Allusions to the Bible in The Book of Eli

Allusions to the Bible in The Book of Eli

The Book of Eli is a post-apocalyptic movie with the well acclaimed Denzel Washington playing the lead role. Denzel is also the producer of this film. Some reviews have called The Book of Eli a Christian movie. This may be true, but it does not coincide with the Passion of Christ. The movie is based on Denzel who stars as Eli, who is traveling alone through America. America at the time had been shattered by a nuclear war 30 years earlier. The environment is plagued with abandoned cars, collapsing buildings, and demolished highways. On top of all the damage there is a shortage of water. The water that is left is rationed off to the people. The people even have the option to trade something of value in exchange for clean drinking water. Just by knowing the plot one could already assume that the end of the world is near.

Eli is heading west throughout the entire movie. During his journey he makes his way through a lawless land. This land is very similar to the land the book of Revelation depicts. Revelation talks about the earth being without a sea and this fact is portrayed within the film (see Revelation 21:1).

The people were living in a lawless time. As a result, everyone acted on impulse and did whatever they felt was right at the time.There weren't any Bibles. All of them had been burned. Eli was the only man alive with the way the truth and the light. He had the responsibility to deliver the word to the masses. Without the word of God the survivors of the war were heading towards extinction. As a result, famine set in and the survivors started to feast on each other. The earth was how we had never seen it before.

Denzel Washington as Eli, a man on a Mission from God

The Book of Eli is very similar to the book of Revelations. It alludes and illustrates that the apocalypse has begun.  According to the Bible several things will happen during the apocalypse, and a plague is one of them. Revelation makes references to 7 last plagues before God’s wrath would be completed (Revelation 15). The majority of the people Eli encounters on his journey are sick. Shaky hands were the indicator of the plague.  The people with shaky hands in the movie were outcasts and were killed without any remorse. Furthermore, these plagued people could have signified the beginning of the rapture.

One allusion is Eli  being considered to be similar to John of Patmos. I say this mainly because no one in the movie has any idea of what is to come and Eli has the answers for the church. Church in this context means the people living in this area during the movie. Eli has the letter to set everyone free. Without Eli there is a slim chance that people will be able rectify. If there not able to rectify they will be left behind when the rapture takes place.

Another allusion that I discovered was Eli’s identity. Eli was the lone carrier of the Bible and was trying to make it to a printing press throughout the entire movie. Eli could have been short for Elijah. And just like the prophet of the Old Testament, Eli is the possessor of God’s word. It is Eli responsibility to distribute the book of life to the masses. Furthermore, Eli could even be referred to as the last major prophet.

  

The Book of Eli is one of my favorite movies of all time. There are a lot of hidden messages within the movie. Some of the messages are biblical and some are political. There are even some messages that are based on power. I am sure anyone who watches this movie will want to watch it twice just to see all the things they didn’t pick up on.

Who was Balaam?

Who was Balaam?

The book of Revelation is one of the most popular books of all time. It should come as no surprise that society relates so many worldly issues to this text. John of Patmos is considered to be the author of this text. John mentions many different people in his writing. Some of the individuals he wrote about were completely foreign to me. The name that stood out the most to me was Balaam. John references Balaam as if he was a fabricated teacher. More interestingly, in my opinion, John illustrated Balaam as a man of influence. Through further research I learned that there are other books that mentioned the unidentified man named Balaam. This gentleman has been talked about in the Old and New Testament, but who is he?

Since biblical names have always held symbolism and honor throughout history, it could be helpful to begin with the meaning of Balaam’s name. Thename “Balaam” means “Destroyer Of People.”  Because of this meaning of the name connections can be drawn to the book of Revelation. John refers to Balaam as a stumbling block to the people.  This answer is logical, but I think it would be premature to just assume this is all we need to know about Balaam. To get clarity we need to take a step back and study the Old Testament.

