Does the Bible state that the Earth is flat?
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Despite contrary assertions, the fact of a spherical earth was clearly proclaimed in the Bible by the prophet Isaiah nearly twenty-eight centuries ago ... "It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers [etc.]" Isaiah 40:22 (NKJ). When Isaiah wrote this verse he used the Hebrew word "khug" to describe the shape of the earth. Although this word is commonly translated into the English word "circle," the literal meaning of this word is "a sphere."\n\n \nDid Bible writers believe the earth was flat?\n\nNo, this false idea is not taught in Scripture!\n\nSome Bible critics have claimed that Revelation 7:1 assumes a flat earth since the verse refers to angels standing at the "four corners" of the earth. Actually, the reference is to the cardinal directions: north, south, east, and west. Similar terminology is often used today when we speak of the sun's rising and setting, even though the earth, not the sun, is doing the moving. Bible writers used the "language of appearance," just as people always have. Without it, the intended message would be awkward at best and probably not understood clearly. [DD]\n\nIn the Old Testament, Job 26:7 explains that the earth is suspended in space, the obvious comparison being with the spherical sun and moon. [DD]\n\nA literal translation of Job 26:10 is "He described a circle upon the face of the waters, until the day and night come to an end." A spherical earth is also described in Isaiah 40:21-22 - "the circle of the earth."\n\nProverbs 8:27 also suggests a round earth by use of the word circle (e.g., New King James Bible and New American Standard Bible). If you are overlooking the ocean, the horizon appears as a circle. This circle on the horizon is described in Job 26:10. The circle on the face of the waters is one of the proofs that the Greeks used for a spherical earth. Yet here it is recorded in Job, ages before the Greeks discovered it. Job 26:10 indicates that where light terminates, darkness begins. This suggests day and night on a spherical globe. [JSM]\n\nThe Hebrew record is the oldest, because Job is one of the oldest books in the Bible. Historians generally [wrongly] credit the Greeks with being the first to suggest a spherical earth. In the sixth century B.C., Pythagoras suggested a spherical earth. [JSM]\n\nEratosthenes of Alexandria (circa 276 to 194 or 192 B.C.) calcuated the circumference of the earth "within 50 miles of the present estimate." [Encyclopedia Brittanica]\n\nThe Greeks also drew meridians and parallels. They identified such areas as the poles, equator, and tropics. This spherical earth concept did not prevail; the Romans drew the earth as a flat disk with oceans around it. [JSM]\n\nThe round shape of our planet was a conclusion easily drawn by watching ships disappear over the horizon and also by observing eclipse shadows, and we can assume that such information was well known to New Testament writers. Earth's spherical shape was, of course, also understood by Christopher Columbus. [DD]\n\nThe implication of a round earth is seen in the book of Luke, where Jesus described his return, Luke 17:31. Jesus said, "In that day," then in verse 34, "In that night." This is an allusion to light on one side of the globe and darkness on the other simultaneously. [JSM]
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it refers to the four corners of the earth, which is an expression we still use today.  the Bible also refers to the circle of the earth.  did you know that?
816024
The earth's shape is not define.But , Aryabhatta tells that the earth is round.
1063029
God didn't write the Bible. Men did, and at the time it was written, they thought the Earth was flat and that the Universe revolved around the Earth.
653069
The Earth is 4,570,000,000 years old, approximately; though many Creationists think it to be only 6000 "without proof otherwise" they are wrong: we have proven it using gravitational measurements of other planets, measurements of solar brightness over time, radioactive dating, continental drift, and many other factors. If you want to  force religion on people, don't do it in a SCIENCE forum! You will only cause heated debates and great offense from both sides.
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Actually, true Christians, who study the bible, not only can find logic, but scientific evidence in the Bible's teachings.\n\nFor instance, in the book of Leviticus, the Israelites were instructed to leave the camp and bury their excrement.  This was centuries before scientists truly found out what benefits proper sanitation brought.  They also were told to quarantine those who had leprosy, even before they knew what leprosy truly was or how it was spread.\n\nSecondly, the Bible gives scientific facts that were before their actually being proven in the scientific field.  Isa. 40:22 states that God dwells "above the circle of the Earth."  It wasn't until well past Jesus' life that scientists could agree that the earth was round, but under Godly inspration, such facts were put into writing.  Other examples in the Bible state that the Earth "Hangs above nothing" in space, and give an accurate description of even the water cycle, years and years before scientists even discovered it.\n\nLogic and reason are a solid basis for faith.  Hebrews 11:1 says that Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the EVIDENT DEMONSTRATIONS OF REALITIES though not beheld."  In other words, Faith is based on previous experiences known, but not beheld personally.  This is the whole reason Jesus performed miracles on earth.  To prove that in the future, he would be able to redo the same things.  These acts could help others to instill faith in him.\n\nThe Bible is not a science textbook, but is a book full of scientific examples and logical reasoning.
