By Maria Merola אריאל
© Copyright Double Portion Inheritance February 2017
Since the summer of 2015, I have seen many unsuspecting believers jump onto the bandwagon of the Flat Earth doctrine, despite the fact that the entire counsel of Scripture does not support this narrative.
What really grieves me the most, is that many of these people are getting swept up into this belief because of peer-pressure, and few ever take the time to study the Scriptures for themselves to see if these things are true.
Whenever I openly refute the Flat Earth doctrine on Social Media, I am met with those who say things like: “Who cares about the shape of earth?” They say it does not matter, and that “It is not a salvation issue.” My response to that worn-out excuse is this:
“All truth matters, and when people deviate from the truth of Scripture, it is only a matter of time, before these errors carry over into other more important areas of doctrine. This ultimately can lead to a gradual falling away from the truth, entirely. In a nutshell, one lie begets another lie.”
One particular website that I highly recommend, does an excellent job refuting some of the erroneous ways in which Flat-earthers misinterpret Scripture to fit their narrative.
*Disclaimer, while I agree 100% with the way this website debunks the Flat Earth belief, I disagree with them on the subject of Nephilim. They do not believe in the existence of Nephilim, but I absolutely do believe in the existence of Nephilim, based on Genesis 6:3-4. This website also explains why the Flat Earth belief can indeed become a salvation issue:
Why Does the Shape of the Earth Matter?
Tehilliym (Psalm)19:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of Elohiym; and the firmament shows his handywork.
The above verse tells us the heavens, (and the celestial luminaries in them) reveal knowledge and understanding of YaHuWaH and his creation. We are told that it was by his “Spoken word,” that all things were created, and came into being (Hebrews 11:3; Colossians 1:15-17).
We also know that “The word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:1-14). Therefore, the word of YaHuWaH created all things. If we cannot grasp even the basic understanding of his creation, how are we supposed to know him for who he truly is?
Abriym (Hebrews) 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of Elohiym, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
We also know that these “words” which were spoken at the creation in Genesis 1:1 were created from the Hebrew Aleph-Beyt (Alphabet). Pictured below is a graphic, demonstrating how the original Paleo Hebrew in Genesis 1:1 appears before being translated into English. You will notice that Elohiym created the letters “Aleph, Waw, Taw,” which are symbolic of our Messiah.
The letter Aleph symbolizes the strong leader, or The Red Heifer. The Waw represents the nail, and the Taw is symbolic of the two sticks of Ezekiel 37:16-17, aka the cross. Thus, all 22 letters in the Hebrew Alphabet, were used to create all things.
Each of these 22 letters have different musical tones and frequencies, which have influence upon the inhabitants of the earth. In Psalm 119, David wrote a song using all 22 letters in the Hebrew Aleph-Beyt. It may sound strange to some of you, that YaHuWaH sings over his creation, as we are told that the stars sign songs, and shout for joy to our creator:
Yowb (Job) 38:7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of Elohiym shouted for joy?
The stars and the celestial luminaries are described in Psalm 19:2-3 as giving speech to everyone around the world. In other words, the daylight hours, and the night-time hours are meant to speak to us by pure observation.
By observing the way the sun illuminates half of the earth for approximately twelve hours, (followed by darkness to the other half of the earth), we can easily determine that the earth is shaped as a sphere.
Genesis 1:14-19 tells us that the sun was created on the 4th day of the week.
Did you also know that our Messiah died on the 4th day of the week? A careful study in all four gospel accounts, reveal that our Messiah came to earth in the fourth millennium, and that he died on the fourth day of the week (what we today call Wednesday). He also resurrected just before the sun went down at the end of the weekly Sabbath, (the seventh day of the week). To learn more, see these two blogs below:
In Malachi 4:2, our Messiah is referred to as “The sun of righteousness” who shall arise with healing in his wings. This reference has to do with the fact that he is known as “The light of the world” (John 8:12; 9:5); and also as “The bright and morning star” (Revelation 22:16). In 2nd Peter 3:8, we are told that “One day is like a thousand years with YaHuWaH, and a thousand years is as one day.”
Therefore, in Genesis, the creation week of seven literal days, served as a microcosm for the macrocosm of seven-thousand years until the second coming of Messiah to rule and reign on the earth.
