A) INTRODUCTION.

B) A LITTLE HISTORY.

C) HOW THE FLAT EARTH CONCEPT GOT STARTED.

D) ISAIAH 40:22.

E) THE FOUR CORNERS.

F) ENDS OF THE EARTH.

G) LET’S GET REAL

 

 

A) INTRODUCTION

 

 

Throughout what is called the “Middle Ages,” it was taught (thought) that the earth was flat.  This concept, I believe, came about mostly due to a rejection of the Bible.

 

It has been asserted in our modern day that the Bible is not a scientific book; and some (mostly evolutionists) even go so far as to say that there is no science in It.  Although, to class It as a scientific book would be for sure, incorrect.  However, to ascertain that It contains no science at all is ridiculous.

 

Since we are discussing the “Flat Earth” concept here, I will only point out this one scientific fact of evidence that the Bible does give us and that was ignored by the ruling church of the Middle Ages (since the Bible was kept away from the general population), without going into all of the science in the Bible.  And that is found in Isaiah 40:22, where it states, “the circle of the earth.”  We will discuss this text later.

 

 

B) A LITTLE HISTORY

 

 

Well before man questioned this earth as being round, in the 14th century, around the time of Christopher Columbus, men of God had prophesied that it was indeed round.  However, one could be killed for stating such absurdities.  By contrast, Christopher Columbus went to the queen of Spain, in an effort to convince her that he could find the quickest route to the Indian trade route by sailing the unthinkable route of going West instead of going south, around the African coast and the dangerous “Cape Horn” and its inclement weather.

 

As the account goes, he convinced the queen to go down to the Atlantic Ocean and stand on the beach and look through a new invention of the time -- the telescope.  What Chris had discovered he was now showing the queen.  Fortunately, the ocean was fairly calm that day.

 

The Spanish Armada was coming back from one of its many adventures and Chris asked the queen to observe their return to Spain.  What she observed at first was only the topmost part of their masts bobbing up, then down out of site.  Then only the topmost sails came into view (Note:  The Horizon is 12 miles away before the curvature of the earth is noticed.  Therefore, anything further than that will only partially be seen until either distance, or the object being too far away, which lowers it below the horizon, until it cannot be seen at all).  As the minutes pass and the queen keeps observing her fleet of ships, they rise up more and more until the entire ship began to come into view.

 

Chris than explains to her that the only way that what she observed could be possible, is if the earth were in fact round.  And therefore, he could sail around the earth to get to the Indian trade, via his new route, without falling off of the earth.  She was convinced, and the rest is history.  All because of Isaiah 40:22, which Christopher Columbus had read, plus his nautical observations.

 

About the same time period, with the invention of the prized telescope, astronomers were discovering heavenly bodies never before seen.  And they observed that most, if not all, were always round.  Why not our earth?  When along came what we call today, a “Lunar Eclipse.”  This is when our earth is in the middle between the sun and the moon.  As the eclipse begins to be observed by the astronomical scientists, and you can do this yourself now in our day, the shadow of our earth begins to form upon the surface of the moon.  And, Wala!  The shape they saw and we can see is -- you guessed it -- round.

 

The above are easily observable by all personnel upon this earth.  Further, to deny pictures of our earth taken by modern day astronauts, showing clearly our round, blue, planate, is to go beyond unreasonable.  However, this is what Bible attacking students do.  They can’t help themselves.  They become unreasonable in an effort to object to anything the Bible promotes as truth.

 

Lastly, “Flat Earthers” no longer argue that you can see the “North Star” from everywhere upon the face of the earth, for they know this to be false.  They don’t discuss it, for they know, or are ignorant to the FACT, that from the southern hemisphere (meaning the earth is a “sphere,” i.e., round like a ball) the “North Star” cannot, and is not, ever seen (visible).

 

 

C) HOW THE FLAT EARTH CONCEPT GOT STARTED

 

 

In the 19th century, Archaeologists (earth dwellers) began to develop a theory call, “Cosmology of Ancient Near East.”  They believed (taught) that the earth was indeed round, but that it was flat (like a modern-day Frisbee).  To be honest, this was really invented in order to attach the validity of the Bible.

