winds of the earth so that no wind would blow in the Earth or on the sea or on any tree the Apostle John used an idiom while writing where four corners of the earth means every distant location this idiom is still used today for instance when we talk about Olympic athletes coming from the four corners of the the Earth to participate in the games we mean they are coming from all over the world what does the bible mean when it refers to the corners of the Earth the phrase corners of the earth is used figuratively in several places in the Bible to refer to the outermost Borders or most distant parts of the Earth in the Book of Job eliu describes the voice of the Lord as thunder and lightning saying keep listening to the Thunder of his voice and the rumbling that comes from his mouth under the whole Heaven he lets it Go and his lightning reaches the corners of the earth job 37: 2 through3 in the passage the word Corners is a translation of the Hebrew term for wings which refers to the outstretched wings of a bird covering its young the fully extended wings of a bird reach the extremities of its body therefore the term Corners indicates the extremities of a thing and in this case it refers to the Earth the voice of the Lord fills the entire heavens and travels to the furthest ends of the Earth in Isaiah 11:12 the prophet speaks of a future restoration of Israel where the dispersed of Judah will gather from all over the world the phrase four corners of the earth is a poetic way of describing the farthest reaches of the Earth in the north south east and west directions implying a gathering of God's people from all over the world the same idea is conveyed by the Four Corners in Ezekiel 7:2 except that here the whole inclusive event is a catastrophic end of the world also son of man thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel an end the end is coming on the four corners of the land in the New Living Translation the second half of the verse is translated as the end is here wherever you look east west north or south your land is finished in Revelation 7:1 John's vision is described from a Heavenly perspective the picture suggests that these angels have control over the entire world and the number four symbolizes earth and its boundaries it is worth noting that there are many numbers in the Bible that have a symbolic or idiomatic meaning the phrase four corners of the earth appears for the final time time in the Bible in Revelation 20 and when the thousand years are completed Satan will be released from his prison the abyss and will commod to deceive and mislead the Nations which are in the four corners of the earth including Gog and MOG to gather them together for the war their number is like the sand of the seashore Revelation 20: 7 through 8 it is prophesied that Satan will be released from his temporary prison in the abyss before he is thrown into his final place of judgment during this time he will deceive the Nations and go outed into all the Earth in this context the phrase four corners of the earth is used to mean the extreme limits of the world some Skeptics have argued that the use of the phrase corners of the Earth in the scriptures implies that the Earth is flat or Square however this is a misunder understanding of the idiomatic phrase the Bible does not intend to suggest that the Earth has literal squared off Corners the Bible writers used figures of speech just like we do today for instance Shakespeare once wrote all the world desires her from the four corners of the earth they come to kiss this Shrine this Mortal breathing Saint however no one assumes that Shakespeare believed in a flat Earth we understand that his use of poetic descriptions was meant to be figurative idioms are common in every language when we say we have the best of both worlds we mean that we are enjoying an ideal situation not that we literally have two worlds similarly when poetic portions of the Bible speak of the corners of the earth they are using a figur of speech to refer to the entire world The Book of Revelation uses a lot of symbolic language and non-literal descriptions it doesn't make sense to interpret Revelation 7:1 in a hyper literal way in this verse John simply states that during the tribulation God will stop all the wind from blowing the phrase Four Corners refers to the cardinal directions I.E north south east and west so at God's command all wind will cease Psalm 75:3 quotes God saying the Earth and all the inhabitance of it melt in tumultuous times it is I who will steady its pillars Salah passages like 1st Samuel 2:8 also refer to the Earth's pillars but this language should not be taken literally 1 Samuel 2:8 he raises up the poor from the dust he lifts up the needy from the ash sheep to make them sit with Nobles and inherit a seed of honor and glory for The Pillars of the Earth are the Lords and he set the land on them the book of Psalms and Hannah's song in 1 Samuel chapter 2 are metaphorical poetry describing the founding of the earth as the construction of a house the issue is not