Is The Earth Flat or a Sphere?

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What Do The Scriptures Reveal About The Shape of The Earth?

As we are all well aware, the concept of the sun rotating in the sky above the flat earth (geocentric) has been being discussed in our fellowship via the messages contained in several videos, which many of us have seen. The makers of those videos are very persuasive. The heliocentric (sun as the center with earth rotating around it) school of thought is also very persuasive, and Romans 1:20 is being used by both sides of this discussion. I have told several brothers that I would take the time to see what the scriptures have to say on this subject:

Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

It would be completely negligent of the leadership of our fellowship to fail to address this topic and just leave the Lord’s flock without scriptural direction concerning how Romans 1:20 is to be applied in this discussion.

The Lord has worked the introduction of this subject among us to try us and to show us whether we will place His Word above our own understanding.

Pro 3:5  Trust in the [Word of the] LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

This verse, and the other verses we will be discussing concerning how we are to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, will keep us united and “of the same mind and the same judgment”.

1Co 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

I do hope this study of what the scriptures say on this subject will serve to help us all to speak the same thing by simply not “leaning to our own understanding” and by not ‘thinking above that which is written’.

1Co 4:6  Now these things, brothers, I applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us ye might learn not to think above that which is written, so that ye may not be puffed up, one over the one against the other.

Since I have been asked by several people what the scriptures have to say about the shape of the earth, and since I simply cannot write to each of you individually, I am writing this paper. It is my goal to simply use the scriptures, lean not to my own understanding, and not think above what is written. I am doing this only after speaking with our leaders and getting their input. That is a very important point to make in light of these verses of scripture which, hopefully, we all want to obey when we come into the house of God with any questions.

Ecc 5:1  Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.
Ecc 5:2  Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

Heb 13:17 Be persuaded by your leaders, and be deferring to them, for they are vigilant for the sake of your souls, as having to render an account, that they may be doing this with joy, and not with groaning, for this is disadvantageous for you.

It is because I want only to be “vigilant for the sake of your souls” that I am taking the time to write this study. We never want to come to the body of Christ with an idol of our heart (Eze 14:1-9) and with our minds already made up. If we do, we will be sure to find plenty of ‘evidence’ which will bolster the idol of our heart, and that is what God will give us for our answer.

The scriptures speak of “science falsely so-called” (1Ti 6:20), and the “big bang” theory is just that. That absurd theory declares that something came out of nothing. Then for some unexplained reason, that something which came out of nothing exploded, and given enough “billions of years”, we have the earth, all of its life forms and the universe as we now see it. Such utter foolishness is indeed “science falsely so-called”. But it does not necessarily follow that if those who believe in ‘the big bang’ also believe in a heliocentric solar system, therefore a heliocentric solar system is a product of the false big bang theory. The fact is, the concept of a heliocentric solar system was around thousands of years before the foolish and false concept of a ‘big bang’. So videos produced by men who believe in eternal torment are just as unreliable as a source of Truth as are videos produced by Godless scientists who believe in a ‘big bang’ as the explanation of how our earth came into existence with life on it as we see it today.  In this article we will, Lord willing, stick only to what the scriptures tell about how “the invisible things of God” are revealed to us by “the things that are made”, and we will “let God be true and every man be a liar” (Rom 3:4).

We want to live by and implement these verses in all we say and do:

Php 2:14  Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
Php 2:15  That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; 
Php 2:16  Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

I am very happy and relieved to be able to tell you that, by the grace of God, this discussion has not created a rift within the body of Christ for the simple reason that we all agree that God has given us His Word, which we all agree is the final authority in all things, and He has also given us leaders whom He has placed in that position to “hold forth the word of life” and to give us the Lord’s word concerning any subject that arises. The adversary would just love to divide us in any way he can, but as long as we place the Word of God ahead of our own understanding, the adversary will be vanquished, and we will remain a united and loving body of believers, who are a single body with many members all seeking only to know what is the mind of God concerning this or any issue.

I think the way Hebrews 13:17 is worded is a very important verse for us from which to learn.

