THE SIGNIFICANCE OF "FORTY" TO THE CHURCH

Born again believers recently celebrated the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  The book of Acts tells us that forty days after Jesus was raised from the dead, He ascended into heaven (Acts 1:3).  I wondered what was significant about Jesus remaining here for that specific length of time, so I looked up "forty," and discovered all the references to such a time-span have to do with events prior to the birth of the Church (Acts 2:1-2, 47).  That is good, because I am sure someone would begin saying that Christ's return will occur on May 6th!  We do not know when He will come, but we do know He is coming again!  Here are some of the significant events that span forty days:   

Genesis 7:4, 12, 17 - "For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.  And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.  And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth."

Genesis 8:6 - "And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made."

Genesis 50:3 - "And forty days were fulfilled for (Jacob); for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days."

Exodus 24:18 - "And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights."

Exodus 34:28 - "And he was there (again) with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments."

Numbers 13:25 - "And (the Hebrew spies) returned from searching of the land after forty days."

Numbers 14:34 - "After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise."

1 Samuel 17:16 - "And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days."

1 Kings 19:8 - "And (Elijah) arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God."

Ezekiel 4:6 - "And when thou (Ezekiel) hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year."

Jonah 3:4 - "And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown."

Matthew 4:2 - "And when (Jesus) had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungred."

Acts 1:3 - "To whom also (Jesus) showed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God."