whether the Earth is flat or not but rather that it belongs belongs to God he is the one who created it and guarantees its stability his pillars will not move and his roof will not collapse even when the moral order of the world seems to have crumbled and people are overcome with fear God will not withdraw his sustaining power completely the phrase The Pillars of the Earth appears several times in the Bible a closer look at the context reveals its meaning it's important to understand that the phrase The Pillars of the Earth is not meant to be taken literally but rather metaphorically just like how people today use the phrase the four corners of the earth without implying that the Earth is square the Bible uses the phrase The Pillars of the Earth without implying that the Earth is flat or has actual pillars supporting it well some translations such as the new King James version English Standard Version and New American Standard Bible use the phrase Pillars of the Earth other translations simply use the foundations of the Earth in Hannah's Prayer of Thanksgiving she says The Pillars of the Earth are the Lords and on them he has set the world 1 Samuel 2:8 Hannah observes that God has established and organized the world in its current form and controls the fundamental elements that make it up her words evoke the image of a sturdy house God is the builder of the Earth constantly upholding and supporting its continued existence as the Creator and sustainer of the world's pillars God exercises power over every living thing thing in the Book of Job The Pillars of the Earth are also mentioned while responding to his friend bildad job emphasizes on God's Mighty power which surpasses any human being's power and disqualifies them from contending with him job mentions that no man could answer God even once out of a thousand times job 9:3 job describes God as the one who has the power to overturn mountains and shake the Earth out of its place causing its pillars to tremble verse 6 here pillars refers to the rocky foundations of the earth which only God has the power to control if he deems it necessary he can cause an upheaval in the earth's foundations in Psalm 75:3 a esaf quotes God when the earth totters and all its inhabitants it is I who keep steady its pillars the passage isable God's Judgment of the wicked which will happen at a time of his choosing at that time he will bring down the evildoer and exalt the righteous the shaking Pillars of the Earth mentioned in the psalm appeared to refer to the instability and unrest in societ caused by the wicked in Psalm 75:3 the word pillars could be referring to the righteous whom God Promises to Keep from falling this is in line with the idea that God will intervene and restore Society to stability the term pillars has been used to describe people in other Biblical verses like psalm 144:12 Galatians 2:9 and Revelation 3:12 Galatians chap 2:9 and recognizing the grace that God had bestowed on me James and sephus Peter and John who were reputed to be pillars of the Jerusalem Church gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of Fellowship so that we could go to the Gentiles with their blessing and they to the circumcised Revelation 3:12 he who overcomes the world through believing that Jesus is the son of God I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God he will most certainly never be put out of it and I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God the New Jerusalem which descends Out of Heaven from my God and my own new name when people use the phrase The Pillars of the Earth in the Bible they are not providing a scientific description of the world's shape the Bible does not teach that pillars poles or peers support the Earth the phrase The Pillars of the Earth is a poetic way to refer to the foundations what do the references to the ends of the Earth in Deuteronomy 13:7 job 28:4 Psalm 48:10 Proverbs 30:4 and other passages in the Bible mean job 28: 24 for he looks to the ends of the Earth and sees everything under the heavens Psalm 48:10 as is your name oh God so is your praise to the ends of the Earth your right hand is full of righteousness rightness Justice does a reference to the ends of the Earth suggest that the Earth is flat with an edge Deuteronomy 13:7 is used as an example of all the passages that we will look at In this passage Moses warns the people of the Gods of the peoples who are around you near you or far from you from one end of the Earth to the other Deuteronomy 13:7 there are a couple of things that should be clarified regarding the phrase the ends of the Earth to demonstrate that it is not meant to be taken literally and does not refer to a flat Earth firstly this phrase just like the four corners of the earth is idiomatic this means that we do not expect people to take it literally when we use it in conversation therefore we should not force a literal interpretation on the ends of the Earth secondly when biblical writers talk about the ends of the Earth which is mentioned 28 times in the King James version they