Heb 13:17 Be persuaded by your leaders, and be deferring to them, for they are vigilant for the sake of your souls, as having to render an account, that they may be doing this with joy, and not with groaning, for this is disadvantageous for you. (CLV)

In saying “and be deferring to them” the scriptures allow us to take the time that is needed to “defer [to our] leaders” and to remain unified with His body while we are in the process of being persuaded by our leaders. It is simply not humanly possible to be converted at the drop of a hat. It takes time to “search the scriptures” and to come to see what is the Truth of the Word of God. But that is what we must all be seeking. All any of us should be asking is, “What is the Truth of the scriptures?” and not even consider the doctrines of men when they contradict “that which is written”.

Joh 5:39  Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

As “good shepherd[s]” of the Lord’s flock, we are required to be willing to lay down our very lives as overseers of the Lord’s flock and not turn and run when we see danger coming toward the Lord’s flock.  As I mentioned earlier I have spoken to every one of our leaders, and not one elder with whom I have spoken has been persuaded by the videos purporting to use scripture to convince us that God has created a flat earth over which the sun, moon, and stars rotate.

Joh 10:11  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Joh 10:12  But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
Joh 10:13  The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

As overseers of the Lord’s flock, we want only to point out to everyone exactly what the scriptures tell us about the lessons to be learned from “the things that are made”, including the creation of the earth beneath our feet, and what the scriptures, and “the things that are made” teach us about “the invisible things of God”.

Act 20:28  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

A “good shepherd” does not “leave the sheep”. A good shepherd confronts the wolf and lays down his life for the Lord’s flock.

Here is Romans 1:20 again:

Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

I simply must be very clear that the teaching that the earth is flat and stationary has never been believed by the body of Christ as a whole, but the Lord has given us this discussion to make us look more closely at His Word and learn in more depth about “the invisible things of God, even His eternal power and Godhead”.  So the outcome of this exercise, Lord willing, will be just the opposite of what the adversary wants, as every trial we have yet endured has proven. When the trial comes, it is a true test to show us whether we will put the Word of God above our own understanding, and whether we are willing to submit our own understanding to Him and His Words and not think above that which is written.

We are commanded that “Ye that are strong” (Rom 15:1) are not to permit disputing over teachings which are already established, and while this teaching has never even been a question before, it has now been revealed that it is a question in the minds of some of us. We cannot just ignore our differences and just hope for the best. The shape of this earth, and whether it is rotating, is a question which demands to be addressed with nothing but the Word of God. It does not serve the body of Christ well to have some of us believing that the leaders of our fellowship are believing in and teaching things that are not true. Such a spirit and such a doctrine can do nothing but divide us and tear us apart if we allow it to go unanswered.

Once again, Proverbs 3:5 is what we are told to do with every question or trial the Lord brings us into. But let’s read verse 6-7 also:

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Pro 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Pro 3:7  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

If we are given by God to acknowledge Him in all our ways, He tells us “He shall direct [our] paths”. So let’s examine this subject of the shape of the earth from a perspective which acknowledges the word and mind of God, independent of the reasonings and understanding of any man or any men, and “let God be true, but every man a liar” (Rom 3:4).

Something I have learned that I did not know before this all came up is that the doctrine of a flat earth is not something the whole world believed in for “four thousand years” as one video producer declared. The truth is that the earth was believed to be a sphere by the ancient Greeks. Many of their writings reveal that a spherical earth was taken for granted, and was being taught in their schools as early as 500 B.C. That does not prove the earth is a sphere, and that is not my reason for believing that the earth is a sphere, but what it does prove is that any claim that the ancient world believed in a flat earth until the big bang theory came along simply is not true. [Dicks, D.R. (1970). Early Greek Astronomy to Aristotle. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press. pp. 72–198. ISBN 978-0-8014-0561-7.; Cormack, Lesley B. (2015), “That before Columbus, geographers and other educated people thought the Earth was flat”, in Numbers, Ronald L.; Kampourakis, Kostas (eds.), Newton’s Apple and Other Myths about Science, Harvard University Press, pp. 16–22, ISBN 9780674915473]

