What the Bible, Antarctica, and the Four Corners May Reveal
Flat Earth: Edge or No Edge?
Among people who believe the earth is flat, there is an ongoing disagreement over one particular question: Does the earth have an edge?
Some flat earthers believe there is no edge at all. Others believe there is a definite boundary. Dave Weiss, perhaps one of the best-known people promoting the flat-earth position, has suggested that there may be no edge, or that the earth could extend for an enormous distance beyond what we presently know, perhaps containing many additional continents.
Dave is also known for asking an important question on his podcasts: “Do you believe, or do you know?”
The distinction is worth considering. To believe something means that you accept it as true, although you may not have personally confirmed it. To know something implies a greater degree of certainty.
But when it comes to the question of an edge, whichever position a flat earther takes is still, to some degree, a belief.
Personally, I believe the earth has a definite edge. I do not believe there are millions of miles of unknown territory beyond Antarctica containing an endless number of undiscovered continents.
However, I also recognize that none of us has personally travelled to the outermost limits of the earth and returned with unquestionable proof of what is there. Therefore, when discussing the edge, we should admit that there are things we simply do not know.
I have heard, for example, about an old Tibetan map that supposedly showed approximately ten large islands or continents beyond what we know as the South Pole. Whether that map accurately represents reality is another question.
This brings us back to the difference between belief and knowledge.
There is nothing wrong with belief. In fact, the Bible repeatedly calls upon us to believe. So I do not want to turn this into an argument over semantics. The important thing is to recognize where our certainty ends and speculation begins.
Does an Endless Earth Create the Same Problem as an Endless Universe?
One criticism flat earthers often make of the modern cosmological model is that mankind is portrayed as insignificant.
We are told that the universe is unimaginably large, constantly expanding, and filled with billions upon billions of stars, planets, and galaxies. In that picture, mankind becomes little more than a tiny speck floating through an incomprehensibly vast universe.
Many flat earthers rightly object to the philosophical implications of that worldview. It can make man appear insignificant in relation to God’s creation.
Yet I see a possible contradiction when some flat earthers then suggest that the earth itself might extend for millions of miles beyond Antarctica, containing an unknown number of continents and civilizations.
Would that not create a similar problem?
If there are millions of miles of unknown lands stretching far beyond anything we know, mankind once again becomes a tiny and insignificant part of an enormous creation.
For me, the Bible provides a much clearer picture.
The Four Corners of the Earth
Revelation 7:1 says:
“After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree.”
Many pastors, theologians, and seminary-trained teachers interpret the expression “four corners of the earth” as an ancient figure of speech referring to the four cardinal directions—north, south, east, and west—or simply to the entire earth.
I do not believe that explanation is necessarily required.
To me, the verse may be describing something more literal.
It also demonstrates something else that should not be overlooked: the incredible power of God’s angels.
There are numerous passages throughout Scripture describing angelic power. That subject deserves an article of its own, but it becomes important when we consider what might exist at the outer limits of the earth.
Everything in creation has limits.
A tree has a beginning and an end. A building has boundaries. A field has borders. A table has edges.
If something is flat and finite, what do we call its outer limit?
An edge.
Flat earthers generally believe there is also an upper boundary to the earth—the firmament. Likewise, there must be limits below.
So why should it be unreasonable to believe there is also an outer boundary?
Again, I admit there are things man does not know. An honest person should be willing to say, “I don’t know.”
Will mankind ever know exactly what lies at the outermost limits of the earth?
Perhaps not.
But that does not mean we cannot consider what Scripture tells us.
What Lies Beyond the Edge?
If there is an edge, what lies beyond it?
I do not claim to know.
Perhaps there is simply nothing beyond the created world.
We should remember that even what people call “space” would itself have to be created. If God created a finite earth for mankind, why assume He also created endless physical territory beyond it?
That leads to another important subject: Antarctica.
The Antarctic Treaty
The Antarctic Treaty raises questions that deserve serious consideration.
Nations that disagree on almost everything have nevertheless continued cooperating under an international system governing Antarctica.
Governments go to war. They violate treaties. They compete for territory. They fight over oil, minerals, trade routes, and natural resources.
Yet Antarctica remains subject to unusual international restrictions and agreements.
Why?
History shows that powerful nations are constantly searching for resources and strategic advantages. Governments have fought wars, supported revolutions, overthrown foreign governments, and used military power to secure economic interests.
So if enormous unexplored territories and natural resources existed beyond Antarctica, what would prevent major powers from attempting to claim them?
Why would countries such as the United States, Britain, Russia, China, and others simply agree to leave such territory alone?
I believe there may be a reason far greater than international diplomacy.
Could God’s Angels Guard the Boundaries?
I believe there may be a force capable of stopping any military power from going farther.
That force would not be another nation.
It would be the power of God.
The Bible gives us remarkable examples of what even one angel can do.
The same event is recorded in 2 Kings 19:35 and Isaiah 37:36, with another account in 2 Chronicles 32:21.
Second Kings 19:35 says:
“And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.”
Think about that.
One angel destroyed 185,000 soldiers.