are simply referring to the farthest reaches of the inhabited world world the phrase the ends of the Earth can sometimes refer to people rather than land a good example of this is in Psalm 67:7 where it says may God bless us still so that all the ends of the Earth will fear Him in this verse the ends of the Earth refers to the people who live in remote and Far Away places also psalm 98:3 he has graciously remembered his loving kindness and his faithfulness to the house of Israel all the ends of the Earth have witnessed the salvation of our God Isaiah 45 verse 22 turn to me and be saved all the ends of the Earth for I am God and there is no other it is important to note that the phrase edge of the Earth is a metaphorical expression and should not be taken literally to suggest that the Earth has a physical Edge when used in other contexts this phrase should also be interpreted figuratively furthermore the Bible does not promote the notion that the Earth is flat the term Earth in the Bible often refers to a portion of dry land surrounded by water rather rather than the planet as a whole the Bible verse Genesis 1:1 reads God called the dry land Earth and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas this verse distinguishes Earth from Seas indicating that it cannot be referring to the planet Earth the Hebrew word for Earth used in this verse is also used in Deuteronomy 13 vers 7 and other similar passages although the Bible does not explicitly state that the Earth is sperical it also does not teach that the Earth is flat there are certain passages in the Bible that mention a spherical Earth such as job 26:7 and Isaiah 40:22 additionally job 26:10 describes God drawing a circular Horizon at the boundary of light and darkness which suggests the presence of two hemispheres the Bible does not endorse an unscientific or oversimplified view of the earth and the solar system there is no proof that the Bible Advocates the notion of a flat Earth any passages that may seem to imply a flat Earth can be clarified when interpreted accurately how can I recognize and understand biblical symbolism the Bible's language is metaphorical using everyday objects to symbolize spiritual truths this is especially common in poetry and prophecy poetry heavily relies on figurative language and often uses symbols to declare the desirability and uniqueness of the subject for instance in the Song of Solomon 2:2 when Solomon calls his bride a lily among Thorns he employ symbols to express her beauty and rarity similarly prophecy also contains much figurative imagery for example Isaiah frequently used trees and forests as symbols of strength as seen in Isaiah 10: 18-19 and chap 3 2: 19 in the Book of Daniel Daniel has a vision of a goat with a horn between its eyes the goat came from the west and moved swiftly without touching the ground Scholars interpret this Vision as representing the kingdom of Greece and its King Alexander the Great who rapidly conquered a significant part of the world Jesus used a lot of symbolism m in his teachings he referred to himself as a Shepherd a so a bridegroom a door a Cornerstone a Vine light bread and water he also compared the Kingdom of Heaven to a wedding Feast a seed a tree a field a net a pearl and yeast there are many other symbols in the Bible that Jesus used in his teachings please note that a literal interpretation of the Bible May sometimes involve figurative language there is a simple rule to follow to determine if a passage uses symbols if the literal meaning of a passage leads to obvious absurdity but a figurative meaning yields Clarity then it is likely that the passage is using symbols for instance in Exodus 19:4 God tells Israel I carried You On Eagle's Wings if read literally this statement would lead to absurdity God did not use real eagles to airlift his people out of Egypt therefore it is clear that the statement is symbolic God is highlighting the swiftness and force with which he rescued the Israelites this also reveals a principle of biblical interpretation a symbol always represents a non-s symbolic reality this means that every figure of speech in the Bible has a factual basis to it be it a real person a genuine historical event or a verifiable attribute here are a few symbols used in the Bible Old Testament walk with God to walk with someone is to live in fellowship and harmony with that person when it comes to Walking with God it means living Our Lives according to the path he has settled for us which involves obeying him this is because God can only live in a way that reflects his holy character so walking with him means aligning ourselves with his will dust Stars sand the Bible often uses metaphors to represent the descendants promised to Abraham including physical Jews and Arabs and spiritual those who live by faith Galatians 3:7 flowing with milk and honey in the Old Testament God frequently described Canaan as a land that was abundant in milk and honey the phrase flowing with milk and honey symbolized the presence of fertile Farmland plentiful water sources