Balaam in the Old Testament

Balaam is name is mentioned in several books of the Bible. Each book gives us a different illustration of who Balaam was. The website http://biblehub.com/topical/b/balaam.htm tells us that Balaam was also referenced as an individual that held supernatural powers. From my understanding, he was contacted by Balak, king of Moab, who feared that the people of Israel would attack his country. Balak needed Balaam services to curse the Israelis. Insteadof cursing the people he coerced by the spirit to bless the children of Israel(Numbers 22:5 and Numbers 22:22). The website goes on to inform us that Balaam was most likely a descendant of Shem and carried some of the same ideas as God.Even though he had similar ideas he didn’t have similar intentions. As a result, he died an unrighteous man.

What did we learn from this passage?

1. Balaam has authority.
2. Balaam has Godlike powers.
3. Balaam had evil intentions, but was forced into doing good deeds.
4. Balaam’s actions definitely coincides with the meaning of his name.

Who is Balaam in Revelation?

According to the website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balaam the etymology of Balaam’s name is unclear. He is considered to be a prophet and the son of Beor. Furthermore; allof Balaam’s positive contributions were not done out love, but because the spirit forced him to. Instead of him being viewed as a blessing, Balaam is depicted as a wicked man. The root of Balaam’s wickedness was his decision to sabotage the Israelites on the Promise Land. The Israelites listened to Balaam teachings about the worshiping idols and were plagued because of it.

Regardless of Balaam’s true identity we can conclude that he is a man of influence.  My research has brought me to believe that Balaam held a large amount of power. Balaam is talked about in the Old and New Testament. In my opinion, there should be more discussions about this influential character. Although Balaam had corrupt ways God used him to help the masses.

What was Moses' Ethnicity?

What was Moses’ Ethnicity?

Moses parts the Red Sea

While reading the book of Acts some questions came to me about the ethnicity of Moses. Prior to my first encounter with the book of Acts I pictured Moses as a man of European descent. However, after my research I discovered that Moses was actually a Hebrew born into the tribe of Levi (Exodus 2:1-3). The Bible is probably the best place to look for information about the great Moses.

The book of Exodus tells us that prior to Moses’ birth the Egyptians decided to implement their own form of eugenics. Pharaoh is depicted as ordering Hebrew males to be killed at birth (Exodus). Pharaoh’s efforts lead us directly to the account of Moses, who is depicted inaccurately by Hollywood and television programming. 

From my interpretation Moses was born a Hebrew- Israelite. I came to that conclusion after reading (Exodus 2:1-3). The book of Acts also gives us some valuable insight about Moses' life. According to Acts (7:23) Moses lived in the House with Pharaoh for 40 long years. Forty years is a long time for an individual to live in a area that his ancestors where being enslaved.

How could Moses spend time at the house of Pharaoh and not be identified as an outcast?  

The Book of Acts portrays Moses as a man that lived with Pharaoh since an infant.  The Old Testament tells us that Moses actually passed for Pharaoh’s grandson (Exodus 2:6, 10). As I read more I realized that all this happened around the same time that Pharaoh was giving orders for all Hebrew males to be killed. The website http://www.bible-knowledge.com/story-of-moses/  gives us even more details of Moses life. Before Moses was born, the children of Israel were living in slavery in Egypt. The Pharaoh was afraid of the numbers and might of the growing Israelites during this time, so he had all of them put under extreme bondage and slavery so they could not rebel against him. We can assume that the only way Moses could have passed for Pharaoh’s grandson is if resembled him in someway. So how does Moses fit in with the Pharaoh?  The website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses says that as a child Moses was  adopted as a foundling from the Nile river and grew up with the Egyptian royal family. From this statement I think we can assume that Moses was a man of a darker skin tone and probably resembled the Egyptians. (Ex 2:5, 7, 9, 10; Acts7:21; Heb)



What distinguished Hebrews from Egyptians? And why can we conclude Moses was brown-skinned?

