Scripture Based Flat Earth Proposition

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GaryA

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No one is asking you to agree with the interpretation, but do you at least understand this information?
Do you understand this...

According to the Bible:

~ There is [exactly] one 'firmament'. (one expanse which is [called] the 'firmament')
~ There is water above the 'firmament'. (not in it but above it)
~ There is water below the 'firmament'. (not in it but below it)
~ The sun, moon, and stars are in the 'firmament'. (in the upper part of it)
~ The birds fly in the 'firmament'. (in the lower part of it)

If clouds were the water above the 'firmament', then the sun, moon, and stars would be below the clouds.

However, that is not what the Bible indicates. Rather, there is water above the sun, moon, and stars.
The thing to remember is that - before the land appeared - before there was anything else - when it was just/only water - the 'waters' were divided by/with the 'firmament' (or, 'expanse') in between the water above and water below - everything following was then placed in the 'firmament'.
Therefore, there is water above the sun, moon, and stars...
 

UnoiAmarah

Junior Member
Jul 28, 2017
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While one believes the earth is flat and another believes the earth is a globe, to quote Abraham Lincoln, If a man says he knows a thing, then he must show how he knows it." or as written in 1 Cor 8: 2 "And if any man think that he knows any thing, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know." Then if one says they know how the earth was made then they should know where all the kingdom upon the earth could be seen at same time as written in the gospel:

"And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time."
Luke 4:5

or
"Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;"
Matt 4:8-9

If one believes the earth is a globe then they must know that both sides of a globe cannot be seen at the same time. Of course those who believe in a flat earth know both sides of a globe can't be seen at the same time.

So if it isn't literally true that all the kingdoms on globe earth can be seen at one time from one place, then it is no better if all the kingdoms of the earth can't been seen on a flat earth either, So anyone disagree?
 
J

Jeraboo

Guest
Hello, I wonder sometimes how such things matter in relation to showing love; I also wonder how often an idea is formed and then the going to the bible is a matter of tyring to support a claim rather than understanding what the bible is trying to say;

If the bible is to be understood in it's context, Hebraic mindset and language and all (plus the other language factors), it'd be hard to look at it like a science book the way a more modern western culture views science. The bible is full of poetry, imagery and cultural impacts that when put in context of the ancient near eastern language and culture, paints a less modern world view; So to take modern science or more modern western cultural world views and try to work them backwards into the bible, just doesn't seem to make sense.

Being grateful that the shape of the land or the sky doesn't affect God's salvation plan, being mindful that discord and division however can affect the community, lots of bible verses on that. But for now, let's just consider that in Hebrew language, heaven = sky and earth = land, so reading it in Hebrew, its 'land and sky' and is a lot less impressive sounding as 'heaven and earth' which envokes our more modern view of starships flying around in space; But for now, again, taking a look at what the bible says in Hebrew and in their understanding can help, if one's interested, as well as gauging the impact of such topics like this against the true message of salvation :)
 

Sculpt

Well-known member
Apr 18, 2021
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While one believes the earth is flat and another believes the earth is a globe, to quote Abraham Lincoln, If a man says he knows a thing, then he must show how he knows it." or as written in 1 Cor 8: 2 "And if any man think that he knows any thing, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know." Then if one says they know how the earth was made then they should know where all the kingdom upon the earth could be seen at same time as written in the gospel:

"And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time."
Luke 4:5

or
"Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;"
Matt 4:8-9

If one believes the earth is a globe then they must know that both sides of a globe cannot be seen at the same time. Of course those who believe in a flat earth know both sides of a globe can't be seen at the same time.

So if it isn't literally true that all the kingdoms on globe earth can be seen at one time from one place, then it is no better if all the kingdoms of the earth can't been seen on a flat earth either, So anyone disagree?
Exactly. Using that verse on the issue is logically inappropriate. Even from a "high mountain" the human eye can only see a limited distance on earth... and the farther away it is, the less detail is possible. According to Guinness World Records the record distance of sight from earth surface to earth surface 275 miles, seeing a mountain range from a mountain range... a mere fraction of the earth surface. It's the sin of being "simple" to not understand there's many ways to see "all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them" besides the naked eye.
 

Sculpt

Well-known member
Apr 18, 2021
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362
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Hello, I wonder sometimes how such things matter in relation to showing love; I also wonder how often an idea is formed and then the going to the bible is a matter of tyring to support a claim rather than understanding what the bible is trying to say;

If the bible is to be understood in it's context, Hebraic mindset and language and all (plus the other language factors), it'd be hard to look at it like a science book the way a more modern western culture views science. The bible is full of poetry, imagery and cultural impacts that when put in context of the ancient near eastern language and culture, paints a less modern world view; So to take modern science or more modern western cultural world views and try to work them backwards into the bible, just doesn't seem to make sense.

Being grateful that the shape of the land or the sky doesn't affect God's salvation plan, being mindful that discord and division however can affect the community, lots of bible verses on that. But for now, let's just consider that in Hebrew language, heaven = sky and earth = land, so reading it in Hebrew, its 'land and sky' and is a lot less impressive sounding as 'heaven and earth' which envokes our more modern view of starships flying around in space; But for now, again, taking a look at what the bible says in Hebrew and in their understanding can help, if one's interested, as well as gauging the impact of such topics like this against the true message of salvation :)
Genesis 1 refers to the sun, moon and stars as being in heaven as well. But I get your point. The issue should not cause disharmony among christians. However, I believe there is an issue when someone presents falsehood in association with Christ. Observation of the stars motion prove the earth is spherical. One only need to make the time to gather and understand the easily accessible information, and then confirm the observations themselves.