So what does the Bible say about the shape of the earth? As always we are not going to find a single verse of scripture which says, ‘The earth is not flat, it is rather a sphere which is rotating on its axis’. Instead, as is always the case, the truth is to be found in the sum of God’s Word (Psa 119:160-ASV), “line upon line, here a little and there a little (Isa 28:9-10). So that is what, Lord willing, I want to do in this paper simply because it is essential to our unity that we all be “of the same mind” within the body of Christ, especially when it concerns how “the invisible things of God” are reflected in the things that are made” (1Co 1:10 and Rom 1:20).

Seven places in scripture which indicate the earth is a sphere

Here are the verses we will be discussing which indicate that God created the earth in “a garment” which He calls “a swaddlingband of thick clouds, that He holds it all in His fist, and refers to the earth as the eggs of a hen:

Job 38:4  Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
Job 38:5  Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?
Job 38:6  Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;
Job 38:7  When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Job 38:8  Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? [A womb is certainly not flat, and a womb brings forth a creature which reflects the appearance of it parents]
Job 38:9  When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,

Psa 104:5  Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.
Psa 104:6  Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains. [A garment surrounds what it is covering.]

Pro 30:4  Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?

Isa 10:14  And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.

Isa 40:22  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:

Eze 1:4  And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

2Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2Pe 3:11  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
2Pe 3:12  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
2Pe 3:13  Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

The definition of the word ‘night’

I will begin with what I learned about the meaning of the Hebrew word for ‘night’ in an e-mail exchange I had with a brother recently. I thought it was so significant that I shared it with the entire body e-mail list, and I must include the meaning of the word ‘night’ here in this paper on what the scriptures reveal concerning the shape of the earth, and whether the earth is rotating on its axis.

Here is Strong’s entry for the Hebrew word translated with the English word, ‘night’:

H3915
לַיְלָה  לֵיל  לַיִל
layil  lêyl  layelâh
lah’-yil, lale, lah’-yel-aw

From the same as H3883; properly a twist (away of the light), that is, night; figuratively adversity: – ([mid-]) night (season).

Here is where this word first appears in scripture:

Gen 1:5  And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

The fact that the word ‘night’ is defined as “a twist away of the light” indicates that it is the earth doing the twisting away from the light. That is a spiritual truth which we will not receive if we believe in the flat earth doctrine with the sun twisting away from certain parts of the earth, as it passes over a stationary earth, shining down on the earth like a flashlight instead of shining as the sun in its full strength.

This contribution to the subject is very much appreciated:

This is what we learn about our own spiritual experience if we believe in an earth that turns away from the light:

Num 14:43  For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you.
Job 24:13  They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof.

What about all those verses which seem to say the earth is not moving?

Upon closer examination we discover there is not a single verse of scripture which states in any straightforward way “the earth is not moving”. Yet that is exactly the point which was made in every video which quoted any scriptures and which were sent to me for my consideration. I also saw that being done in several other videos which I watched besides the ones which were sent to me. When they invoked scripture at all, they always pointed to verses which appear to the eyes of a person who wants to believe that the earth is stationary, to state ‘the earth shall be stable, that it be not moved’. But that is not what the verse they point to says at all.  Indeed that is only what that verse appears to say when we are not careful to look closely at what it actually says. What it says is “the world shall be stable that it be not moved”.

One brother asked me:

The answer to that brother’s question is that all of those verses should be perceived Biblically according to what they actually say, and not according to “[our] own understanding”. The fact is that not one of these verses in any way declares that the earth is not a sphere rotating on its axis. Rather every one of those four verses are simply contrasting “the world” with those who fear God.  Not once in any of those verses are we told that “the earth” is not rotating on its axis. What all of those verses are telling us is that the earth is simply a type of those who will not be “removed” from their sinful, rebellious lives,

Let’s examine the context of Psa 104:5, the last verse this brother quoted, and see what the surrounding verses reveal to us about “the invisible things of God”, which are to be understood by “the things that are made” (Rom 1:20):

Psa 104:1  Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
Psa 104:2  Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
Psa 104:3  Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:  Psa 104:4  Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:
Psa 104:5  Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed [Hebrew: motH4131, to waver or slip] for ever.
Psa 104:6  Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.

To properly understand what Psa 104:5 is telling us about the earth, here is Strong’s definition of the Hebrew word translated as ‘removed’ in that verse:

H4131
מוֹט
môṭ
mote’

A primitive root; to waver; by implication to slip, shake, fall: – be carried, cast, be out of course, be fallen in decay, X exceedingly, fall (-ing down), be (re-) moved, be ready shake, slide, slip.

As we will see shortly, that Hebrew word ‘mot‘ has nothing whatsover to do with whether the earth is rotating on an axis.

If we believe in an earth that is flat, how are we to understand that the invisible God is “clothed with honor and majesty”? His honor and majesty is not shining out in just one direction under or within a canopy. We are told that God “covers Himself with light as a garment“, and clothes and garments wrap all the way around us. If this physical creation is supposed to reveal to us the invisible things of God, then the light with which God ‘covers Himself as with a garment’ must wrap all the way around Him, shining “as the sun in its full strength” in every direction, including “length and the breadth and the height” (Rev 21:16).

Psalms 104:5 tells us that God “laid the foundations of the earth that it should not be removed for ever.” ‘Moved’ and “removed” are not the same thing at all, but what we need to understand is that this verse has nothing at all to say about whether the earth is a moving planet rotating on its axis. But if “the things that are made” are a reflection of spiritual truths, then the truth is that God’s throne is likened to a ‘whirlwind’ which definitely is rotating and whirling (Eze 1:2-5).

The Hebrew words translated “for ever” in Psalms 104:5 are “<>olawm ad”, meaning until the end, “the terminus [of] the age”. What Psalms 104:5 is telling us is simply that God has laid the foundations of a sinful world which will remain in that sinful state until the eons are all expired and this physical earth has served His purpose.

Now let’s take a closer look at what is really being said in:

1Ch 16:30  Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved [Hebrew: ‘mot‘H4131].

That verse simply does not say ‘the earth is stable’. What it does say is “the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved”.  Again the Hebrew word, ‘tebel‘H8398, translated as ‘the world’ has nothing to do with whether the planet is revolving on its axis. Rather, it is speaking of the same intransigence (stubbornness, inflexibility) of mankind in “the habitable parts of the earth”, as this verse demonstrates:

Pro 8:31  Rejoicing in the habitable part [tebelH8398] of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.

Tebel is the same Hebrew word translated as ‘world’ in 1Ch 16:30. Neither ‘tebel‘H8398, nor the Hebrew word ‘mot‘ or ‘mwot‘H4131, the word translated as ‘moved’, has anything to do with physical motion.

Psa 15:5  He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He [the righteous] that doeth these things shall never be movedH4131.

I cannot express the Biblical meaning of this Hebrew word ‘mot‘, or ‘mwot‘H4131, translated as ‘move’, any better than one of our brothers who addressed this subject in an earlier discussion where he wrote this to all of us:

It is also very instructive to note that the Hebrew word translated as ‘stable’ in 1Ch 16:30 is much more accurately translated as ‘prepared’ instead of ‘stable’. We will see that very clearly below.

The fact is, that there are several verses of scripture which state plainly that the earth will be moved:

Psa 99:1  The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.

The shape of the throne of God

The “mercy seat” where Christ “sits between the cherubim” typifies the throne of God. So let’s look more closely at the shape of this throne, which we should expect the shape of this earth would also reflect:

Eze 1:4  And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.
Eze 1:5  Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

Everything mentioned in that description of the heavenly realm, a spherical whirlwind, clouds, which we are told are a swaddlingband to the earth, and “a fire enfolding itself”, all of this is consistent with a rotating earth. If a whirlwind is used to describe “the invisible things of God”, then a rotating earth is much more in line with a whirlwind and “a fire enfolding itself”.

Our earth will at its appointed time “be moved”, and it will even be destroyed by the brightness of His coming” (2Th 2:8)

Isa 24:19  The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.

Jer 49:21  The earth is moved at the noise of their fall, at the cry the noise thereof was heard in the Red sea.

Jer 50:46  At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.

There it is! An earth that “is moved” is obviously right there in the scriptures, but just like all the verses which say the earth shall not be moved, both statements are figurative language which is speaking only of the changes that take place within us, in “the habitable parts of the earth”.

To make that even clearer, Christ addresses us as “earth, earth, earth…”:

Jer 22:29  O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.
Jer 22:30  Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.

So when we read “the world… be not moved”:

1Ch 16:30  Fear before him, all the earth: the world[tebelH8398, “the habitable parts of the earth”] also shall be stable, that it be not moved.

As we just demonstrated, there are many scriptures stating that the earth is moved at the Lord’s presence because of His wrath, and there are also verses stating the earth shall not be moved. But as we have also demonstrated, all of this is figurative language describing what God is doing “to the sons of men” (Psa 107:15, 21, 31), and it has nothing at all to do with the physical planet the scriptures call ‘the earth’. The same is true when we read, “the world also shall be stable [Hebrew: kunH3559], that it be not moved”. Whether we read “the world… be not moved”, or “the earth is moved”, neither statement has anything at all to do with whether the physical earth is turning on its axis. As we will see, the Hebrew word translated as ‘stable’ in 1Ch 16:30 is much more accurately translated as ‘prepared’.

Here is Strong’s definition:

H3559
כּוּן
kûn
koon

A primitive root; properly to be erect (that is, stand perpendicular);. hence (causatively) to set up, in a great variety of applications, whether literal (establish, fix, prepare, apply), or figurative (appoint, render sure, proper or prosperous): – certain (-ty), confirm, direct, faithfulness, fashion, fasten, firm, be fitted, be fixed, frame, be meet, ordain, order, perfect, (make) preparation, prepare (self), provide, make provision, (be, make) ready, right, set (aright, fast, forth), be stable, (e-) stablish, stand, tarry, X very deed.

Here is how it is translated in the King James’ version:

Psa 103:19  The LORD hath prepared [kunH3559 – Same word translated as ‘stable’ in 1Ch 16:30] his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

Psa 147:8  Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth [kunH3559 – Same word translated as ‘stable’ in 1Ch 16:30] rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.

This word ‘kun‘ appears 234 times in the Old Testament, and by far the most common way of translating this Hebrew word ‘kun‘ is ‘prepare’. The only time it is ever translated as ‘stable’ is in this one verse here in 1Ch 16:30. Once again,  whether it is a moving earth or a stationary earth is not even under consideration.

Pro 8:31  Rejoicing in the habitable part [‘teble‘H8398] of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.

For the sake of seeing what is really being told us let’s put the true meaning of all three words in brackets in:

1Ch 16:30  Fear before him, all the earth: the world [tebelH8398, “the habitable parts of the earth”] also shall be stable [kunH3559 – prepared], that it be not moved [mwotH4131 or mot, to waver].

Contrast 1Ch 16:30 with this verse which says “the earth is moved exceedingly”:

Isa 24:19  The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.

Is scripture contradicting itself? No, not at all. What these verses demonstrate for us is that “there is a season and a time… to every thing”:

Ecc 3:1  To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: [A time for the earth to not be moved and a time for the earth to be moved]
Ecc 3:2  A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

The earth is covered with thick clouds as a swaddlingband

Job 38:4  Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
Job 38:5  Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?
Job 38:6  Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;
Job 38:7  When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Job 38:8  Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?
Job 38:9  When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,

Here we are told that Christ made the cloud the garment of the earth, and He goes on to call the thick darkness a swaddlingband which extended all the way around the earth as swaddling clothes extend all the way around an infant and as garments extend all the way around anyone. In referring to the seas which originally covered the entire surface of the earth.

Christ tells us the seas came forth “as of it had issued out of the womb”. Using the Rom 1:20 principle, that statement is yet another indication that the earth is a sphere since a womb always produces a creature which resembles the creature carrying that womb.

This concept of ‘swaddling’ is mentioned in two other places in scripture. The first is:

Eze 16:4  And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.

What is needed when an unswaddled infant is found in an open field? This is what God did to Israel:

Eze 16:10  I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about [chabashH2280] with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.

Israel was clothed and girded about with fine linen and silk. Again clothing does just that. Clothing ‘girds about’ that which it covers.

The other mention of swaddling is at the birth of Christ:

Luk 2:7  And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Again we see that anything that is swaddled is “wrapped” all the way around, just as Christ tells us He placed the earth in the swaddlingband of clouds when He created it.

Wherever we see God referring to the earth, He does so in words which indicate that it is a sphere. This is how God himself refers to the shape of the earth:

Job 38:9  When I made the cloud the garment [lebushH38208] thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband.

A ‘garment’, a ‘lebush’, wraps all the way around our bodies, just as swaddling clothes wrap up and “gird… about” an infant.

Eze 16:10  I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about [chabashH2280] with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.

Eze 16:4  And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.

It is important to know that Hebrew word ‘chabash‘, translated as “girded thee about” in Eze 16:10, is translated 13 times as ‘saddle’ or ‘saddled’. It is also translated as ‘girded’ and as ‘wrapped’. Clearly this word denotes something that goes all the way around a body.

H2280
חבשׁ
châbash
Total KJV Occurrences: 33
saddled, 10 Gen_22:3, Num_22:21, Jdg_19:10, 2Sa_16:1, 2Sa_17:23, 1Ki_2:40, 1Ki_13:13, 1Ki_13:23, 1Ki_13:27, 2Ki_4:24
bind, 6 Job_40:13, Isa_61:1, Eze_24:17, Eze_30:21, Eze_34:16, Hos_6:1
bindeth, 4 Job_5:18, Job_28:11, Psa_147:3, Isa_30:26
bound, 4 Isa_1:6, Eze_27:24, Eze_30:21, Eze_34:4
saddle, 3 2Sa_19:26, 1Ki_13:13, 1Ki_13:27
put, 2 Exo_29:9, Lev_8:13
girded, 1 Eze_16:10
govern, 1 Job_34:17
healer, 1 Isa_3:7
wrapped, 1 Jon_2:5

That is what God told Job in chapter 38 He did to the earth when He made the clouds a swaddlingband for it.

Look at what is revealed to us in that last verse, Jon 2:5:

Jon 2:5  The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped [chabashH2280 – to wrap] about my head.

That is what God did to the earth when He made “the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it”.

The earth is “covered with the deep as with a garment“.

Psa 104:5  Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.
Psa 104:6  Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.

There may be videos demonstrating that water in a bowl is flat, but there are no bowls as large as this earth, and I am told that the ‘deep’ covers this earth “as a garment”. I am told that Christ made the cloud the garment of this earth, and the thick darkness a swaddlingband for it:

Job 38:9  When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,

Therefore I am going to put aside my own understanding, and let God be true and every man a liar, and believe that the earth is wrapped in a garment of clouds and in a swaddlingband of thick darkness.

The winds are in Christ’s fists, and the waters of the earth are its garment

Pro 30:4  Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?

Again we are speaking of a spherical object when we speak of a fist, and of garments which wrap all the way around a body.

Christ gathers the earth “as one gathers eggs”.

Isa 10:14  And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.

The subject, of course is the people of the earth, but Christ still uses the word “eggs” to express how He is gathering “all the earth”.

Christ sits upon the circle of the earth

Isa 40:22  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:

The message in using the word ‘tent’ in this verse is not concerned with the shape of the physical heavens, rather the point being made is the temporary nature of these earthen vessels in which Christ dwells within us and in our heavens within us. That spiritual message is lost on the producers of the flat earth videos.

Gen 25:27  And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.

Jer 35:10  But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

Heb 11:13  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

1Pe 2:11  Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

Here is the Hebrew word translated as ‘circle’:

H2329
חוּג
chûg
khoog
From H2328; a circle: – circle, circuit, compassive
Total KJV occurrences: 3

I am not going to take the time or space to show you every detail, but I did discover that the root of this Hebrew word translated as ‘circle’ is:

H2287
חגג
châgag
Total KJV Occurrences: 22
keep, 12 Exo_23:14 (3), Lev_23:39, Lev_23:41, Num_29:12, Zec_14:15-16 (3), Zec_14:18-19 (2), Mal_2:7
feast, 4 Exo_5:1, Deu_16:14-15 (3)
celebrate, 1 Lev_23:41
dancing, 1 1Sa_30:16
holyday, 1 Psa_42:4
kept, 1 Psa_42:4 (2)
reel, 1 Psa_107:27
solemn, 1 Deu_16:15

The 12 times it is translated as ‘keep’ is actually “keep a feast”, and not just the word ‘keep’. The two entries for ‘kept’ and ‘holyday’ are both one entry ‘kept holyday’. The point I am making is that holydays were ‘celebrated’ with ‘dancing’. ‘Celebrated’, and ‘dancing’ are two of the English words with which this root word is translated. ‘Dancing’ and ‘celebrating’ are but one more scriptural indication that the earth is a living moving planet which is rotating on its axis.

The throne of God is called a whirlwind, a great cloud, a fire infolding itself

I have already referred to the description of the throne of God in Ezekiel 1, but let’s take a closer look at:

Eze 1:4  And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

We are told that the throne of God is a whirlwind, a great cloud, and a fire enfolding itself. It follows therefore that “the things that are made” will reflect those spiritual realities.

Just one more scriptural indication that the earth is shaped like a sphere which is whirling around on its axis.

The new earth comes with a new heavens but it has no sun and no moon

Let’s now consider what the spiritual revelations are which we should learn from what we are told about the new heavens and the new earth mentioned in:

2Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2Pe 3:11  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
2Pe 3:12  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
2Pe 3:13  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

What these verses reveal is that the new earth, which this earth must reflect, is a part of the new heavens, because the New Jerusalem “comes down from God out of heaven“, just as Christ came out from His Father, and as Eve came out from Adam and are a figure of the last Adam (Rev 5:14).

Rev 21:1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Rev 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
Rev 21:4  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Now notice what “the things that are made” reveal to us about the new heavens and the new earth:

Rev 21:16  And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

That may not be the best description of a sphere, but it closer to a sphere than it is to a plate or a bowl. What it tells us is that God’s creation has length and breath and height to it and those dimensions are equal.

One more thing to notice about what this physical earth should be showing us about the invisible things of God:

Rev 21:23  And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

The new earth will not need the sun or a moon because Christ and His Christ will be the light of the new Jerusalem and the new heavens and the new earth. Go Himself will then be dwelling with men, and the part that speaks to the shape of this present earth is that “the length and the breadth and the height of it are equal”.

Conclusion

The house of God is the pillar and ground of the Truth, and we want that grounding to be first and foremost in scriptures and not in the teachings of men and not leaning to our own understanding. I do not want an idol of the heart to keep me from knowing the mind and thoughts of my Creator.

This is a Biblical doctrine upon which we can all agree:

1Ti 3:15  But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
1Ti 3:16  And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness [the invisible things of God]: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

With the apostle Paul, I beseech each of you to walk in the Word, and walk worthy of the calling we have been given. That is where we need to be focusing our attention and our efforts. We cannot lean not to our own understanding, and we must endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace in His one body and His one spirit.

Eph 4:1  I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
Eph 4:2  With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Eph 4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Eph 4:4  There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
Eph 4:5  One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Eph 4:6  One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

It is the unity and the peace we enjoy in Christ which sets us apart from and baffles our adversaries. It is that unity, love and peace of mind which is the envy of Babylon with all of her schisms. With the Lord’s help we will all “endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace”.

Joh 13:35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

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