From this blog we understand that Moses was Hebrew and Pharaoh was an Egyptian. So why can we assume that Moses and Pharaoh had similar features? The website http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/lecture4b.html tells us that the Hebrews first appeared in Mesopotamia; which would be present day Iraq.The Hebrews migrated from Mesopotamia to Canaan and then into Egypt. During this time the Hebrew were claiming to be descendants of Abraham who called themselves Israelites (solders of God). The Hebrew Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptian pharaohs until Moses came to lead. On the other hand, when the Egyptians first appeared they were in Egypt. Egypt is present day Africa,were the ethnicity is predominantly brown-skinned people. This is the place Moses migrated to while his forefathers were enslaved. However, he was able to live here during a time of Egyptian rule. How was Moses able to withstand this form of enslavement?  He had to look similar to Pharaoh and his people in order to live their under such conditions.Furthermore, the only thing that distinguishes Hebrews from Egyptians is there birth place. In my opinion, Moses was Hebrew and so was Pharaoh's family. They divided up into different sects because of the misuse of power. The Egyptian rulers wanted unanimous control over all the people in this area. So they created a divide between themselves and the other Hebrews.

Map of Mesopotamia and Egypt 

In the book of Exodus we find out Moses Ethnicity through a story he experienced with the Lord.

Again, the LORD said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. “Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh(Exodus 4:6-7). So what color was his before he was given leprous?Moses' hands changed from its original color to white. This allows us to assume that his hands were probably brown before he put them into his cloak. That indicates that Moses was a brown-skinned Hebrew man that was able to pass as an Egyptian.

Other evidence to know.

If the Israelites were truly how television shows them then Moses wouldn't have been able to (secretly) survive amongst Pharaoh and the brown-skinned Egyptians for forty years.We also understand that Moses was chosen by God to be the leader of many. According to the Bible Moses murdered an Egyptian after he observed him harming a Hebrew. As a result, Moses grew afraid and fled from Egypt. Moses ran away because he thought Pharaoh might find out and kill him (Exodus 2:12-15). Furthermore the bible tells us that Moses fled to Midian where he ended up saving seven daughters. When the daughters returned home they told their father that an Egyptian saved them (Exodus 2:16-19). What makes this scripture fascinating is the way the girls described the person that saved them (Moses). Notice they said “an Egyptian delivered us out of the land of Sheppard’s.  This alludes to Moses being brown-skinned, because the description we have of the Egyptians is similar to Moses.

Why does Moses’ ethnicity matter?

In my opinion, the reason Moses’ ethnicity matters is because of the people who attempts to find themselves in the Bible. It is important for the people who read the bible and see themselves as the characters. For example, there are people from totally different cultures that claim to be the real Jews. From my perspective, these different sects of people want to be labeled Jewish because of the promises the Bible has made for them. In the Bible the Jews are depicted as God chosen people (Exodus 19:5). That scripture alone conveys the message that one ethnicity is superior to the other. It also makes people believe that they could possibly benefit from being Jewish. This is the same dilemma that arises when it comes to Moses’ identity. People are curious about their ancestral history, and it gives them hope to know that Moses was in their family tree.

In contrast, I know there are devote Christians that would say we all came from one race. That same Christian would point to the book of  Genesis and claim that we are all made from Adam and Eve. This may be true, but I would combat that answer with a critical question. If we are all made from two people then why are there so many different blood types?

I am a firm believer that everything that happens in life matters. I don't think that there is anything that is insignificant. To discover if Moses is the primal ancestor of any of the people still here on Earth we would have to know his ethnicity.

Conclusion:

Moses is a great leader and religious figure. There have been many speculations to what his ethnicity truly is. Moses is similar to the Egyptians. He has all the characteristics of a king. I think it is safe to conclude that Moses is a brown-skinned Hebrew Israelite. He should be presented as that in all biblical films. If people  take the Bible literally then ethnicity matters. It matters because God conveys the message that the Jewish (Hebrew) people are chosen and divine. Therefore, Moses' ethnicity is important to know and understand.

Is God and the spirit one?

Is God and the spirit one?

The Gospel of the Egyptians is a book that brings forth the narrative of the great invisible spirit. The Great Spirit was also depicted as a father; which means the spirit could also be referenced as a man. There were three entities that came forth from the great invisible spirit.  The three powers are similar to the holy trinity; however they came as the father mother and the son. The trinity generated from the silence. The silence brought forth 3 forms of power: the first power created eternal life, the second presides over heaven and the third is known as the son and glory of the father. The three great powers gave praise to the invisible spirit.

