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

Who was John The Baptist and When Did His Ministry Begin?

Who was John the Baptist and when did his Ministry Begin?

 

I have spent a good deal of time on this blog discovering the history of John the Baptist and the beginning of his ministry.  John the Baptist is viewed as a great religious figure for the majority of people that adhere to the biblical doctrine. Matthew the tax collector is responsible for introducing John. Matthew inscribes “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand"(Matthew 3:1-2). The third chapter of Matthew alludes to John the Baptist being this mystical being that just appears in the forest. Matthew makes the reader believe that John the Baptist didn’t have any historical family background; however as I explored the topic a little more I found that John the Baptist’s lineage was relatively sophisticated. 

So where do we begin?

 

Well, In the Gospel of Luke there is a description of John's early years, introducing him as the son of Zachariah and Elizabeth. According to this narrative John’s birth was prophesied by the angel Gabriel to Zachariah, while Zachariah was carrying out his purpose as a priest in Jerusalem.  The Gospel of Luke states that Jesus was conceived when Elizabeth was around six months pregnant; when her cousin Mary came to tell her about her news, Elizabeth's unborn child 'jumped for joy' in her womb. Why is this significant? John says that he doesn’t know Jesus, but the gospel of Luke states that Mary and John the Baptist’s mother and Elizabeth are cousins. Even though the doctrine doesn’t give any details, there is a logical explanation behind John’s claim. According to http://osbnorcia.org/2013/01/13/johnjesus “the family of John the Baptist lived in Judea, while the Holy Family lived in Galilee, so the geographic distance would have restricted frequent visits, even if the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem would have given them the chance to see each other.” It is possible that John could have of heard of Jesus, but not recognize his appearance. Although John was not conscious to the fact that he was related to Jesus, they both lived similar lives. For instance, the angel Gabriel prophesied to both of their mothers about a phenomenal birth. Angel Gabriel also suggested a name for John (Luke 1:13). Then later in that same chapter Gabriel announces a name for Jesus (Luke 1:30). They also had the same inclination to preach the gospel. Their messages were correlated. Both John and Jesus mentioned the Kingdom of heaven when they ministered. 

John the Baptist mission

John was a man of vision. He understood his identity and his purpose here on planet earth. At the core of John's ministry was the preaching about the kingdom of heaven, baptizing people for their sins and to preparing the masses for the coming of the messiah. His message was the same as Christ. He voiced to crowds that they should repent because the kingdom of heaven was near.  John came to fulfill Isiah’s prophecy and to prepare the way for the lord:  “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight’” (Matthew 3:3, quoting Isaiah 40:3).  In Luke 7:28, Jesus actually made the profound statement that John was the greatest man to ever live: "I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John ..." Jesus even got baptized by John before starting his ministry. He came to John to display the greatness of John’s ministry to man. 

From this passage we learn essentially five things that allows for a clearer depiction of Jesus and John the Baptist.

 

     1.      Jesus and John’s mothers were close.

     2.      These men were close in age.

     3.      Angel Gabriel prophesied over both of their lives.

     4.      Both John and Jesus mothers were aware of their son’s birth.

     5.      John was a visionary that prepared the way for the messiah.

Now that we understand more about John, the vital question is this: when did John the Baptist’s ministries begin?

 

There is no specific calendar date or scripture in the doctrine to notify followers of the launch of John’s ministry. After hours of research I found that Luke is the only individual to tell us when John the Baptist started his ministry. The only thing Luke reveals is that John began his ministry in the wilderness during the regime of several individuals and at the time of two high priests.

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. (NASB) Luke 3:1-2

After doing the calculations 15 years past Tiberius Caesar’s regime, we learn John’s ministry started during A.D. 29, because Tiberius Caesar led from A.D. 14 to A.D. 37. The rule of Pontius Pilate, Herod Antipas, and Herod Philip all extend beyond A.D. 29. This assists us in determining accurately the point in time when John started his ministry. Jesus’ ministry started a short time later - possibly as late as A.D. 30. According to http://www.neverthirsty.org/pp/series/Life/LH016-john-the-baptist/LH01.html “About 18 years have passed since Jesus interacted with the teachers in the temple courts at the time of the Passover Feast when we are told that John the Baptist has started his ministry. John the Baptist was probably at least thirty years of age since he was six months older than Jesus, and Jesus started His ministry when He was at least thirty.” To support the source I discovered that the book of Acts depicts the disciples of John as in time merged into the followers of Jesus (Acts 18:24-19:6), which supports the historical facts of John’s ministry beginning before Jesus.

Conclusion

What brought John the Baptist’s Ministry to my attention was reading the third chapter in the book of Matthew. Matthew made John’s appearance in the bible look magical and fairytale like. John’s history is not discussed enough. After examination I’ve learned that John and Jesus were related and that John’s ministry begins around 29 A.D. John does have a historical lineage and his ministry did not just appear from out the jungle. I hope you enjoyed this blog as much I enjoyed writing it. Please feel free to comment.