Does THIS VERSE say the Earth is a FLAT CIRCLE?! [pt. 1]

The results are in, and after over 4 ,000 votes on the Instagram poll, 11 of voters believe the Earth is flat, 81 believe the Earth is not flat, and 8 say they do not know. I also note this guy, which prompted many flat earthers to go off in my comments section, some even elevating the issue to a matter of one's salvation, one's general trustworthiness, with the claim that accepting flat Earth theory makes it impossible for one to deny the existence.

Of God.

Which I guess is why they lied about it. Many seem to have spent so long down the rabbit hole that they believe there are only two kinds of people in the world, those who know the Earth is flat, and those who have sided with NASA as willing participants in the Great Deception.

My question is, does the Bible teach a flat Earth? Yes, the government lies to us, but it's not my concern to go down any rabbit holes. I am concerned chiefly with the text, because Christians are claiming it teaches a flat.

Earth.

Do I think the Earth is flat?

Nope.

Mm-mm.

You should also know that it is not my concern to try to use the Bible to prove the Earth is a sphere. I submit that every text used to support flat Earth theory is being mishandled, and this is clearly seen when the texts are approached with an eye to their literary, historical, and theological context.

So we are going to go through them in this series. I had thought about making one big video, but I've decided to make a little flat Earth series out of it instead. So in each video, we will look at a different text to which flat Earthers point.

Today we're looking at Isaiah 40 .22. Now, I mentioned the literary, historical, and theological context. I want to explain what we mean by that and offer some general principles of Bible interpretation before we get to Isaiah 40 .22.

Literary context refers to the consideration of the surrounding text when interpreting a particular passage in the Bible. This involves understanding a verse or section within its immediate context, such as the verses before and the verses after, its larger context, such as the chapter, the book, or literary genre, and how it fits into the entire biblical narrative.

Basic principles include interpreting verses in light of their immediate context, ensuring that individual verses are not taken out of context, and recognizing genre distinctions, for example, interpreting poetry, prophecy, or historical narrative according to their particular literary features.

This approach emphasizes coherence and aims to understand the intended meaning as it fits within the whole text. Klein, Blomberg, and Hubbard write that a basic principle of biblical hermeneutics is that the intended meaning of any passage is the meaning that is consistent with the sense of the literary context in which it occurs.

Duvall and Hayes add that literary context refers to the particular form a passage takes, the literary genre, and to the words, sentences, and paragraphs that surround the passage you are studying, the surrounding context.

Historical context refers to the understanding of the time, the culture, the geography, the social conditions in which a biblical text was written, and the events it describes. This includes considering the author's background, the audience, the political and religious landscape of the time.

Principles of interpretation that arise from historical context include understanding the original audience's perspective, which helps to avoid imposing modern assumptions onto the text and interpreting cultural references in their ancient setting, ensuring that historical customs and norms are not misunderstood or misapplied in contemporary context.

Proper historical context grounds interpretation in the realities of the biblical world. But if we focus on the literary and historical context without applying a redemptive historical approach to interpretation, we will really miss how the text fits in the larger biblical narrative and how it relates to the goal of the scriptures, which is the glory of God in the redemptive work of the incarnate Son of God.

What I mean is a Christocentric approach to the Bible. It's all ultimately about Christ. The redemptive historical approach interprets scripture as part of a single unfolding narrative of God's plan of redemption from creation to new creation.

This approach views every part of the Bible as contributing to the larger story of God's redemptive work, culminating in Jesus Christ. From this approach, principles of interpretation include seeing Christ as the fulfillment of Old Testament promises and types, interpreting scripture in light of its place within salvation history, and recognizing the progressive revelation of God's redemptive plan, where earlier parts of the Bible like laws and sacrifices are understood more fully in light of subsequent revelation like the work of Christ.

This approach ensures that passages are not read in isolation, but as part of God's grand narrative of redemption. So let's apply these principles about the literary, historical, and theological context to Isaiah 40 .22.

Literary Context, Prophetic Poetry, and the Meaning of Isaiah 40:22

"...who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in.". The flat earther may take this to mean that the circle of the earth is referring to the shape of the earth, that is, to a flat or disc-shaped earth.

But that would be a violation of the literary context. Klein, Blomberg, and Hubbard note the interpretive principle that a text without a context may be a pretext, an alleged interpretation that only appears to be valid.

In reality, it obscures the real state of affairs. The genre of Isaiah 40 is prophetic poetry. This chapter is written in a highly poetic style, characteristic of much of the book of Isaiah, using vivid imagery, parallelism, and metaphor to convey its theological message.

As prophetic literature, Isaiah 40 communicates a message from God through the prophet Isaiah focusing on themes of comfort, redemption, and the future hope of Israel. So it has a poetic structure, and it carries a prophetic message using imagery and symbolism to communicate its truth.

For instance, God is portrayed as a shepherd gathering his flock in verse 11, and the nations are compared to a drop in a bucket in verse 15, symbolizing his care for his people and his power over the world.

So what is the literary context? We begin by observing the immediate context and the surrounding context. Remember that to examine the immediate context, we must go to the verses before and the verses after Isaiah 40.

So let's back up to verses 12 -21. These verses begin by questioning who can compare to God, emphasizing his power as creator and sustainer of the universe. They describe how he measures the waters, and weighs the mountains, and holds the nations as insignificant before him.

This buildup serves to contrast God's unparalleled might with the powerlessness of idols and nations. Now the verses that come directly after in verses 23 -31, we can see that the text continues to stress God's supremacy by highlighting his control over rulers and the transient nature of human power.

It then shifts to God's care for his people, promising strength and renewal to those who trust in him. We see that the immediate context is consistent with the larger context. If we zoom out to see not merely how verse 22 fits into the chapter, but how chapter 40 fits into the book of Isaiah, we learn that Isaiah 40 is the beginning of the second major section of the book, which shifts from themes of judgment to consolation and hope.

The chapter speaks to the exiled Israelites, offering comfort by reminding them of God's greatness and his ability to save and restore them. Isaiah 40 .22 contributes to this by depicting God as sovereign and powerful, reminding the people that he rules over all creation and will fulfill his promises of deliverance.

Thus, the literary context shows that Isaiah 40 .22 is part of a broader argument about God's unparalleled greatness and his ability to redeem his people, encouraging trust in his power over the created order and human rulers.

The Historical Setting of Isaiah and the Limits of Ancient Cosmological Language

Historically, we understand that this is the prophet Isaiah, whose ministry took place in Judah around 740 to 681 BC during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, and the rise of the Assyrian threat by which the northern kingdom of Israel falls in 722 BC.

We could go deeper into the historical background, but its significance for this text is beyond the scope of this video. One commenter made the argument that Isaiah could have said sphere, but he didn't, he said circle.

The problem is that ancient Hebrew does not have a word for sphere like we would use it.

Today.

Moreover, the focus of Isaiah 40 .22 is not cosmological, but theological. And this is where our flat earth friends, frankly, get deceived about this subject. As is the case with I think every text used to support flat earth theory, the purpose is not to provide an accurate description of the actual shape of the earth.

As we've stated, Isaiah 40 is about the sovereign power of God over and against the wicked rulers of the earth, men, and their idols. As verse 1 and 2 state, this truth is issued through the prophet as a comfort to God's people in exile.

In contrast to God's eternal power, the chapter highlights the frailty of humanity. And this passage is dripping with poetic imagery. See what I did there? This passage is dripping, not literally, with poetic imagery.

Verse 7 says that people are grass. Well, it doesn't say that people are like grass. It doesn't say that people are similar to grass. It says people are grass. Well, we wouldn't understand verse 7 literally, right?

We would interpret it in context and see that people are grass, not literally, but as much as they fade away like grass does. Verse 8, the grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.

Notice in verse 18 that the Lord begins a sort of comparison between himself and the idols fashioned by human hands. To who will you liken God or what likeness will you compare with him? He then describes how a man makes an idol.

The point is that God is not like that. And so in verse 21, more questions are asked. Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

Understood what? What is the it that has been declared from the beginning? That he, Yahweh, is enthroned in heaven and he does whatever he pleases in heaven and on earth. This text is about the greatness of God, not the shape of the earth.

Let's take a closer look at Isaiah 40, 22. It is he who sits. I thought God is spirit. Do spirits sit?

No.

This is poetic imagery to describe his enthronement in heaven. I looked at a bunch of old commentaries and not one of them took this verse to mean that the earth is a flat circular disk, so the idea that everyone thought the earth was flat until a hundred years ago is simply not even a little bit true.

And if whoever made that comment sees this, please find different sources from which to get your information because you got played. To take a sample from these commentaries, I can tell you that John Gill, Matthew Henry, the authors of the pulpit commentary, and A .R. Fawcett all take this to mean that circle is referring to the sky or the heavens above.

The earth.

Now, notice how many similes are in this verse. Its inhabitants are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain. He spreads them like a tent to dwell in. This text is poetic imagery.

Notice that among these similes, in this same verse, the heavens are stretched out like a curtain. He who sits enthroned above the heavens and who thus perfectly manages the affairs of the earth, to Isaiah's larger point, is the same one who made the heavens.

That's what's being said here. The heavens are not a curtain and the earth is not a circle, much less a flat one. Isaiah 40 .22 teaches that God, and not the rulers of the earth nor the idols fashioned by the frailty of human hands, is the true king whose throne is the very heavens that he himself created.

Verse 28. He is the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth.

Uh oh.

Ends of the earth? Just use the same principles as we just did to the circle of the earth and you'll understand the meaning. Christ's incarnation demonstrates the profound truth that this transcendent God who sits enthroned above the heavens came down to dwell among us in humility.

Though he is the sovereign creator, he took on human flesh, the frailty of human flesh to accomplish redemption for humanity, to be our deliverer. Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus defeated sin and death, fulfilling God's plan of salvation, and now Christ sits at the right hand of God, enthroned in glory above the heavens, where he continues to rule over all creation.

Isaiah 40 .22 points forward to this ultimate demonstration of God's power in Christ's victory. The only way to get flat earth from Isaiah 40 .22 is either by ignorance or dishonesty. You have to ignore the literary, historical, and theological context and read flat earth theory into this text to assert that as its meaning.

And that's a holy no.

Please Lord give me a sign, a sign.