No modern army, no matter how technologically advanced or heavily armed, could stand against the power of God if He chose to stop it.
Men may boast about their aircraft, missiles, armies, weapons, and military technology, but none of it compares with the power described in Scripture.
And that was only one angel.
Revelation 7:1 speaks of four angels standing at the four corners of the earth.
Could such angels have some connection with the boundaries of the earth?
I cannot prove that. It is speculation.
But the possibility is worth considering.
If there really is something preventing nations from going beyond a certain point, it would have to be something powerful enough to stop even the strongest military forces on earth.
Why Would Governments Hide It?
Suppose a military expedition attempted to go farther and encountered something it could not overcome.
Would governments admit what happened?
If they admitted that supernatural power prevented them from advancing, they would also have to admit something far more important: that God is real.
Not simply some vague spiritual force, but the God who created heaven and earth—the God revealed in the Bible.
That admission would have enormous consequences.
If the Bible is true, then mankind is not the product of meaningless chance.
- The earth was created.
- Man was created.
- God has authority over His creation.
- And God’s laws matter.
That is why this subject goes far beyond the physical shape of the earth.
It ultimately becomes a question of authority.
Who rules mankind?
God or man?
The Greater Issue
If people can be convinced that there is no Creator, then they are much more likely to accept man as the highest authority.
Government becomes supreme.
Human institutions determine morality.
Man decides right and wrong.
But if the God of the Bible created heaven and earth, then governments themselves are accountable to Him.
They are no longer the highest authority.
That is what makes the issue so important.
Deuteronomy 28, for example, describes blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. Scripture repeatedly teaches that nations as well as individuals live under the authority of God.
This is why I believe the debate over the edge of the earth is about much more than geography.
Perhaps we will never physically stand at the outer boundary and look beyond it.
Perhaps there are details God has chosen not to reveal to us.
That is all right.
We should be willing to distinguish between what we know, what we believe, and what we merely speculate about.
But I believe there is a definite limit to the earth.
I believe Scripture gives us reason to consider the language of its “four corners” seriously.
And I believe no human military power would be capable of overcoming a boundary established and guarded by God.
Ultimately, the greatest question is not simply whether the earth has an edge.
The greater question is whether mankind will acknowledge the Creator who established its boundaries.
If Mystery Babylon can convince mankind that there is no God, then man is left with no higher authority than human government and human law.
But if God created heaven and earth, then His authority stands above every president, parliament, king, army, and government on earth.
That is what is really at stake.
Christian Flat Earth Ministry
The Edge of the Earth
What the Bible, Antarctica, and the Four Corners May Reveal
Flat Earth: Edge or No Edge?
Among people who believe the earth is flat, there is an ongoing disagreement over one particular question: Does the earth have an edge?
Some flat earthers believe there is no edge at all. Others believe there is a definite boundary. Dave Weiss, perhaps one of the best-known people promoting the flat-earth position, has suggested that there may be no edge, or that the earth could extend for an enormous distance beyond what we presently know, perhaps containing many additional continents.
Dave is also known for asking an important question on his podcasts: “Do you believe, or do you know?”
The distinction is worth considering. To believe something means that you accept it as true, although you may not have personally confirmed it. To know something implies a greater degree of certainty.
But when it comes to the question of an edge, whichever position a flat earther takes is still, to some degree, a belief.
Personally, I believe the earth has a definite edge. I do not believe there are millions of miles of unknown territory beyond Antarctica containing an endless number of undiscovered continents.
However, I also recognize that none of us has personally travelled to the outermost limits of the earth and returned with unquestionable proof of what is there. Therefore, when discussing the edge, we should admit that there are things we simply do not know.
I have heard, for example, about an old Tibetan map that supposedly showed approximately ten large islands or continents beyond what we know as the South Pole. Whether that map accurately represents reality is another question.
This brings us back to the difference between belief and knowledge.
There is nothing wrong with belief. In fact, the Bible repeatedly calls upon us to believe. So I do not want to turn this into an argument over semantics. The important thing is to recognize where our certainty ends and speculation begins.
Does an Endless Earth Create the Same Problem as an Endless Universe?
One criticism flat earthers often make of the modern cosmological model is that mankind is portrayed as insignificant.
We are told that the universe is unimaginably large, constantly expanding, and filled with billions upon billions of stars, planets, and galaxies. In that picture, mankind becomes little more than a tiny speck floating through an incomprehensibly vast universe.
Many flat earthers rightly object to the philosophical implications of that worldview. It can make man appear insignificant in relation to God’s creation.
Yet I see a possible contradiction when some flat earthers then suggest that the earth itself might extend for millions of miles beyond Antarctica, containing an unknown number of continents and civilizations.
Would that not create a similar problem?
If there are millions of miles of unknown lands stretching far beyond anything we know, mankind once again becomes a tiny and insignificant part of an enormous creation.
For me, the Bible provides a much clearer picture.
The Four Corners of the Earth
Revelation 7:1 says:
“After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree.”
Many pastors, theologians, and seminary-trained teachers interpret the expression “four corners of the earth” as an ancient figure of speech referring to the four cardinal directions—north, south, east, and west—or simply to the entire earth.
I do not believe that explanation is necessarily required.
To me, the verse may be describing something more literal.
It also demonstrates something else that should not be overlooked: the incredible power of God’s angels.
There are numerous passages throughout Scripture describing angelic power. That subject deserves an article of its own, but it becomes important when we consider what might exist at the outer limits of the earth.
Everything in creation has limits.
A tree has a beginning and an end. A building has boundaries. A field has borders. A table has edges.
If something is flat and finite, what do we call its outer limit?
An edge.
Flat earthers generally believe there is also an upper boundary to the earth—the firmament. Likewise, there must be limits below.
So why should it be unreasonable to believe there is also an outer boundary?
Again, I admit there are things man does not know. An honest person should be willing to say, “I don’t know.”
Will mankind ever know exactly what lies at the outermost limits of the earth?
Perhaps not.
But that does not mean we cannot consider what Scripture tells us.
What Lies Beyond the Edge?
If there is an edge, what lies beyond it?
I do not claim to know.
Perhaps there is simply nothing beyond the created world.
We should remember that even what people call “space” would itself have to be created. If God created a finite earth for mankind, why assume He also created endless physical territory beyond it?
That leads to another important subject: Antarctica.
The Antarctic Treaty
The Antarctic Treaty raises questions that deserve serious consideration.
Nations that disagree on almost everything have nevertheless continued cooperating under an international system governing Antarctica.
Governments go to war. They violate treaties. They compete for territory. They fight over oil, minerals, trade routes, and natural resources.
Yet Antarctica remains subject to unusual international restrictions and agreements.
Why?
History shows that powerful nations are constantly searching for resources and strategic advantages. Governments have fought wars, supported revolutions, overthrown foreign governments, and used military power to secure economic interests.
So if enormous unexplored territories and natural resources existed beyond Antarctica, what would prevent major powers from attempting to claim them?
Why would countries such as the United States, Britain, Russia, China, and others simply agree to leave such territory alone?
I believe there may be a reason far greater than international diplomacy.
Could God’s Angels Guard the Boundaries?
I believe there may be a force capable of stopping any military power from going farther.
That force would not be another nation.
It would be the power of God.
The Bible gives us remarkable examples of what even one angel can do.
The same event is recorded in 2 Kings 19:35 and Isaiah 37:36, with another account in 2 Chronicles 32:21.
Second Kings 19:35 says:
“And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.”
Think about that.
One angel destroyed 185,000 soldiers.
No modern army, no matter how technologically advanced or heavily armed, could stand against the power of God if He chose to stop it.
Men may boast about their aircraft, missiles, armies, weapons, and military technology, but none of it compares with the power described in Scripture.
And that was only one angel.
Revelation 7:1 speaks of four angels standing at the four corners of the earth.
Could such angels have some connection with the boundaries of the earth?
I cannot prove that. It is speculation.
But the possibility is worth considering.
If there really is something preventing nations from going beyond a certain point, it would have to be something powerful enough to stop even the strongest military forces on earth.
Why Would Governments Hide It?
Suppose a military expedition attempted to go farther and encountered something it could not overcome.
Would governments admit what happened?
If they admitted that supernatural power prevented them from advancing, they would also have to admit something far more important: that God is real.
Not simply some vague spiritual force, but the God who created heaven and earth—the God revealed in the Bible.
That admission would have enormous consequences.
If the Bible is true, then mankind is not the product of meaningless chance.
That is why this subject goes far beyond the physical shape of the earth.
It ultimately becomes a question of authority.
Who rules mankind?
God or man?
The Greater Issue
If people can be convinced that there is no Creator, then they are much more likely to accept man as the highest authority.
Government becomes supreme.
Human institutions determine morality.
Man decides right and wrong.
But if the God of the Bible created heaven and earth, then governments themselves are accountable to Him.
They are no longer the highest authority.
That is what makes the issue so important.
Deuteronomy 28, for example, describes blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. Scripture repeatedly teaches that nations as well as individuals live under the authority of God.
This is why I believe the debate over the edge of the earth is about much more than geography.
Perhaps we will never physically stand at the outer boundary and look beyond it.
Perhaps there are details God has chosen not to reveal to us.
That is all right.
We should be willing to distinguish between what we know, what we believe, and what we merely speculate about.
But I believe there is a definite limit to the earth.
I believe Scripture gives us reason to consider the language of its “four corners” seriously.
And I believe no human military power would be capable of overcoming a boundary established and guarded by God.
Ultimately, the greatest question is not simply whether the earth has an edge.
The greater question is whether mankind will acknowledge the Creator who established its boundaries.
If Mystery Babylon can convince mankind that there is no God, then man is left with no higher authority than human government and human law.
But if God created heaven and earth, then His authority stands above every president, parliament, king, army, and government on earth.
That is what is really at stake.
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About revealed4you
First and foremost I'm a Christian and believe that the Bible is the inspired word of Yahweh God. Introducing people to the Bible through the flat earth facts.