Does The Bible Say The Earth Is Flat?
Bob Schadewald is an interesting man who was dedicated to disproving many things concerning the Bible. He has a work which is entitled The Flat Earth Bible. Allow me to just state that as I read his work it was shocking to see the errors and gaps in thinking. His work aided in inspiring this blog post. It would help him if he knew how to read the Bible.
Does the Bible say the Earth is flat? Absolutely not and anyone who actually knows the Bible and interpreted it literally would agree. Bob’s problem reminds me of those who believe in Amillennialism in that a text is interpreted to prove an agenda rather than the contextual meaning with corroborating sources in other passages.
The method of interpretation of course will be dependent upon ones belief system therefore bias cannot be removed. Or can it? In Bob Schadewald’s work bias certainly was not removed and it can clearly be seen in his other works such as his attempt to disprove the Flood. Yet one topic at a time shall we?
Other writers have presented what Bob missed. Clearly there is a complete lack of understanding languages and its uses within Scripture. Ancient Hebrew is no joke and just because one has some understanding of science it certainly does not make one an expert in Etymology.
Laying aside the obvious laughable blunders such as citing non canonical books like Enoch, I will give you a breakdown of what those who like to call Christians flat earther’s refuse to admit or discuss. Bob certainly did not go here for it would disprove his theory.
A Look At The Book Of Job
I really do not understand why Bible scholars go to Genesis as their primary source for attempting to prove some points. Elements of the Creation story has been used in an attempt to prove that the Bible speaks to a round Earth via the use to Etymology.
I will admit that it does work and the proof is there. My problem is that it is a way to arrive at the conclusion that those who do not understand language find complicated.
There is an easier path. We turn to the book of Job. It is argued by many within the Fundamentalist community that Job is the oldest book of the Bible to be written. Some claim it predates that of Genesis but I disagree. Others hold to the story that Job is a pre Flood book but the writing of Job itself would prove these claims to be wrong.
The texts within Job I will use will serve two purposes. First it will prove Job as a post Flood book. Secondly it will show how ridiculous it is to claim that the Bible supports flat earth theory.
I will use different portions of Job for these purposes yet let’s start with dating the book more accurately. Job 38 is all we need to show that the book post dates the Flood.
28 Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?
29Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?
30The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.
Job 38:28-30
With that text we have sealed the fate preventing any claim to it being a pre Flood book. It is really that simple and a child who attends Sunday School can see it. This is why I do not understand why many Scholars make the claims they do.
Pre Flood there was no rain nor ice. In the Genesis record rain was something which was unique to the Flood itself and only began occurring on the Earth after that event. Furthermore ice only began to form after this period with the shifts within the Earth’s ecosystem.
Contextual Meaning Within Job
We must understand what is taking place within Job as we build evidence. Those who know the Bible clearly understand the story. Job is a mix of writing and while poetic it is also deeply spiritual. Laid within its pages are pictures of the Universe that people of that time should not have had if evolutionary theory is true.
Allow me to reinforce this principle. If evolution is real then it should not have been possible for the science which is found in Job to be there. The education for these concepts should not have existed for many years after this period. Mankind should have been flat earthers for lack of a better word. Those who do not believe the Bible need these people to be flat earthers.
Within Job you find passages where the man Job is most often listening to other people, and then also God. God will speak to Job at length concerning a deeper meaning but uses principles and facts from the Universe to prove His points to Job.
Part of meaning of the story is about God’s governance over all things including Job’s life. Here we gain pictures and insight to the knowledge of the time.
The pictures which God uses in explaining the way of things to Job are concepts which Job would recognize and understand. What is the purpose of using examples for an explanation if the one who receives the example cannot understand it? What God details to Job he clearly would recognize and know its literal meaning and intended deeper spiritual understanding.
Building Evidence In Job
Hold on I know what you are going to say. Those who accuse us of being flat earthers already use Job 38:5. Yes I know and it is absolutely hilarious. They jerk out a few lines and shove it in our faces while foaming at the mouth screaming “Can you see it? You are crazy!”. They then storm off like the mad hatter as if they proved something other than ignorance.
How is it they always seem to miss Job 26?
I will give two versions of this verse which we will then use in conjunction with others. First know that in this chapter 26 it is Job speaking so it is from his understanding and knowledge of the world at that time.
ESV 10 He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters at the boundary between light and darkness.
KJV 10 He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.
Job 26:10
Although this is poetic writing it is clear that Job understood the world was round, in fact a sphere. There is no other object within geometrical shapes that this could apply to.
When used in conjunction with with Job 38 including their claim to verse 5 we get deeper insight as both are speaking to the same thing. After this I will detail where we find this Sphere.
4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?
6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;
7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8 Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?
9 When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,
10 And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors,
11 And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?
12 Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place;
13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?
14 It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment.
Job 38:4-14
Verse 5 Claims To Flat Earth
First lets deal with this verse 5 claim to a line describing a flat earth. Can a line not exist on a sphere? If not we need to throw away our gps systems immediately so we do not get lost. The grid system for latitude and longitude are absolutely useless if this is true. This shows the level that people will go to in making claims that they hope others will swallow without question.
The claim holds no value so we move on.