Since Elohiym created the sun on the fourth day of the week, it makes sense (prophetically speaking), that our Messiah came to earth as the light of the world in the fourth millennium, and that he will also return for his bride on the Sabbath Millennium--the 7th prophetic “day.”
This could explain why our Messiah is called “THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,” in Malachi 4:2. He came to first time in the 4th Millennium, (the same day the sun was created), to be “THE LIGHT TO THE WORLD!” (John 8:12; 9:5). By understanding the prophetic reasons why our Messiah symbolizes the sun, we can now understand why Satan wants to counterfeit him, and why he wants us to worship the object of the sun itself, rather than the one who created the sun.
Remember, everything within the creation tells the story of our Messiah as the bridegroom, and his beloved bride, Yisra’el
Therefore, it only stands to reason that the earth is a prophetic picture of the bride, as she revolves around her bridegroom, not the other way around!
Have you ever wondered why in an Ancient Hebraic wedding, the bride circles the groom seven times? We see this today in many modern Jewish weddings, but have we ever considered where this tradition came from? When I asked the Father about this, he said to me “Do you remember when I commanded Yisra’el to march around Jericho seven times?”
Although Scripture does not tell us that this event in Jericho took place on the Feast of Trumpets, I highly suspect that the entire week leading up to the fall of Jericho's walls, was during the seven days from the Feast of Trumpets, and leading up to the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). These events mirror exactly how things will unfold when Messiah returns for his bride on Yom Teruah. The Feast of Trumpets is also referred to in Scripture as “The Day of Blowing,” or also called "The Day of Shouting."
It was after Yisrael blew seven trumpets for seven days, and on the seventh day, blowing the trumpets seven times, YaHuWaH blew his nostrils, and blew down the walls!
During these seven days, (sandwiched in between Trumpets & Atonement), the bridegroom is helping his bride to defeat her enemies. This is a prophetic picture of what we are going to see in Revelation 19, when Yahuwshuwa returns with his bride as his army. This day is also called “The Great Day of Vengeance & Wrath.”
What we are about to witness in this account, is that the number “seven” is prevalent throughout Joshua chapter 6. The Hebrew word for seven (sheba) literally means “To make an oath by repeating seven times.” Thus, the number “seven” is symbolic of “covenant,” which the bridegroom enters into with his bride.
#7650 shaba` shaw-bah' a primitive root; propr. to be complete, but used only as a denominative from 7651; to seven oneself, i.e. swear (as if by repeating a declaration seven times):--adjure, charge (by an oath, with an oath), feed to the full (by mistake for 7646), take an oath, X straitly, (cause to, make to) swear.
#7651 sheba` sheh'-bah or (masculine) shibrah {shib-aw'}; from 7650; a primitive cardinal number; seven (as the sacred full one); also (adverbially) seven times; by implication, a week; by extension, an indefinite number.
We shall also see the “Aleph & Taw” throughout these verses, which are symbolic of the bridegroom. You will see that the Yisrael, the bride, is commanded to “compass the Aleph & Taw” or the bridegroom seven times.
The word “compass” in Joshua chapter 6 is the following Hebrew word:
#5437 cabab saw-bab' a primitive root; to revolve, surround, or border; used in various applications, literally and figuratively (as follows):--bring, cast, fetch, lead, make, walk, X whirl, X round about, be about on every side, apply, avoid, beset (about), besiege, bring again, carry (about), change, cause to come about, X circuit, (fetch a) compass (about, round), drive, environ, X on every side, beset (close, come, compass, go, stand) round about, inclose, remove, return, set, sit down, turn (self) (about, aside, away, back).
The phrase go round about in Joshua 6:3 is as follows:
#5362 naqaph naw-kaf' a primitive root; to strike with more or less violence (beat, fell, corrode); by implication (of attack) to knock together, i.e. surround or circulate:--compass (about, -ing), cut down, destroy, go round (about), inclose, round.
Yahuwshuwa (Joshua) 6:
1 Now Yeriychow (Jericho) was straitly shut up because of the children of Yisra’el: none went out, and none came in.
2 And YHWH said unto Yahuwshuwa, See, I have given into your hand [Aleph & Taw] Yeriychow (Jericho), and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.
3 And you shall compass [Aleph & Taw] the city, all you men of war, and go round about [Aleph & Taw] the city once. Thus shall you do six days.
