Session 7: The Flat Earth, Part 2
Note: This is a supplement to session 5
Addressing Claim #1
The claim: “When it comes to Biblical Cosmology, even the most astute literal Bible interpreter will go full metaphorical. So much for Biblical exegesis huh. Just can't get this Greco-Roman thought out of my system. Guess it has more to do with honesty and integrity." (YouTube comment, session 5)
The consideration: Let's examine Isaiah 40:22 -- the earth is a circle and God sits upon it.
Cross references:
In Job 22:14 God walks in the circuit of heaven.
In Proverbs 8:27 God used a compass when creating the earth.
Questions:
Is there any metaphorical speech in any of these three Scriptures and their contexts? See Isaiah 40:24, for example.
Is a sphere a form of a circle, and made up of circles? (check out Webster's 1828 dictionary!)
Does a circle have corners? (see Is. 11:12 and Rev. 7:1).
“up" when you are “down under?" The argument that “above" every person and that this is not allowed on a globe is to misrepresent “up" and “down." Note that Webster's 1828 says that “up" is “above the horizon" and “down" is “below the horizon."
Addressing Claim #2
“So when the bible explicitly states that the earth is 'at rest' 'still' and 'shall not be moved' you take that to mean that is NOT at rest, NOT still and DOES move? Psalm 104:5. The Bible states countless times that the earth is on a foundation. Why do you put something on a foundation? So it spins and orbits the neighborhood? NO, you put it on a foundation so that it absolutely will not budge!" (YouTube comment, session 5).
The consideration: Let's consider the foundation texts.
Psalm 104:5 (very similar in Job 38:4 and others) clearly speak of the earth on foundations.
Do we let Scripture interpret Scripture?
Psalm 104:8 translates the same Hebrew word and tense as thou hast founded. Shall we allow Scripture to interpret itself?
Psalm 24:2 says that the Lord founded the world upon the seas (see also Ps. 136:6).
Psalm 78:69 uses the same Hebrew word and tense and translates as the earth which he hath established.
Proverbs 3:19 uses the same Hebrew word and tense* *and says the Lord hath founded the earth.
From these, can a good case be built that the earth is on an immovable foundation?
What about Job 26:7, which says that God hangeth the earth upon nothing? Is the earth set on a foundation or hung on nothing? Or are these contextual illustrations of God's founding of the earth?
….
Because Flat Earth believers accept a premise of a physical foundation (in spite of“prove" that the earth is stationary.
A man named Eric Dubay“200 reasons the earth is not a spinning ball." But the argumentation is too weak to take seriously.
For example, he says, *“If Earth and its atmosphere were constantly spinning eastwards over 1000mph, then the average commercial airliner traveling 500mph should never be able to reach its Eastward destinations before they come speeding up from behind!*"
He fails to recognize that the atmosphere is also spinning eastward.
He also fails to recognize that speed is relative. If I walk 2 MPH on an airplane, my speed is relative to the airplane. But the airplane is going 500 MPH relative to the earth and the arrival time of the airplane will be affected by the movement of the earth relative to the axis.
Addressing Claim #3
“the surface of a bulk volume of water is ALWAYS perfectly flat and level. that alone is enough to prove flat earth. Not suggest or imply flat earth, but PROVE it." (YouTube Comment, Session 5).
The consideration: Water is not flat, it follows the curvature of the earth, moving toward the lowest point.
The calculation of this curvature is not as simple as drawing a straight line from a point on a globe. It requires the use of 1) the height from which the observer is viewing, 2) the height of the object observed, and, most difficult, 3) the curvature of light waves, which affect sight.
“line of sight."