Rich vegetation for dairy animals to graze on and a variety of flowers for bees to produce honey milk and honey were considered to be two of the most valuable foods during that time and a land that was flowing with these resources would have been highly desirable circumcised Hearts circumcised ision was a physical sign of the Covenant between God and the Jewish people however it was only an external change what God truly desired was an internal change a spiritual circumcision to have a circumcised heart meant fully identifying with God it's not sufficient to merely obey his word externally we must also embody his teachings internally hearts of stone or flesh a spiritually dead heart depicted by a Heart of Stone can't respond to God's grace God promises to replace it with a living loving heart that can follow him New Testament Rama and Rachel Rama a small town located approximately 5 miles from Jerusalem holds significant biblical importance Rachel one of Jacob's wives was buried near Bethlehem according to Genesis 35: 19 in the book of Jeremiah the morning of Rama and the Weeping of Rachel are used as metaphors of the sorrow experienced when Babylon conquered Judah and sent its people into Exile Matthew later references Jeremiah and expands on the metaphor he applies it to king herod's massacre of babies in Bethlehem where Rama symbolizes Bethlehem and Rachel represents the grieving mothers who lost their children Capstone a Capstone is a metaphorical term used to describe the crowning achievement or the Finishing Touch often associated with Jesus so what does the bible teach us of the Earth what does it mean that the Earth was without form and void Genesis 1:2 Genesis 1:1 states that in the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth this fact is not surprising however the following statement in Genesis CH 1 ver2 has raised some questions it says that the Earth was without form form and void the Hebrew words used are toou which means without form or formless and boho which is translated as void or empty therefore Genesis 1 verse two could be translated as it came about that the Earth was without form and empty another truth that we know is the Earth was judged before and will be judged again let us pray Divine Lord in your infinite wisdom and boundless love we come before you seeking understanding of your sacred word the Bible as we embark on this journey of Enlightenment guide our hearts and Minds that we may grasp the profound truths within its Pages grant us the humility to approach your word with reverence recognizing its significance in shaping Our Lives help us set aside preconceived notions and open our hearts to receive the messages you have for us may your spirit illuminate the words of scripture revealing their deeper meanings and applications to our lives today help us to see beyond the surface to discern the Timeless truths that transcend cultures and generations grant us the gift of discernment that we may distinguish between your truth and the distortions of human interpretation let us not be swayed by popular opinion or personal agendas but anchor our understanding in your unwavering truth strengthen our faith as we encounter passages that challenge our beliefs or understanding teach just to wrestle with difficult Concepts knowing that through struggle comes growth and deeper insight into your ways help us to approach your word with a spirit of humility and teachability recognizing that we are but finite beings seeking to comprehend the infinite wisdom of your divine revelation give us eyes to see and ears to hear that we may per receive the Hidden Treasures within scripture Let its words resonate in our hearts and transform Our Lives leading us closer to you and shaping us into the image of your son Jesus Christ grant us the courage to apply what we learn to live out the principles of Love mercy and Justice that are woven throughout your word Empower us to be doers of the word not just heers as we seek to bring your kingdom values to bear in our daily lives in moments of confusion or doubt may your peace which surpasses all understanding guard our hearts and Minds remind us of your faithfulness throughout history and in our own lives reassuring us that you are always present to guide and sustain us as we delve into the depths of scripture let us not forget the ultimate purpose of our study to know you more intimately and to make you known to Others May our understanding of your word lead to a deeper relationship with you and a greater passion for sharing your love with the world in all things may your name be glorified as we seek to live according to your word and fulfill the purpose for which you have created us amen

Channel: Grace Digital Network

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Keywords: bible stories, biblical story, bible, biblical study, biblical story summary, bible curiosities, bible stories in drawing, biblical animation, Jesus Christ

Id: zose0DsWibw

Length: 31min 5sec (1865 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 22 2024