*Explanation: Yisrael was commanded to compass (revolve) around Jericho for six days, but on the seventh day, they were to compass the city seven times. The Hebrew word for go round about is as follows:
4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day you shall compass [Aleph & Taw] the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.
5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear [Aleph & Taw] the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.
6 And Yahuwshuwa the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up [Aleph & Taw] the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of YHWH.
7 And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass [Aleph & Taw] the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of YHWH.
8 And it came to pass, when Yahuwshuwa had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns passed on before YHWH, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of YHWH followed them.
9 And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
10 And Yahuwshuwa had commanded the people, saying, You shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall you shout.
11 So the ark of YHWH compassed [Aleph & Taw] the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.
12 And Yahuwshuwa rose early in the morning, and the priests took up [Aleph & Taw] the ark of YHWH.
13 And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of YHWH went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of YHWH, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
14 And the second day they compassed [Aleph & Taw] the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.
15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times.
16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Yahuwshuwa (Joshua) said unto the people, Shout; for YHWH has given you [Aleph & Taw] the city.
This was an astounding revelation that he gave me to me in 2015, when I first began seeking him about the Flat Earth, and the Heliocentric Model. YaHuWaH showed me that because the earth makes a full revolution around the sun each year, (called a Tequwphah); therefore, Yisrael was commanded to march around the Promised Land seven times, as a reminder of their inheritance.
There are also seven prophetic feasts that the bride is commanded to remember each year. Thus, we can see the connection between why the bride circles her bridegroom seven times, and why the earth makes a full revolution around the sun for every annual cycle of seven feasts!
In Matthew 24:8, our Messiah described the days leading up to his second coming as “The beginning of sorrows.” The Greek word for “sorrows” in this passage is as follows:
#5604. odin o-deen' akin to 3601; a pang or throe, especially of childbirth:--pain, sorrow, travail.
#3601. odune od-oo'-nay from 1416; grief (as dejecting):--sorrow.
Jerusalem is the Center of the Earth & Our Mother:
Take a look at the Hebrew word in Ezekiel 5:5, where we are told that Jerusalem is in the “midst” (center) of the earth. Here is a screenshot of my esword program, where you can see that the Hebrew word for “midst” is #8432 “tawvek.”
In Galatians 4:26, the Apostle Shaul (Paul) makes a cryptic statement about Jerusalem being “The mother of us all.” Where did he get this idea from?
Yeshayahuw (Isaiah) 66:
7 Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.
8 Who has heard such a thing? who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
9 Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? says YHWH: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? says your Elohiym.
10 Rejoice you with Yerushalayim (Jerusalem), and be glad with her, all you that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all you that mourn for her:
11 That you may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that you may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.
Many within the Flat Earth Movement have erroneously declared that the Heliocentric Model is a pagan concept. However, you will be surprised to find out, that just the opposite is true.
In 1616, the Roman Catholic Church prohibited anyone from teaching the Heliocentric Model of the heavens, as it became “Cannon Law” by the Vatican to believe in the geocentric model.
Nicolaus Copernicus was a Polish Astronomer, and he became famous for his discovery of the Heliocentric Model of our Solar System.
Heliocentrism is the belief that all the planets (including the earth) orbit around the sun. For more information, see this link:
Does the Bible Teach Geocentricity?
This website link provides historical background of the Geocentric Model, as it was first taught by the Medieval Catholic Church:
“The medieval Catholic Church maintained that the Bible taught geocentricity (i.e., that the Sun and planets revolve around the Earth) as opposed to what we now know as the Copernican idea of heliocentricity (i.e., that the planets all revolve around the Sun).
This situation began when Claudius Ptolemy of Alexandria restated the ancient Ptolemaic geocentric theory in the second century after Christ, and was able to predict the motion of the celestial bodies with far greater accuracy than the existing theory of heliocentricity.
Somewhere along the line, scientific dogma became enshrined in theological dogma, and passages in the Bible were found to consecrate Ptolemy’s theory. According to the theologians, man was the focus of God’s creative act, and therefore the Earth must be the center of God’s creation.”
As you can see, the Geocentric Model was taught by the Roman Catholic Church, (based on a misinterpretation of Joshua 10:13), where the English translation states “The sun stood still...”