Where Is The Sphere?
In using Job 26:10 we already have a basic definition for the sphere yet in Job 38:9 we begin to see further description. Quite simply you cannot create a garment for a flat object. It requires three dimensions. Some of us humans are more sphere like in body shape yet generally we are not a sphere. Yet a garment can be made to fit around our three dimensional body.
Clearly the firmament or atmosphere of the Earth is being used in poetry to describe what it does in encompassing the Earth. It wraps around the Earth. Logically with Job 26:10 this shape would be a sphere. It doesn’t require a great mind to see this yet requires many more mental loops in attempting to discredit this as they do.
Let’s add to this the idea of what a swaddlingband is. Here language becomes important. Swaddling clothes was used as a description in another famous passage concerning how Jesus was wrapped as a baby. Yet here a term swaddlingband is used.
It is a band. In other words the darkness is not all encompassing. It has an end. This end would be found on the horizon where a band is created. Light from the sun reflects on half the sphere of the Earth while darkness is on the opposite half. This creates the swaddlingband.
I’m sorry I just cannot help myself. I know I said I was just going to use Job but I love Isaiah so much. I mean seriously how can anyone not love the Messianic Prophet? It is just too perfect. Here his writing is like a slam dunk to this whole discussion.
22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
Isaiah 40:22
The tent is the atmosphere which surrounds the Earth as a curtain from outer space. I haven’t finished yet as Job 38:14 gives more insight. It is turned as clay to the seal is speaking to the very rotation of the Earth. Yes they knew the Earth rotated as a sphere. In case you want further proof we can continue.
In Job 38:32 God speaks of the Mazzaroth and Arcturus. The Mazzaroth is a great prophetic study by the way and you should check it out. It is the foundations to understand the stars. It holds huge implications in how the zodiac has perverted the Messianic story of our night sky.
Yet it is in verse 31 we find very deep meaning in “sweet influences of Pleiades”. In case the reader does not know Pleiades is a constellation. Whoever knows prophecy should know this significance. It is speaking to the sweet influence of the later 7 Churches represented in the candlesticks of John’s vision within Revelation. Hold on it gets even better we are almost there.
Job 26:7 He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.
Yes they knew the Earth was existing in space hanging on nothing. They knew the Earth rotated. Also they knew the stars with the Sun moved in the sky. Thus they could clearly deduce that this was the result of the Earths rotation. It is all there. This goes way beyond just knowing that the Earth is a sphere.
Four Corners Of The Earth
I need to get one thing out of the way quickly before continuing to something that really matters. Often the Scriptures our accusers cite speak to the four corners of the Earth or something similar. Why is it when it comes to literal things the world wants to be symbolic but when it comes to a metaphor they suddenly wish to become literal?
Let’s get serious for a moment. Am I to believe that people with degrees who supposedly received education in literature cannot recognize symbolism and metaphors? If they cannot see a metaphor then they need to have their degrees revoked.
Discussing this issue concerning these metaphors further is a waste of my time. I really do not believe that individuals with educations are that stupid but rather there is an agenda they pursue. There is no need to go further on Literature 101.
Views Through A Broken System
One of the major problems with claims about anything concerning the Bible is how they often wish to tie Christians to a Roman Church. What happened here? Did we just throw the Protestant Reformation into the trash bin of history? Or what about the Early Church being hijacked by Constantine to begin with in forming this beast of a Roman Church?
Guys it is no secret that the Roman Church in history was a major problem. We see that. Our ancestors lived through it. That is why we left them to begin with. You are not telling us something new.
They would burn people at the stake and then throw us into prison when we tried to read the Bible for ourselves. Later iterations of this False Church began to throw what would be the Pilgrims into prison. The Pilgrims then left! They came to the shores of the New World to be free.
With all of this why does the world keep trying to throw us into this same group? We are not the same nor will we ever be. This is either intentional in an attempt to make us look like idiots or a serious lack of education. I again refuse to believe that they are that stupid and this is rather agenda based.
The world clearly has no concept of where the Church came from or why it is where it is today. Using any historical references from a period of time where we were imprisoned, punished, or oppressed by this Roman Church does not help you. So please stop.
Deeper Meaning In Job
Within Job 38 God is giving Job a message. The message speaks to how Job cannot know the purposes for all God has intended. He cannot know the intricate details of how the universe was formed. The mention of concepts such as the Mazzaroth is speaking to how Job cannot know the full intent behind the salvation story in his time.
Further mentioning concepts such as the constellation Pleiades is speaking to a future fulfillment in purpose within the Church. In short God is saying to Job not only do you not know the foundations of the Universe but you do not know its purpose and why it was put here. God is revealing things that the man cannot fully comprehend in his time.
While Job did not sin God is reinforcing to trust Him. He is the authority of all things for all things were made by Him. As Paul later would state that we are not of this world. Rather we are pilgrims traveling through it. This the world will never understand for they cling to what they cannot have. Ultimately death comes for us all. One can cling with the tightest of grips but ultimately it will slip away.
While arguments are made against the Bible concerning flat earth and evolutionary concepts none of them have the complete solution. None of them can explain meaning beyond death. No matter how much they may try to deny it within them they know there is something there which they cannot explain.