O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord… (Ez. 37:4)
Genesis 1:14-19
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
Geocentrism and Heliocentrism may not be common terms used by the average person today, but these two words are scientific and religious theories or beliefs about the position and movement of the earth and the other heavenly bodies.
Geocentrism is the belief that the earth is the center of the universe and all the over heavenly bodies move around the earth. Heliocentrism is the belief that the sun is the center of the universe and all the other heavenly bodies move around the sun.
Nicolaus Copernicus was a mathematician, astrologer, and clergyman that lived in the 1500’s. He formulated the model of the universe called heliocentrism. His theories about the movement of the celestial planets did not really start to take root until the time of his death, but quickly caught on and burned like a wildfire across the globe for the next couple of centuries until his theories are the only intellectually acceptable position of our modern world.
But, why was this important in Copernicus’s time, and why is this remotely relevant to us today? Why would the movement of the planetary bodies cause an uproar the world over in the many years following Copernicus’s death, and why would it be one of the key topics taught to all children in government schools?
The answer is simple.
Mankind from the Garden of Eden has been struggling to free himself from the authority and government of his Creator. The Heliocentric model gave a foothold to men that wished to prompt the lie that there is no God and that the earth is not special but only one planet among others in a vast universe.
But, is this the case? Even if Copernicus’s model of the movement of the planets is correct, is this a danger to Christianity, and does it undermine the Word of God?
Well, no.
There is a large portion of the American population today that do not believe that male and female are concrete and unyielding facts, yet if questioned on the concept of the movement of the planets in the sky above they will declare their unwavering belief in the facts of a heliocentric solar system.
The reason for this is due to the ardent dedication of humanistic man and his religious training grounds, also known as government schools. Humanistic educators are able to convince school children of the movement of the facts related to planetary bodies, but seem unable to properly teach them about what is between their legs and can only leave them confused about who and what they truly are.
Such religious education is of no value, and worse is destructive to the mind and souls of children.
But, why is it then unimportant if a man holds to a geocentric or heliocentric view of the solar system?
This is unimportant because God does not explain in great detail to man in His Word concerning the movements of the planets, not a great deal many other things, so there is nothing in the geocentric or heliocentric models that contradict what is revealed to man in the Word of God.
The rotation of the heavenly bodies is irrelevant to the fact that three full days of creation passed before God placed the first light in the sky. God makes it very clear that all the lights in the sky were created to give “light on the earth” and that they would be “signs for seasons, days, and for years.” The two great lights which we know as the sun and the moon were created to give light upon the earth, one during the day, and the other during the night. (Gen. 1)
There is no argument that these things are indeed true. We have two great lights as the Word of God says, and stars in the heavens are used to track and understand the passage of time amongst other things. We know this to be true.
If God chose to have the planetary bodies revolve around the earth, or if he chose to have them revolve around the sun is of no importance. The how is not so much important as the why and the who.
Science can only potentially get man to a certain point, once the threshold of man’s understanding or ability has been reached, man switches from knowledge to faith.
This is the issue with heliocentrism, not the science or the facts, but rather the faith that typically follows.
Man wants to believe that he is alone in the universe. He wants to believe that everything he sees just is.
If man acknowledges that he lives in a created world that has purpose and design then he has to acknowledge that he is a creature under his creator and not a free individual as he would like to believe.
Humanistic man is not however able to rid himself of the truth of who he is and the world he lives in, despite how much humanistic education he receives or how many others he heaps up to tell him what he wants to hear.
This is why the vast majority of men and women suffer from guilt and stress-related ailments typically spending a lifetime on medications to drown out the conscience that they deny possessing. Others tend toward self-destructive habits that often lead to death, and many others simply resort to suicide.
The “I never asked to be born” element of society is the most self-conscious of these humanistic rebels that are most easily identified because they not only seek to destroy themselves but also everything and everyone else around them.
The man that hates God loves and seeks death. (Prov. 8:36)
This means that man’s most basic problem is a spiritual problem and it requires a spiritual answer.
For Christians, the current generally acceptable model of heliocentrism is perfectly acceptable to believe, and if this changes in the future back to geocentrism this would also be fully acceptable.
The same God that created all things and sustains all things does so with or without your knowledge or lack of knowledge of how He does so.
The whole duty of man is not to understand all things in this world and how they work, but it is our duty to fear God and to keep His commandments. (Ecc. 12:13) So, let us be more concerned about being wrong about our daily actions and less concerned with being right or wrong about the movement of planets.
If anything let us have the stars in the heavens remind us of the short time we have on this earth and use our time wisely in obedience to God. (Ps. 90:12)
If the time does come when the teachings of men are actually in contradiction with the Word of God, then choose who is worthy of your trust and faith, the word of man, or the Word of God.
He that hath ears to hear let him hear. (Matt. 13:9)
Rev. Jeremy Walker is a Christian minister and educator who has been working with his wife of 20 years to operate a successful Christian preschool that has ministered to thousands of children and families. Rev. Walker and his wife Abigail have 11 children ages 3 to 18 and have worked together to raise, educate, and apprentice their children while ministering to the children of the community.
Rev. Walker is a Christian education and entrepreneur advocate who seeks to inspire, equip, and train young men and women to become the next generation of Christian teachers, to own and operate Christian schools, and to become financially independent and to live without debt.
In addition, Rev. Walker has created a Christian internet radio station CR101 Radio, a Christian podcast network, and is the host of a number of podcasts that cover various topics related to Christian doctrine, the family, and society. His hope is that other Christians will get inspired, get equipped, and get involved in the work of the great commission.