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Proverbs 8:26-27 & Isaiah 40:22 indicate the earth is a flat circle with the heavens above like a tent.  (Note: circle DOES NOT mean sphere...the hebrews had their own word for that).\n\nRevelations also refers to the "four corners" of the earth.\n\nLike pretty much every other ancient culture, the Hebrews thought the earth was flat, and incorporated that belief into their bible.  It doesn't make them dumb, just normal for that time.
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Hee Hee! Gravitology!  Does that mean you get to put a really flat fish on the bumper of your car?\n\nOh, to all the "believers" in the discussion, I don't think the bible says "and on the 2nd day, god created gravity and physics."  \n\nSince the bible didn't say it, its not christian dogma and therefore heresy, just like Galileo.  The church wanted to burn him, remember?
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God promised to preserve his Word, not the English language. He knew about the translations, and the annomalies that may arise.\n\nYou can bet the translations (not all of them), but a few of them, potray the message in a clear and concise manner.\n\nWhile the enemy may taint some avenues of the Gospel, the Lord will not allow them all to be corrupted.\n\nI posted this in another thread:\n\nThe Bible is made up of 66 books, written by 40 authors on 3 continents, using 3 languages, and penned over a 1600 year span of time, yet it uniquely fits together without contradiction, making up one volume we call, “The Bible”.\n\nCharles Spurgeon said, "This Bible is the anvil on which many a hammer of critics has been worn out." It has truly withstood every test and trial while remaining the undisputed bestseller of all time! Over 1/2 billion Bibles were printed in1997 alone!\n\nWhat makes the Bible so different from all other books? It's incredible accuracy both historically, scientifically, geographically, and prophetically.\n\nArcheological findings, have proven the Bible’s literal accuracy. The Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1947, substantiate the accuracy of the Old Testament scriptures written 2,500 to 3,500 years ago!\n\nThe Bible revealed many truths thousands of years ago long before they were discovered. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica; Volume 4 page 937 "Columbus discovered America by Bible prophecy rather than by astronomy." Columbus believed the Bible and convinced the Queen after reading to her the following scriptures:\n\nIsaiah 40:22 (about 800 B.C.)\n\n"It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth..."\n\nJob 26:7 (Almost certainly over 1,000 B.C.)\n\n"He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing."\n\nMan thought the earth was flat and perhaps sat on the back of a turtle, just 500 years ago, yet God revealed the earth's true Geography over 3,500 years ago, a circle that hangs on nothing.\n\nIncredible as it may sound, we probably killed our first president, George Washington, by bleeding him to death. A practice called blood letting, the cutting of ones wrist and removing life giving blood. If we had only read and believed God's word:\n\nLeviticus 17:11\n\n"For the life of the flesh is in the blood..."\n\nThere are hosts of incredible proofs like these throughout the Bible. The water cycle and evaporation process is revealed in Ecclesiastes 1:6-7 and Psalms 135. \n\nThe Bible is the only book that foretells the future with 100% accuracy. It foretold the birthplace of Jesus 700 years before He was born! (Micah 5:2), That He would be crucified over 500 years before this inhumane practice ever began! Details about Jesus’ crucifixion such as: His hands and feet would be pierced, His beard would be torn out, His garments would be gambled for, and that He would die between two thieves, and be buried in a rich mans tomb (Isaiah 53, Psalms 22). Jesus fulfilled 30 different prophecies in just one day. There were about 300 prophecies that foretold His first coming and over 500 that tell of His second coming.\n\nOne such prophecy was fulfilled and witnessed by millions of people alive today! On May 14th, 1948, three million Jews from all over the world speaking 85 different languages returned to a tiny piece of desolate desert land, that most had never seen. God foretold of this incredible event through His word over 2,500 years ago.\n\nJeremiah 30:3\n\n"For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it."\n\nEzekiel 36:24\n\n"For I will take you (Jews) from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land."\n\nZechariah 8:8\n\n"And I will bring them, and they shall dwe
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No scientific research has proven the Bible wrong.  Some might scoff at this statement but what science has proven wrong is false beliefs held by some within the church,  beliefs that were not found in the Bible (i.e. the flat earth).  There is past and recent archaeological research that supports the historical accounts in Exodus and other books of the Bible.  Below are two sources for further information.
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Yes, its true here's proof\n\n 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.\n\n 2 Now the earth was [a] formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.\n\n 3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.\n\n 6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.\n\n 9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.\n\n 11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.\n\n 14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.\n\n 20 And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.\n\n 24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.\n\n 26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, [b] and over all the creatures that move along the ground."\n\n 27 So God created man in his own image,\n       in the image of God he created him;\n       male and female he created them. \n\n\n\n< then we would find them as solid Rocks?>\nWe'll still have to find out.
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According to the Word of God, Adamic mankind has been in existance, in this World as we know it, for about 6000 years.\n\nIt also says that a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as a day, with the Lord.\n\nSo no one knows how old the earth is. It could be millions of years old. It could also be a little more than 6 thousand.\n\nJOB 38:4\n   4    Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.\n   5    Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?\n   6    Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;\n   7    When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?\n\nTo know more, go here...\nhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/bibletruths_forbelievers/
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No, I'm Not. but, here's an interesting theory as to their Guidance System to Find Earth; The Pyramids of the Eastern [Egypt] Hemisphere, and of the Western [Mexico , Central America] Hemisphere are Aligned in Such a Way, and Constructed of the Proper Materials that the Energy of the Earth's Magnetic Poles are Naturally Focused Upon the Pyramid Structures. The Claim is that the Earth Resonates at an Inaudible Frequency of 8 Hz. That, combined with the Polar Magnetic Energy Focused onto all of the Earth's Pyramids Generates a Beam of Energy which can be Detected Far Out into Space, well Beyond Our Solar System. NASA Supposedly has Proof of this from Voyager I and II , which are both beyond our Solar System. Supposedly there is also Proof that if the Pyramids had been only a Few Miles Apart from where they were Built, and not Made of the Same Materials of which they were Built, they would not be able to Emit an Energy Field that can be Detected, Perhaps Light Years beyond Earth! If that's all a Coincidence, along with the Prehistoric Drawings of Space Vehicles found on the Walls of Caves in France, then so be it. Also, Read the Bible, "Ezekiel saw the Wheel, way in the middle of the Air"
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I think it's small-minded of us to assume that God made this huge universe and only put life on one planet. Just because the Bible doesn't mention it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. The Bible is supposed to be God's story one Earth...maybe other planets have their own Bibles. The only certian thing is that there is one God, one Jesus the savior of all people, and one Holy Spirit, who continues to work in us to this day. God is God, He can do whatever he wants, including making life on other planets.
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The Bible doesn't specifically say. Some people have added up the ages of all the people and come to the conclusion that the earth is not very old. This assumes that every person who was said to have begotten another was the immediate preceding generation; when it could have meant 'the ancestor of'. \n\nThere could also have been a long gap between when God created the heavens and when He created the Earth. We are told that there was war in Heaven (Revelation) and that Satan was cast out of Heaven. Considering that Satan thought he had a chance against God, that must have been some fight. \n\nThe first description of Earth is that Earth was without form and void. How did it get that way? I figure that God had already begun to work but Satan tried to wreck everything. Then when God got back to work, things were not 'perfect', but He looked at everything that he had made and they were still 'very good', i.e., they could be salvaged. He didn't see the need to tear everything down and start from scratch.\n\nI don't have a problem with the universe being old or young. My eternal destiny doesn't hang on that. What bothers me is that people cling to such flimsy excuses for not believing in an all powerful, all wise, loving Creator, Who came in person to die for us and redeem us. I hope you won't let yorself be distracted from getting to know God by matters like this. They doesn't prove anything one way or the other.
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Yes, definitely.\n\nThe Bible is an important book for the roots of morality in the West, and Jesus was a really great man with an important message; but Genesis is just absurd.  If the world is only ~6,000 years old, why can we see stars millions of lightyears away?  Why would God deceive us?  Why are there no placental mammals in Australia and no marsupials in Eurasia or Africa is Noah dropped off all the animals on Mt Ararat?  It doesn't amek any sense at all.\n\nNote to elfhild:  There is no proof that hemoglobin carries oxygen in blood, that smoking causes cancer, that DNA carries the genetic code, or that the sun doesn't orbit the earth.  There's merely a whole bunch of evidence--but proof only exists in math.  And there's likewise a great deal of evidence for evolution.\n\nConversely, there is no proof of ID, and there never will be.  Worse yet, it is not a falsifiable theory, so no matter how wrong it might be, you could never know it.  Darwin's theory is falsifiable, but it has not yet been falsified.  That's what gives it credibility.
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Copernicus, though Galilaeus claimed it is flat