I’m fascinated about how often the number forty (40) is relayed throughout Scripture as well as the number three (3) that is also relayed a significant number of times of which a few examples are: •Before the Passion of the Christ, the Apostle Peter denied the Lord Jesus 3x but after the Lord Jesus’ Resurrection, He asked Simon Peter 3x whether he loved Him, and after each affirmative answer the Lord Jesus said to him  “Feed My lambs” and “Shepherd tend to My sheep” and lastly “Feed My sheep” (see John 18:17,25,27 & 21:15-17); •After attempting to run and/or hide from God, the Prophet Jonah was protected in the belly of a big fish for three days (see Jonah 1:17); •Saul who was later renamed Paul lost his sight for three days (see Acts 9:9); •Yet the most significant of all the Scripture specific to the number three is that when the Lord Jesus released His spirit after which His physical body laid dead and buried, the Lord Jesus entered the depths of the earth wherein He preached to the captives in prison and on the third day YHWH (with inserted vowels YAHWEH transliterated JEHOVAH commonly interpreted the LORD) commanded the Resurrection of YESHUA/JESUS by the power of the Holy Spirit.  

  • “For Christ [the Messiah Himself] died for sins once for all, the Righteous for the unrighteous (the Just for the unjust, the Innocent for the guilty), that He might bring us to God. In His human body He was put to death, but He was made alive in the spirit, In which He went and preached to the spirits in prison . . . .” 1 Peter 3:18-20 (AMPC)  
  • “How God anointed and consecrated Jesus of Nazareth with the [Holy] Spirit and with strength and ability and power; how He went about doing good and, in particular, curing all who were harassed and oppressed by [the power of] the devil, for God was with Him. . . . And [yet] they put Him out of the way [murdered Him] by hanging Him on a tree; But God raised Him to life on the third day . . . .” Acts 10:38-40 (AMPC)  

This is that relayed by the Lord Jesus beforehand (read – Matthew 12:40; Mark 8:31; John 2:19).  

Peace . . . Harriet