The gospel also talks about the original man being named Adamas. Adamas was created from the invisible spirit. The Great Spirit is responsible for the beginning of mankind.After the spirit had created the earth suit for the spirit, the great Logos and the divine Autogenes appeared. Logos is just another name for divine wisdom that manifests in the creation process. The Autogenes means self- born or self generated. The Logos and the Autogenes met with Adamas and gave praise to the spirit. During the moments of praise they asked for strength for the Autogenes.The Autogenes would allow for many races to come forth through Adamas. Their prayer caused the invisible Spirit to come. At the end of the prayer Adamas asked for a son so that human race could manifest.  

How is the gospel of the Egyptians similar to the canonized gospels?  

 The gospel of the Egyptians and the canonized gospels have similar concepts. Both of these gospels have content that describes a supreme entity.  Through the work of the gospel writer’s we notice the parallels that exist between the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of the Egyptians. For example, the book of John tells us about Jesus speaking about light and how it relates to life. In (John 8:12) When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." This scripture is compatible with the scriptures that are found in the Gospel of the Egyptians. In the Egyptians gospel book there were also references made about light and its importance. For instance, the gospel of the Egyptians used the word light 7 times within the first 5 sentences. Its states “the light of the lightof the aeons of light, the light of the silence of the providence <and>the Father of the silence, the light of the word and the truth, the light of the incorruptions, the infinite light.” In my opinion, the writer of this scripture was explaining that the most high is the light (source). And the light symbolizes the beginning of all things ever created.  In the book of John Jesus called himself the light of the world. Meaning he is the source of creation. John's scripture is definitely similar to the content in the Gospel of the Egyptians. Analyzing both of the findings critically I assume the light symbolizes the spirit that every human has; the same spirit Adam and Adamas was born with. In my opinion, its safe to conclude that  God is the spirit  that created civilization for his pleasure. Therefore, we humans are really spirits having a human experience. 

  Another similarity between the two gospels is that they reference the Great Spirit as coming in the form of three entities. In the bible the invisible spirit comes as the father, the word, and the Holy Spirit (John 5:7). In the gospel of the Egyptians the invisible spirit is presented as the father mother and the son. The common theme is everything in the universe has been documented as deriving from one source. The great spirit.

Why wasn't this included in the New Testament?

Personally I believe the reason why this was not included in the New Testament was because of the complexity of the text.  I think the authors of this gospel did not want to push people away because of not being able to grasp the information. Even in the Bible Jesus spoke in parables to clarify his message for everyone he taught.

Who wrote the gospel of the Egyptians?

The website http://gnosis.org/naghamm/goseqypt.html informs us that Seth wrote this work. According to the lost gospel Seth was sent by four lights. Seth's arrival was to give pleasure to the great invisible spirit.  Seth's mission is similar to Jesus. He was sent to save the world that had gone astray. Seth wrote the Gospel of the Egyptians to inform the race of their true identity. He was motivated by the great spirit. Seth wanted to give information about the holy savior to the lost race of people living in the earth realm.  

Is God the metaphor used for the great invisible spirit?

My research has brought me to the conclusion that God is the title that has been given to the infinite intelligence that created the spirit. Therefore God is really the great invisible spirit that the Gospel of the Egyptians refers to. In Christain Wolf's Psychological Empirical the theologian Emanuel Swedenborg states "Men say that angels or genii are spirits.  They say that the soul is a spirit.  They say that the devil is a spirit. We say that all things that are active per se, even though in material things, are spirits. But all these spirits were created and made by the Infinite, and consequently are finite and not infinite. God alone is infinite." God is the spirit that has manifested in human form. Everything in the universe was created for his pleasure. Its impossible to have a spirit and not have God. Therefore if the spirit can be found in all things, then so can God. That brings us to the realization that God is the great invisible spirit that Seth wrote about. Leo Tolstoy makes subscriptions to this mindset in his book The Kingdom of God is Within. Leo states "in the midst of the winter, I find in me the invisible summer." Meaning in the midst of everything going on in front of our eyes we have something greater within. This something is God, the spirit.