Good place to start: Introductory Astronomy: Motions of the Stars (youtube.com) Web tool: Stellarium Web Online Star Map (stellarium-web.org)
 

UnoiAmarah

Junior Member
Jul 28, 2017
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Even from a "high mountain" the human eye can only see a limited distance on earth... and the farther away it is, the less detail is possible.

Well, while it is true that the human eye can only see horizontally at sea level for a limited distance, that is due to the curvature of the earth. However, the distance the human eye can see vertically, upwards, is a different story.

It's the sin of being "simple" to not understand there's many ways to see "all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them" besides the naked eye.
Using that argument then there can be many ways to see the shape of the earth as flat.

So are those who hold that the earth as being a globe considered 'simple' because they don't understand that there are many ways to see the 'world' as being flat without the seeing eye?

If the claim that the world is flat is false, then 'seeing' the as world as flat as being the truth would be a sign to myself that I was walking in darkness, not walking by faith. Or at least in my opinion Jesus himself is written as saying, " If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?" The same holds true for the claim that Jesus was shown all the kingdoms of the world at one place at one time.

The reason he could see all the kingdoms of the world at one time from one place originates from the process the earth evolved into a habitable garden. All one as to do is look at a globe to see why he would be able to see all the kingdoms of the world at one time.

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Sculpt

Well-known member
Apr 18, 2021
1,138
362
83

Well, while it is true that the human eye can only see horizontally at sea level for a limited distance, that is due to the curvature of the earth. However, the distance the human eye can see vertically, upwards, is a different story.



Using that argument then there can be many ways to see the shape of the earth as flat.

So are those who hold that the earth as being a globe considered 'simple' because they don't understand that there are many ways to see the 'world' as being flat without the seeing eye?

If the claim that the world is flat is false, then 'seeing' the as world as flat as being the truth would be a sign to myself that I was walking in darkness, not walking by faith. Or at least in my opinion Jesus himself is written as saying, " If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?" The same holds true for the claim that Jesus was shown all the kingdoms of the world at one place at one time.

The reason he could see all the kingdoms of the world at one time from one place originates from the process the earth evolved into a habitable garden. All one as to do is look at a globe to see why he would be able to see all the kingdoms of the world at one time.

Your post reminds me there's a lot to be said for being plain spoken.
 

Zandar

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May 16, 2023
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I don't know if this was posted yet but here it is.
 

Sculpt

Well-known member
Apr 18, 2021
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I don't know if this was posted yet but here it is.
Do you think he knows what he's saying is false? Is he a shyster trying to make money off the gullible? Or is he just willing to say what he thinks without having the integrity to verify it first?

In the first 3 mins he stated something that is factually incorrect, and anyone can verify it's incorrect themselves. At 2:12 he says, "all the other stars move in a perfect circle around the North Star". That is false. For a person viewing the night sky in the Southern Hemisphere the stars circle clockwise around the south celestial pole (a dim star named Sigma Octantis). In the Nothern Hemisphere the stars (appear to) circle counterclockwise around the north celestial pole (approximately the North Star named Polaris). This observation is only possible if the earth is a rotating sphere.

Zandar, are you unaware of this? Here's a good place to start: Introductory Astronomy: Motions of the Stars (youtube.com). Web tool: Stellarium Web Online Star Map (stellarium-web.org)

I'd also recommend to you this presentation from christian astronomer and physicists Dr. Danny R. Faulkner from Answers In Genesis who covers this subject and provides his own photos and time lapse photos from the night sky in both the USA and South Africa. Does The Bible Describe the Earth as Flat? (youtube.com)
 

GaryA

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Do you think he knows what he's saying is false? Is he a shyster trying to make money off the gullible? Or is he just willing to say what he thinks without having the integrity to verify it first?
Did you actually verify that the earth is a globe before making the claim that it is with absolute certainty?

Or, do you believe it just because it is what you were told, you like the idea, and the math seems to work?

How do/would you personally actually verify it without making any assumptions whatsoever based on what some 'authority' has told you?

Do you see how this issue really comes down to "what you believe" rather than "what you can prove" (since it cannot actually be verified)?
 

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
Aug 13, 2014
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Ironically this thread has been going in circles for pages and pages...
 

Susanna

Well-known member
Apr 14, 2023
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Galveston and Houston
Did you actually verify that the earth is a globe before making the claim that it is with absolute certainty?

Or, do you believe it just because it is what you were told, you like the idea, and the math seems to work?

How do/would you personally actually verify it without making any assumptions whatsoever based on what some 'authority' has told you?

Do you see how this issue really comes down to "what you believe" rather than "what you can prove" (since it cannot actually be verified)?
@GaryA, with you and me both being from Texas I know that the flatlands makes it easier to believe in the flat earth theory. However, in my younger days I used to be a pilot in the navy and I can assure you that the earth is a globe.
 

UnoiAmarah

Junior Member
Jul 28, 2017
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Did you actually verify that the earth is a globe before making the claim that it is with absolute certainty?
It is called 'faith', faith is what fills the gap between believing something is true and knowledge of the truth,

Faith is the reason for the expectation of the thing believed being true and the reason being the evidence of the thing hope for believed being true.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 1 Peter 3:15

Since he who comes to God must believe he is, it also requires them to believe he is a rewarder of those who seek him. Thus, there is no reward for simply believing. And without faith it is impossible to please the LORD.

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Heb 11:6