Passover to Pentecost – Forty         Week 6 Day 1

Acts 1: 3 He appeared to them over a period of forty days. (NIV)

This is the week that Jesus ascended into heaven.  We will look at topics related to this week.  The first one will be forty.

Jesus opened and closed His ministry time here on earth with a special forty-day period.  Jesus after His baptism by John went into the wilderness for forty days to fast and was tempted by the devil.  He also had a forty-day period after His resurrection that He spent with His disciples. Normally I would say that forty is the number of testing, but His second forty-day period was not a test.

So, I would like to add another layer to the number forty.  Many of stories that are told with a “forty” time period the person or group is being prepare/trained to go into something new.  Jesus fasted forty days to start His ministry.  His second forty was preparing the disciples for His going back to heaven.  The Exodus forty years prepared the Israelites to be an army and take the Land.  Jesus’ ministry time could have been forty months depending on when he started in His 30^th year.

One interesting thing that also could be a forty-day period was with the Exodus.  We know Moses spent two forty-day periods on Sinai with God.  But forty days into the trip could have been when Moses struck the rock and water came out (Exodus 17).  All of these are shadows of Jesus.

Another forty-day story is when Elijah traveled forty days and nights while fleeing from Jezebel going to the Mount of God (1 Kings 19).  Once there he went into a cave and waited for the voice of God to call him out.  Another example of foreshadowing’s of Jesus.

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