Did John write the gospel of John?

Did John write the gospel of John?

The first four gospels are responsible for giving the world the story of Jesus Christ. However, the book of John supposedly is an eye witness account, the testimony of a man who is allegedly Jesus’ cousin but has never meet him. While reading the book of John I realized that John’s book has some of the same questions that the book of Matthew had open for discussion. Who is the author? Did Matthew write the first gospel and did John write the fourth gospel? In contrast to Matthew, John did not copy any of the other gospels content. Scholars believe that John had a better vantage point than any of the other disciples. More interestingly, in my opinion, is the uncertainty of the beloved John being literate. Bart, on the website http://ehrmanblog.org/why-was-the-gospel-of-john-attributed-to-john/ explains that there was a probability that John could not write. Bart goes on to say that John was a fisherman from rural Galilee.  Fishermen were uneducated.  They were very low class peasants. John would never have gone to school. Being that John would have never gone to school the claim can be made that he couldn’t have written a sophisticated narrative in Greek. This information lead me to believe that there is a narrow chance that a peasant with low cognition could have written the gospel.

 

Education is important for primitive and contemporary writers. So why did an unidentified author slash editor give John of Zebedee credit for writing the gospel of John? If we addressed the question from a Christian perspective we will receive and answer similar to this: Who wrote the Gospel of John is a question that remains unanswered, though noted theologians throughout the ages maintain that it was indeed the disciple John who penned the famous Biblical book. Something to remember is that individuals with this outlook believes that all the content in the bible is factual. However, this traditional perspective isn't enough evidence for me to believe in full that John wrote his gospel book.

 

If you pose the same question to an individual living during the era of King James they would tell you that Shakespeare was the author of this highly questionable text.  In my opinion, the gospel of John couldn’t have been written by John because the text never identifies its author. The only information the gospel allocates about the author is   “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”   Furthermore, we have no proof of the original scripts of the eye witnesses that theologians claim the book belongs to. In my study I found research that supports my beliefs.  Today the majority of scholars do not believe that John or any other eyewitness wrote it and trace it instead to a “Johannine community” which traced its traditions to John; the gospel itself shows signs of having been composed in three “layers”, reaching its final form about 90-100 AD.

 

We may never truly discover who indoctrinated or wrote the gospel of John, any more than we can identify the authors of the books of Matthew, Mark and Luke. The conclusion we can come to is that the book of John is a gospel that has content that is isolated. Yet the other three books have so many parallels that they came to be known as the Synoptic Gospels. Those being so similar create a problem known as the synoptic problem.  John doesn’t have the same details as the other gospels which compel me to wonder if John’s gospel was historical at all. In order to understand religion we have to understand history. Doing my research on the history of John brought me to the discovery that not everything that happened in biblical history was recorded. Possibly this is why the writers of the bible left out who actually wrote John. On the other hand, in my opinion John didn't write the gospel of John because history tells us that he would have been illiterate due to his living conditions at the time. Bart on the website http://ehrmanblog.org/why-was-the-gospel-of-john-attributed-to-john/ claims that low class peasants wouldn't have time for school and even if he did a written novel would be far fetched.

 



John relaxes one hand on his debatable gospel book

In conclusion, someone had to know about the other three gospels to write the gospel of John.  It’s only logical that an eye witness’s story should be presented first to set a foundation for information to come. Without an eye witness account all evidence that is offered is debatable. The gospel of John was last, which leads me to think that the unidentified editor read from some other source prior to writing the fourth gospel. It is also possible that the author of John did not have the same experience as his fellow disciple mark. Consequently the evidence he presented is falsifiable. However, we can only hypothesize on the identity of the author of the book of John. Possibly history can help unveil the truth about who wrote the gospel of John.

Was Jesus’ story purloined from Kemet?

Kemet (Ancient Egypt) 

Was the story of Jesus' purloined from Kemet?