 

Following that, the “Documentary Hypothesis” was developed, to support the above.  In other words, just as with Evolution, when one theory does not quite work so well, let’s develop another one.  Again, they cannot accept that the Bible might just be right about anything.  This is the true movement behind the “FLAT EARTH” hypothesis.

 

Then, a novelist by the name of Washington Irving, who is famous for his works, “Rip Van Winkel,” in 1819, and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” in 1820, published another book titled, “Columbus and the Flat Earth.”  Republished by Darin Hayton in 2014, December 2nd.  The purpose of the book was to attack Christianity.

 

Finally, what became known as the “Conflict Thesis” became to be a popular belief.  What it entails, is that the Bible was in “conflict” with modern-day thinking of the times and is holding back progress and new discoveries that could be made if society would continue to rely on the validity of the Bible.  It still works quite well today (attacking the Bible).

 

 

D) ISAIAH 40:22

 

 

It has been proposed by modern-day proponents who love to discover errors in the Bible (they’re still looking) that the meaning of Isaiah 40:22 (see also Job 38:13-14; Proverbs 8:27), specifically the Hebrew word “chug,” translated as “circle,” really means just that, as in a “sphere,” which is like a Frisbee in shape (thus in the thirteen hundred of this earth’s history one could have fallen off of this earth; but not now) and that is why from space the earth looks round.  By the way, it does not look “flat” round.

 

By contrast, the Hebrew word for “circle,” i.e., “chug,” can also literally mean “circle,” or better, “sphere.”  To assert that “sphere” is not the true meaning and concept is to be Biblically biased against It.  Anything less than a “sphere” is to also deny what we know to be true today about the earth being round.  And just to throw in a note here, in Job 26:7, Job knew that God “hangeth the earth upon nothing” (see also 1Sa. 2:8; Job 9:6; Psa. 75:3).  However, to be fair, either “circle” or “sphere” could be translated here, and “Flat Earthers” would have “circle” be the correct translation, while Biblical proponents, knowing the earth to be a “sphere,” will go with that translation.

 

What “Flat Earthers” go to another verse to combat Isaiah 40:22, at that is Isaiah 22:18.  The word used there (Hebrew, “dur”), for what would truly be considered to be round, is translated as “ball.”  Therefore, they argue that had Isaiah 40:22 meant that the earth is round like a “ball,” then the Hebrew word for “ball,” i.e., “dur,” would have been used in that passage as it was used in Isaiah 22:18.  Their reasoning is because a literal translation of “dur” is, “cylinder, hoop, disk, or sphere.”  However, to bring up Isaiah 22:18 at all is to shoot your own non-round theory in the foot.

 

 

E) THE FOUR CORNERS

 

 

Another argument used to prove that the Word of God (the Bible) is full of errors, either or (depending upon your agenda), is to also prove that the earth is in the shape of a Frisbee, is to go to such passages as Ecclesiastes 1:6; Isaiah 11:12; Jeremiah 9:26; 25:23; Ezekiel 7:2; Revelation 7:1; 20:8, which state, “four corners of the earth.”  Also, Psalm 19:4 states, “Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world,” as if our earth has an edge, is the assertion.  Also, Deuteronomy 13:7; 28:49, 64; Psalm 46:9; 61:2; Isaiah 5:26; 42:10; 48:20; 49:6; Jeremiah 25:33; Daniel 4:22, state, “from [or] to the end of the earth.”  By contrast, passages such as Ezekiel 7:2 clarify these passages as simply meaning “wherever you are in that property.”

 

Thus, the meanings to all the questionable passages above about “four corners” are Biblically clear to the Biblical literate.; but not to the Biblical illiterate that use the Bible to their own detriment.  The true Biblical concept is:  “You cannot hide from God no matter where you are upon the earth.”  In other words, these are not scientific statements.  But when it suites the non-believers to have the Bible be a scientific Book, then It is.  But when it is stated that the Bible is not a scientific Book, then It isn’t.  How convenient.  No wonder the Bible has to be “Spiritually Discerned.”

