Question #33
Where does the Bible say the earth is tilted on its axis?
Where is the verse in the Old Testament that says the earth is tilted on its axis? I am Christian but cannot find this in any of my references. Thanks.
The Answer:
While there is no specific statement in Scripture that the earth is tilted on its axis, there are a number of marvelous statements about the earth that were contrary to the “science” of the time that it was written. For example, when the Old Testament was written it was universally believed that the earth as flat. Yet Isaiah described God as sitting “upon the circle of the earth.” (Isaiah 40:22.) The common belief when the Bible was written was that the earth sat upon the back of Atlas or other similar means of support. Yet the Book of Job said that “He . . . hangeth the earth upon nothing” (Job 26:7). Many other examples could be cited.
The passage that you may be thinking of is Luke 17:34-36 and context. Some think that this passage applies to the Second Coming and that the reason some are taken and others are left is because it is day in some areas of the earth and night in others when the Lord returns, a condition that can exist only if the earth turns upon its axis. Some urge that this passage is another amazing scientific disclosure in Scripture. While it is true that day and night can exist in separate parts of the earth at the same time only if the earth turns upon its axis, it is not necessarily true that this is what the passage is describing. There is some debate as to whether this discussion applies to the Second Coming or to the destruction of Jerusalem. Matthew and Mark use similar language in describing the destruction of Jerusalem. See, e.g., Matthew 24. Even if Luke uses the same language to apply to the Second Coming, it may be saying no more than what the Scripture says elsewhere – The Day of the Lord will follow the night of darkness. The Bible has enough remarkable scientific statements that, though contrary to the common thought of the time of its writing were later proved to be true by modern scientific discoveries, nothing is to be gained by stretching statements of questionable application.
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