 

The first four books of the New Testament are responsible for revealing to the world the life of the messiah known as Jesus Christ. While reading the Synoptic Gospels, as well as, The Jesus Mysteries: Was the "Original Jesus" a Pagan God? the Pagan Gods by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy. I've learned much of the life of Jesus was taken from ancient Egypt correctly known as Kemet. The Gospel according to Luke provides us a detailed look into the life of Jesus. however, contemporary religions have mimicked stories from the ancient Egyptian culture. The stories that are told in the New Testament books are purloined from Kemet.

 

 

How was the Jesus legacy formed?

 

 

 

 

To determine how Jesus' legacy was forned, we first have to understand who he was. The website http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/jesus defines Jesus as a Jewish religious leader who was crucified in Jerusalem after his teaching and reported miracle-working incurred the disfavor of the Roman government of Palestine. In Christianity, Jesus is seen as Christ and as the Son of god. A side note to remember too is that Caesar and Horus was also referred to as the Son of God. Now we understand that Jesus was a leader who was executed for his beliefs. Let's go further...First of all, we must note that Jesus was a product of several different entities. The Messiah's path was chosen under the rule of the entity Constantine. Constantine was responsible for demanding all religious groups combine and unify under one umbrella and make an only religion for Rome; which at the time was a multifaceted religion. This is how Christ's legacy originated. These different Roman religious organizations generated and ultimately named Jesus to be president or the spokesperson. Jesus' lineage resembles that of ancient Egypt god Horus.

 

 

 Are Kemet myths modified as the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

 

The depiction of the life of Jesus through the gospel have been a myth rewritten by authors of the gospels. There are many  parallels and similarities to Kemet's god Horus to Jesus.  According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus Christ in comparative mythology, Tom Harpur ( a former Angelic priest, journalist, and professor of New Testament studies, has written a book The Pagan Christ. Harpur explains how the gospel of Jesus was written decades after Jesus death and it  has many similarities to Kemet god, Horus. how can such similarities be explained.....unless they were stolen. Horus' myth was recorded more than two thousand years before Jesus was born. The Pagan Christ explains how Luke and other authors of the gospel of the New Testament combine Kemet myths with Old Testament prophecies to narrate the life of Jesus.

 

 

Jesus becomes an extension of Kemet mythology god by a new name.

 

The narrative of Jesus has many parallels throughout the course of time. Jesus is most comparable with the Sun-God Horus. Jesus and Horus were carried from conception to birth by a virgin; star led three wise men to their birth place; both taught in the temple as a child; both had twelve disciples; both performed miracles; both were considered the way, the truth, and the light; both were crucified, buried in a tomb and resurrected. The list of similarities go on and on, but it is extremely important for us to note that Horus' story was written five thousand years ago and Jesus story was written two thousand years ago. The Sun-God Horus allows scholars to understand why Christians have been taught to worship a God on "Sun" day and say that Jesus is the son of God. ( See http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/42035).

 

Meri and Horus                 Mary and Jesus    

Conclusion:

Is there coincidence that the life story of Jesus is nearly the same as Horus'? I don't think so. There are parallels between Kemet mythology and the Gospels. The difference is the timing of each story. It is well established that the Horus myth has been written a lot longer than the story of Jesus. Horus is seen as a fictional hero and Jesus has been depicted by writers as being a real person. Jesus life is remarkable one to say the least. Luke and the other scribes whom wrote the New Testament went to great lengths to portray the life Jesus as an unique one. They used truthful information that had been passed down for centuries, but not factual because it had already been recorded prior to his life. Those authors owe a debt to Kemet for purloining their mythology.







What is the symbolism associated with the number 40 and why is it documented so many times in the Bible?

What is the symbolism associated with the number 40 and why is it documented so many times in the Bible?

