(Don’t worry, I haven’t gone crazy! This article was posted as an April Fool’s Day joke, so grab a snack and enjoy some weird theology.)
It’s historical fact that the Bible and the culture around it rarely get along. As morals fail, the Bible stands firm. As the church makes compromises, the Bible remains uncompromised. And today, Christians face the decision of whether they will let secular science give us truth, or whether we will submit to what is clearly taught in the Bible.
Specifically, many Christians are letting atheists fool them into believing the Earth is a sphere, despite what’s clearly taught in the Bible. Let’s look at a few reasons why Christians should reject this kind of thinking.
Why trust the Bible for science?
seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. (2 Peter 1:3)
It’s important for us to remember that the Bible isn’t just a book of good ideas, but the inspired word of God. Through it, He has given us everything we need to not only live a life that pleases Him, but it also gives us everything we need to understand life itself. And since science is a functional part of our lives, we are clearly meant to use the Bible to understand the world that God has created.
There are some who would say that the Bible was never meant to be a science textbook. However, those are often the same Christians who believe the creation account in Genesis 1. If we’re going to be consistent in our interpretation, then we need to decide whether the Bible tells the truth or is just open to whatever interpretation we want to give it.
For now, let’s just assume we want to believe that the Bible is true. When we do that, we can get a much better understanding of what God shows us about how the Earth is made. This won’t be an exhaustive explanation, but we can look at a few places where even God Himself refers to this planet as something that must be flat.
The Earth has corners
After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. (Revelation 7:1)
If ever the Bible was clear about something, having John literally describe the Earth’s shape should remove all doubt about it being a sphere. After all, basic math tells us that the defining feature of a sphere is that they don’t have corners, let alone four of them. Fortunately, we have even more evidence to help reinforce the idea that the Biblical writers understood the Earth’s shape.
And He will lift up a standard for the nations and assemble the banished ones of Israel, and will gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. (Isaiah 11:12)
Again, four corners.
It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. (Isaiah 40:22)
Although not explicitly saying the Earth is a square, tents were often square in shape. Thus by comparing the skies to a tent covering the Earth, we can assume that this would agree with the previous verses.
The Earth is stationary
An important argument for atheists is that a spherical Earth is spinning through space, always moving through the universe. That’s the theory, but let’s see what God says:
Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.” (Psalm 96:10)
Tremble before Him, all the earth; indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. (1 Chronicles 16:30)
He stretches out the north over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing. (Job 26:7)
This small sampling shows that this planet is fixed in place. It’s fimly established, and by God’s decree it is immovable. No matter what God’s enemies say, no matter how many videos they fabricate to prove their point, the reality is that it’s simply impossible for the Earth to be moving through space because God has set it in place.
The earth is built like a house
Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, (Job 38:4)
One of the most amazing things about the book of Job is that we get incredible insight into how God works. He reveals an amazing amount of detail about the world that people in that day would have no way of knowing. He talks about massive creatures called Behemoth and Leviathan, both of which are like little poodles on God’s leash. And in God revealing the reality of who He is, He tells us more about the Earth’s creation.
As Christ reminds us, it’s important to build a house on a foundation. This is a solid support, often set in the ground, that stabilizes the building above it. God, the creator of the universe, used this same idea when He created the Earth.
… For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and He set the world on them. (1 Samual 2:8b)
Although we don’t yet have the technology required to go into space (at least not without some Hollywood magic), when we reach that day we will be left in awe of God’s power. Iif we were able to fly beyond the edge of the earth and look underneath, we would see God’s incredible handiwork in how He’s set the world on a series of supports. We’ll see this foundation that God Himself tells us He laid.
The earth is round if the Bible is false
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)
As followers of Jesus Christ, we need to be very careful with how we treat the Bible. We can’t cast it aside willy-nilly because some other argument sounds good to us. We don’t want to be the children Paul warns against in Ephesians 4:14, being tossed around by the “trickery of men.”
Regardless of what a fallen culture says, we must stand firmly on the truth of God’s word. The Bible, not the opinions of scientists, is our source of truth. What we believe about the shape of the world can either be obedient to God, or obedient to His enemies.
Final thoughts
If you actually made it through this, congratulations! Let me wish you a happy April Fools Day and remind you to be extra cautious about whatever you read online today. I’ve been looking forward to writing this article for a long time, but actually doing it was probably twice as painful for me to write as it was for you to read. And with how much suffering you just went through, you can only imagine how much I winced in pain as I wrote each word.
If you enjoyed this complete disregard for seriousness and good Bible interpretation, I hope you’ll consider supporting me every month by clicking the orange button below and give as little as $1 every month. This ministry exists to equip Christians like you to understand and defend their faith. To get a taste of how I actually do that, check out my article and podcast on how to read (and understand) the Bible and see if you can spot all the ways I went wrong in this article (hint: there are a lot).