 

By contrast, even “Flat Earthers” now agree that this phrase is just referring to the four directions (North; South; East; West) of the earth.  Why?  Because “four corners” does not fit within their “circular/frisbee” modeled earth either.

 

Also, the true meaning of the Hebrew word “peah,” translated as “corner,” literally means, “bent.”  This could be translated as “rounded,” depending upon the context, such as in Amos 3:12, where the “corner” of the “bed” would not be a perfectly formed 90-degree angle.

 

 

F) ENDS OF THE EARTH

 

 

Another Biblical phrase I will discuss and what is used, is “ends of the earth.”  It is used Biblically 28 times, the most popular being Psalm 67:7.  The “Flat Earthers” argument is, since a round earth would have no ending, in other words, you would just keep going around-and-around, the earth cannot be round.  Whereas, if it be circular and flat, you can reach out to the “ends of the earth.”

 

However, if you read the passage in context, and you want to understand it as it is stated, then you are talking about geography.  So, let’s look at Psalm 67:7 alone, and you can do this with the other 27 passages.  “God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.”  Can geography (“the ends of the earth”) “fear Him?”  Pray tell, this cannot be the meaning of the phrase.  I’ll let you figure out what it is really meaning (maybe not, “everyone” is supposed to “fear Him”).

 

Lastly, Daniel 4:10-11 is used.  Imagine if all of this Biblical study were put to good use.  The passage states:  “Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed; I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof wasgreat.  The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto Heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth.”  Ah Ha!  No matter how high you get, you can see the entire earth (except the underside).  Therefore, the earth is flat!  The “tree” can also be seen from anywhere you stand upon the earth.

 

OK, you got me, I agree that the earth is flat, and I will ignore all of the other facts presented above.  However, spiritually understood, in this “dream” (Daniel, Chapter 4, verses 4-10 & 18 & 19), the “tree” represents a person, i.e., Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 4:20-22).  The “dream” is not teaching cosmology!!!  In fact, the Prophet Daniel interprets the dream (Dan. 4:19-27) for the king and tells him he is ruler over the entire earth now; but that will change.  Daniel then discusses how the earth is “flat.”  WAIT!  No, he doesn’t.  GOT YAH.  God is just teaching Nebuchadnezzar that his position of ruler of the earth is about to be humbled.

 

 

G) LET’S GET REAL

 

 

If the earth was a frisbee, then it would be dark all over the earth at once, or light all over the earth at once.  Plus, there would be no different seasons (Winter, Fall, Spring, Summer) if the earth was flat.  Or at least, all the seasons would be the same over the entire earth at the same time.  Thus, the Flat Earth Concept is Flat Wrong.

 

Sea water North of the Equator swirls clockwise; while sea water South of the Equator swirls counter-clockwise.  This cannot happen unless the earth is round.  Anyone building a bridge across more than 2 miles, with only two supporting pilers, knows he hast to build the two pilers out of parallel.  If he doesn’t the bridge will collapse.  How does he know this?  Because he knows that the earth is a sphere (curved).

 

How is it that people that have gone to the North Pole can see the North Star right above them, while people in Mexico can barely see the North star?  Meanwhile, people in the Southern Hemisphere cannot see the North Star at all.  How is that true?  Because the earth is not Flat.

 

A Pendulum is used all over the earth as a clock (except upon the equator), because it is known that the earth is spinning as a round sphere.  If the earth were Flat this form of timing would not work.  The shadow that the earth casts upon the moon during an Eclipse proves that the earth is round (but not necessarily a sphere).  But the shadow of the moon upon the earth is predictable where that shadow will cast itself, because the earth is known to be a sphere.  Or else no one would drive to (Portland, Oregon) a specific viewing point if scientists told them the moon was going to cast its shadow there (during an Eclipse).  Plus, the shadow of the earth should be oval shaped on the moon if it were Flat.