In recent years, a wave of digital skepticism has revived the ancient concept of a flat earth, often claiming that the King James Bible supports a stationary, domed disc. To the sincere believer, this presents a challenge: if the Bible says it, we must believe it. However, the “Defence of the Truth” requires us to distinguish between literal truth and phenomenological language (describing things as they appear from a human perspective) or poetic metaphor.
When we examine the “flat earth verses” in their proper context, we find that the Bible is not a flat-earth manual, but a revelation of a Creator who sits above the circle of the earth.
1. The “Four Corners” of the Earth
One of the most cited proofs for a flat earth is the mention of “four corners.”
“And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth…” (Revelation 7:1, KJV)
The Contextual Truth: If taken with rigid literalism, a flat earth would have to be a square or a rectangle to have “corners.” Yet, most flat-earthers argue for a circular disc. In reality, the “four corners” is a common Hebrew idiom (also found in Isaiah 11:12) referring to the four cardinal directions (North, South, East, and West). We use the same language today when we say the Gospel has reached “the four corners of the globe,” implying the entirety of the world’s surface, not its geometric shape.
2. The “Ends of the Earth”
Verses that mention the “ends of the earth” (Job 28:24, Psalm 48:10) are often used to suggest a physical edge or an ice wall.
The Contextual Truth: In Hebrew poetry, “the ends of the earth” refers to the remotest inhabited locations from the perspective of the writer. When the Queen of Sheba came from “the uttermost parts of the earth” (Matthew 12:42), she traveled from modern-day Yemen to Jerusalem. She did not fall off a physical edge; she traveled a great distance. Contextually, these verses emphasize God’s omnipresence and sovereignty over all peoples, not the boundaries of a map.
3. The “Pillars” and “Foundations”
Job and the Psalms frequently mention the earth being set on “pillars” or “foundations” that cannot be moved.
“Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.” (Job 9:6, KJV)
The Contextual Truth: Job is a book of high poetry and intense imagery. If we insist the pillars are literal physical legs holding up a disc, we run into a contradiction in the same book:
“He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.” (Job 26:7, KJV)
Scripture interprets Scripture. The “foundations” and “pillars” are metaphors for the stability and fixed laws God established for the planet’s orbit and existence. The earth is “unmovable” in the sense that it is secure in the path God ordained for it; it cannot be knocked out of its created purpose.
4. The “Circle” vs. The “Ball”
The most famous verse regarding the shape of the earth is Isaiah 40:22:
“It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers…” (Isaiah 40:22, KJV)
The Contextual Truth: The Hebrew word used here is chûwg, which refers to a circle, circuit, or compass. Critics argue that Isaiah should have used the word dûr (ball). However, a sphere seen from any direction in space appears as a circle. Furthermore, the “circle of the earth” matches the “circuit” of the sun described in Psalm 19, describing a planetary system in motion.
Why This Matters for the Lord’s Return
The danger of the flat earth movement is not just a scientific disagreement; it is a distraction. By focusing on “hidden maps” and “NASA conspiracies,” the believer’s attention is diverted from the Blessed Hope. The Bible tells us that when Christ returns, “every eye shall see him” (Revelation 1:7). On a rotating sphere, this involves a supernatural manifestation that transcends physical geometry. We must not let a wooden, out-of-context literalism rob the Bible of its majestic, cosmic scope. God is larger than a disc; He is the Architect of a universe that “declares the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1).