However, the Hebrew translation of Joshua 10:13 (along with Scientific data), reveals that the sun’s gravitational pull ceased, and thus, the earth’s rotation slowed down, causing the daylight to extend to almost 24 hours. To be exact, the day extended to 23 hours and 20 minutes, leaving 40 minutes unaccounted for to the Scientific Community.
The Hebrew word for “stood still” (damam), simply means that the sun “ceased” it’s gravitational pull on the earth, causing the earth to slow down by 50% it’s normal spin.
Here at this link, is Don Stewart’s explanation of the sun “standing still” in Joshua 10:12-13.
This explanation illustrates for us that the sun did indeed “cease” (damam in Hebrew) to pull the earth. The sun is much larger than the earth, therefore, it’s gravitational pull on the earth is very strong. When Joshua prayed “Sun, stand thou still,” there is only one word in Hebrew for this phrase that was translated into English:
#1826 damam daw-man' a prim root (Compare 1724, 1820); to be dumb; by implication, to be astonished, to stop; also to perish:--cease, be cut down (off), forbear, hold peace, quiet self, rest, be silent, keep (put to) silence, be (stand) still, tarry, wait.
In the tenth chapter of the Book of Joshua, the following account is recorded:
“Then Joshua spoke to YHWH in the day when YHWH delivered up the Amorites before the children of Yisrael, and he said in the sight of Yisrael: Sun, stand still over Gibeon; and Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon. So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the people had revenge upon their enemies. Is this not written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that YHWH heeded a voice of a man; for YHWH fought for Yisrael” (Joshua 10:12-14).
There is also the story of a Yale astronomer who found that the earth was twenty-four hours out of schedule. Another professor at Yale, Dr. Totten, suggested the astronomer read the Bible starting at the beginning and going as far as necessary, to see if the Bible could account for the missing time.
When he came to the account of the long day of Joshua, the astronomer rechecked the figures and found that at the time of Joshua there were only twenty-three hours and twenty minutes lost. His skepticism justified, he decided that the Bible was not the Word of Elohiym, because there was a mistake by forty minutes.
Professor Totten showed him that the Bible account does not say “twenty-four hours,” but rather “About the space of a whole day.” On reading further, the astronomer found that Elohiym, through the prophet Isaiah, (and in answer to Hezekiah's prayer), promised to add fifteen years to his life (2nd Kings 20:1-11; Isaiah 38:1-21).
To confirm this promise, the shadow of the sundial was turned back ten degrees. Ten degrees on a sundial is forty minutes on the face of a clock. When he found his day of missing time accounted for in the Bible, the astronomer bowed his head in worship of its Author, saying, “Lord, I believe!”---- (Harry Rimmer, The Harmony of Science and Scripture, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1936, p. 33).
See my other blog entitled “Flat Earth Deception: The Earth is a Womb!”
The reason why pagan sun-god worship is so egregious to our Creator, is because Satan has convinced humans to worship the object of the sun itself (Ezekiel 8:16). However, we are shown in Scripture that we must not worship the creation itself, but rather our Messiah, who is also the creator of all things.
Romans 1:25 Who changed the truth of Elohiym into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Awmane.
Colossians 1:16 & John 1:3 tell us that our Messiah, Yahuwshuwa created all things. Psalm 19:1 says that “The heavens declare the glory of Elohiym.” Therefore, all things in creation are meant to be a prophetic pictures of Messiah and his bride. Therefore, to diminish the need to understand the created order, only undercuts our ability to see Messiah and his plan of salvation.
Astronomy is the study of the celestial bodies. This is not to be confused with “Astrology,” which is seeking the stars for personal fortune-telling. We are forbidden in Deuteronomy 18:9-11 to seek after the stars for personal prophecy. See my blog explaining the difference between Astronomy versus Astrology: Is There a Difference Between Astronomy & Astrology?
What is the Message of Psalm 19?
As previously explained, our Messiah is called “The Sun of Righteousness” in Malachi 4:2, because he is a prophetic picture the sun. In Hebrew, it is the phrase “Shamesh Tzedaqah,” meaning “Sun of Righteousness.” The sun lights up the entire earth, therefore, our Messiah is like the sun, who is also called the light of the world.