This picture symbolizes Jesus being tempted for 40 days

While reading the gospel of Mark several questions arose. First I noticed that the book of Mark was known as the primitive gospel: Meaning that Mark was the first written gospel of the synoptic gospels. Knowing that Mark was primitive made me wonder if the other four gospels were written by the standard Mark set. I did some research and discovered that the gospels are very similar, but are not identical. The main similarities between the synoptic gospels were the stories, and they all shadowed the life of Christ. Another common theme I observed was the disciples all claimed to have witnessed Jesus performing miracles. One conclusion I came to for sure is that the gospels deserve some discussion and clarification. These findings opened my mind and allowed me to dig deeper. On my quest I discovered that the gospels had an inclination to use words and numbers multiple times. The beginning of Mark in the Literary Study Bible makes a profound statement: “Mark’s fondness for the word immediately , which appears approximately forty times.” This fact actually pushed me to write this blog. As I studied more on the information presented I detected a number that was used in the doctrine of Matthew that stirred up my analytical nature. This digit has been used over in over in the biblical text and should be examined. The number is 40.

Why was the number 40 used so frequently?

The number 40 is symbolic in many ways. It can symbolize a period of waiting, a time of preparation, a test, or even a trial of punishment. There is a story that is documented about the 40 days of rain. Forty days of rain represents the trial period. Some scholars even think it could mean punishment for followers of Christ’s teachings. http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/40.html alludes to this with The 40 days of rain in the days of the flood were the judgments of God. The 40 day periods of fasting, testing, and communing with God that were faced by Moses and Jesus were a form of God's judgments.” The compelling thing about that statement is that Christians are taught not to judge, but God judges’ mankind. As a result, there is a trial of punishment for 40 days. New chapters of the Bible even begin with the number 40 for the record of redemption.. In contrast, forty would also point toward the extent or length of time in which a generation survived. The Bible uses numbers to convey different messages and signs to the reader. For instance, the Bible articulates that 40 can symbolize the death of the inner self and the unworldly reincarnation. According to http://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/meaning-of-numbers-in-bible/40.html “the prophet Jonah powerfully warned ancient Nineveh, for forty days, that its destruction would come because of its many sins.”  From this excerpt the number 40 was conveyed as the number of destruction. This is a fairly good example of what the number 40 can represent in the biblical doctrine.

How does the number 40 transmit the message of humility?

I discovered that the number 40 was referenced 146 times in scripture. That is a lot of times to use a numeral for one book. This statistic brought me to the realization that this particular number may have more hidden messages. I found that the ancient Israelites were harassed from time to time. Harassment after a period of time could lead to being controlled and even enslaved by certain enemies who stripped them of their humanity for sins that were real or imagined. This in turn caused the Israelites to recognize the power of humility. According to http://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/meaning-of-numbers-in-bible/40.html “The Philistine's, in the southern and western parts of Israel's land, harassed them from 1105 to 1065 B.C. God's resolution to the harassment was Samson.” (See Judges 13:1, 1Samuel 7:13, 15 - 17).

10 times the number 40 occurred in the bible. (http://www.ridingthebeast.com/numbers/nu40.php )

1.        The 40 days of fast of Jesus in the desert. (Mt 4,2)

2.        Forty days separate the Ascension of Jesus of his Resurrection. (Act 1,3)

3.        The Flood of Noah lasted 40 days. (Gn 7,4)

4.        Elijah walked 40 days and 40 nights before to reach the Horeb mount. He fasted during 40 days before to begin his public ministry and he remained 40 days on the Carmel mount. (1 K 19,8)

5.        The priest Eli had been judge of Israel for 40 years. (1 S 4,18)

6.        The Hebrews wandered 40 years in the desert. (Nb 32,13)

7.        The reign of Joash lasted 40 years in Jerusalem. (2 Ch 24,1)

8.        The people of Nineveh had to repent during 40 days. (Jon 3,4)

9.        Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah. (Gn 25,20)

10.        The embalming of Jacob was prolonged during 40 days. (Gn 50,3)

What else should you know?  

In my research I discovered that the bible is loaded with scriptures that included numbers. There is a reason for every number that is used. All the numbers used convey different messages. I just had the inclination to know more about the number 40. Knowing more about symbolism can be very fascinating; especially when it’s coming out of the Bible.

2 final things you should know:

The Koran puts the number 40 five times in print.   (Koran II,48, V,29, VII,137, X,17 and XLVI,14).

Forty different people actually participated in penning the Bible dogma.

For information about 40 days of lent click this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypuyVDZTBuc