(Question to Bible readers).... I must admit...?

Question

....., I must admit I have never read the Bible before and I always that that the Bible said the earth was flat, and that the Bible was always scientifically lacking, so I must say when I read these verses (below) I was quite surprised. And well I was wondering if there are any more verses like these? As if not those verses very well could of been coincidence..anyway here are the very first two Bible verses I have every read ..
Isaiah 40: 21,22-.Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he that sitteth upon THE CIRCLE OF THE EARTH...

Revelation 7:1And after these things I saw four angles standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four corners of the wind..(that¨s talking about the four cardinal compass directions right?)

Does the Bible have anything else to say about such matters..??

No, no! I don¨t want to become a Christian, that¨s an insult!! Im an atheist!!!

Answer 1

Yes there are lots of verses that contain information that those who wrote them could not have known and that go against the accepted wisdom of the time.

Notice, the Earth is hung upon nothing. (Job 26:7) Compare this to the ancient pagan belief that the earth rested on a giant turtle.

For those who look at the verse that talks about the "circle" of the earth and they say a "circle" is a two-dimensional flat shape. This word that is translated as "circle" is a Hebrew word that means "vault" or "compass", so it definitely does indicate a three dimensional shape!

How could these early writers have known this information?

Answer 2

There are plenty of things in the Bible which fly in the face of what we understand about science and the way nature works. Do people come back from the dead after three days? Do people who have never had sex get pregnant? Hopefully, you don't believe in everyday practice such things occur, so why then believe they happened because they are recorded in an ancient mythology book?

Another issue with trying to understand the Bible scientifically is that the ambigous writing can lead to various different interpretations. So some may be able to rationalize a passage indicating one thing and someone else another.

Some other Bible vs. science controversies:

Joshua 10:12-13, "12. Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord
delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of
Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
13. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged
themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the
sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole
day."

The Bible here seems to indicate that the Earth stopped rotating for a period of time! Quite impossible.

Revelation 6:13. "And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree
casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind."

This would have been quite catastrophic if it in fact occured. A possible rationalization is that someone witnessed a meteor shower but this flies against divine revelation because certainly God would know the difference between stars falling on the Earth and a meteor shower.

Answer 3

You are looking for scientific facts in the Bible ?

I'm afraid you're using the Bible wrongly.

The Bible is God's instructions to mankind on how we ought to live our lives in a manner acceptable to God.

The instances when 'scientific or geographical facts' are mentioned are for the purpose of describing God's plans or His nature. You will not find too many of these in the Bible.

If you want to know whether the earth is flat or round, you should borrow a Geography book or a book on astronomy and the planets.

Ok. Theres a mention of star constellations in Job 38:31-33

"Can you hold back the movements of the stars ?
Are you able to restrain the Pleiades or Orion ?
Can you ensure the proper sequence of the seasons or guide the constellation of the Bear with her cubs across the heavens ?Do you know the laws of the universe and how God rules the earth ?"

This passage was about God answering Job.

Answer 4

Very good. You get it. The earth is as much a circle as the sun and moon are. The ancients knew it perfectly well, but the word 'sphere' wasn't really around at the time. Nor was 'oblate spheroid'. The Bible speaks the simple truth for a simple time. And yes, the 'four corners' are indeed the cardinal directions.

The Bible also predicted the Big Bang: And God said, Let there be Light, and (BANG) there was light.

Answer 5

Don't forget the Bible is written in and limited to the language of the time in which it was written. If modern concepts were not yet understood at that time the language of the people of that time would not have terms that could be used to refer to unknown concepts.

On the other hand, we tend to think of the progression of our understanding of the world is strictly linear where knowledge has only been on a slow but steady incline since the beginning of time. However it is very possible that many ancient cultures had greater understanding of world and scientific principles than those that followed them and their knowledge has only been rediscovered in our modern times. Some of the marvels of ancient Egyptian engineering are just one example of this. Some also believe (fundamentalist literal Bible types like me) that advanced cultures existed before the Flood, but most of their knowledge was lost when all but a remnant of mankind was obliterated.

Answer 6

Sadly a lot of Bible disbelievers credit the Bible for things it just doesnt say or they claim contradictions which arent really contradicitions at all. Just like you said here, you were always told the Bible says the Earth is flat, yet it never says that. Im not sure I can think of other examples off the top of my head, but if you want to post similar questions like this on something specific then I'd love to help you find such verses. :)

Answer 7

The first calls the earth a circle (a two dimensional shape) and the second says that the earth has corners. Definitely seems to imply the earth is flat. The two verses also contradict each other, since circles don't have corners. Also people used the four cardinal compass directions before they knew the earth was round.

Answer 8

The Bible speaks of God as “hanging the earth upon nothing,” or he “suspends earth in the void,” according to The New English Bible. (Job 26:7) In view of the knowledge available in 1600 B.C.E., roughly when those words were spoken, it would have taken a remarkable man to assert that a solid object can remain suspended in space without any physical support.

Answer 9

I would suggest if you are a new believer and just learning about God to first build in understanding. Maybe you would be wise to read proverbs first for waisdom. Psalms for comfort. St. John for clarity. Genesis for an understanding of our beginnings and then we can go from there. There is a real difference from knowing about God than it is to really know God. You will first need to confess your sins. Ask God in your soul Follow his way. Build a close relationship with God to really understand him. Prophecy will not be the first things you read to build the realtionship. If you do not come to know God and just read pprophecy in the Bible Satan will try to decieve you and you will not understand the truth. Example: you may have been told about the guy that moved in your neighborhood, some may have even talked about his plans and goals...but you only know what you have heard from others. Before you can understand this man you would need to get a personal relationship with him. Before you would be concerned with where he is taking his life plans you would want to know who he is, where he came from and build an undertanding of how he thinks and lives. The same is true in any relationship. I really hope and pray that you will be going your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. WE love you and want you with us.

Answer 10

The Bible does not say the earth is flat, the Bible does not go against science as a matter of fact science is proving the Bible.
The Bible is what keeps me going in life. It is awesome.