King David is expressing in Psalm 19 that the “glory” (kabowd, heaviness, weightiness) of YaHuWaH is revealed in his creation. The sun rising in the morning is a prophetic picture of the bridegroom coming out of his “WEDDING CHUPPAH,” to come and receive his bride unto himself! The Hebrew word for chamber is the word wedding chuppah! Hence, the earth is a prophetic picture of the bride becoming pregnant with souls!
Tehilliym (Psalm)19:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of Elohiym; and the firmament shows his handywork.
*Explanation: the firmament (raqiya) is the huge expanse we know as “outer space.” The dictionary defines the word “expanse” as follows: “An uninterrupted space or area; a wide extent of anything: an expanse of water. Something that is spread out, especially over a relatively large area: that great expanse, the sky.”
Tehilliym (Psalm) 19:2 Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night shows knowledge.
Tehilliym (Psalm) 19:3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
*Explanation: The heavens or the firmament (the expanse of outer space) is daily uttering speech, and giving us knowledge of the Almighty.
Tehilliym (Psalm) 19:4 Their line [measuring cord] is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them HE HAS SET A TABERNACLE FOR THE SUN.
Tehilliym (Psalm) 19:5 WHICH IS AS THE BRIDEGROOM COMING OUT OF HIS CHAMBER [CHUPPAH], and rejoices as a strong man to run a race.
*Explanation: The heavens or the firmament (outer space) is a huge expanse, which is a tabernacle for the sun. The sun is not this tiny little ball inside of a glass dome that is only 3,000 miles away from the earth.
Tehilliym (Psalm) 19:6 His GOING FORTH IS FROM THE END OF THE HEAVEN, AND HIS CIRCUIT [REVOLUTION] unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
*Note: the sun spins (rotates), but it does not orbit around the earth. The earth does both. It spins (rotates) and it also orbits around the sun. The Tabernacle for the sun is not glass dome over the earth, as many within the Flat Earth Movement falsely teach.
The Tabernacle for the Sun is the EXPANSE OF OUTER SPACE BETWEEN THE EARTH AND THE THRONE IN HEAVEN!
Psalm 19:1 tells us that the “firmament,” (raqiya) is a huge expanse, which is what we call “OUTER SPACE!”
The firmament [the expanse of space] reveals his creation!
Psalm 19:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of Elohiym; and the firmament [expanse, raqiya] shows his handywork.
The Hebrew word “raqiya,” means the following:
“An expanse, i.e. the firmament or (apparently) visible arch of the sky.”
The visible arch of the sky is the ATMOSPHERE THAT SURROUNDS THE EARTH, made of oxygen and moisture (vapor)--- NOT A GLASS DOME!
The Heliocentric Model is biblical, because our Messiah is called “The Sun of Righteousness,” and he is also called “The Light of the World.” The bride revolves around her bridegroom, just as Yisrael surrounded Jericho, the Promised Land. As we saw in Joshua chapter 6, Yisrael “compassed around” the Aleph & Taw, which is symbolic of our Messiah!
The Hebrew Words Chuwg, Chagag & Chagra
“A SPHERE!”
Therefore, the earth is a prophetic picture of the bride pregnant with souls, and she revolves around the Messiah, not the other way around.
What is even more revealing, is that the root word for “chuwg” is as follows:
#2287 chagag khaw-gag' a primitive root (Compare 2283, 2328); properly, to move in a circle, i.e. (specifically) to march in a sacred procession, to observe a festival; by implication, to be giddy:--celebrate, dance, keep, hold a solemn feast (holiday), reel to and fro.
#2283 chagra' khaw-gaw' from an unused root meaning to revolve (Compare 2287); properly, vertigo, i.e. (figuratively) fear:--terror.
From these three words: chagag, chagra, and chuwg, we understand that the earth “revolves, spins, and dances” around her bridegroom, (who is the Sun of Righteousness), and she does this seven times, for seven annual festivals!
Why does the bride dance around the bridegroom seven times in a Hebrew Wedding? It is to remind us of when Yisrael was commanded to march around Jericho seven times, before the walls came tumbling down!
As I already explained, an Ancient Hebrew Wedding features a bride compassing (circling, orbiting) around her bridegroom seven times, because she is to be reminded of Yah’s covenant, which includes staking her claim on the Promised Land!
The bride orbits or revolves around her bridegroom!
The bridegroom does not revolve around the bride!
*Note: For those that that believe in a “Flat Earth,” I highly recommend these links, for Scriptural proof of a spinning globe earth:
