heathen: JCanon-- I can safely say I've never heard anybody come close to those ideas on the jesus being tempted 40 years before he combines with the arch angel michael . That sounds absurd to me . You think he is born again ? I can't agree on that one . I think when he does return to earth he only admits the faithful and true into the city of new jerusalem which is the great crowd then he destroys all that are left outside .
Sorry. The number 40 in the Bible is often associated with a time of trial. Such as the 40 years in the wilderness for the Jews after murmuring, or the 40 days of rain in Noah's day and the 40 days of testing by Satan of Jesus at the first coming.
The chronology of the second coming being 45 years from 1947 places that event in the mid-70th week that is from 1989 to 1996. The 70th week is associated with the ministry and later death of the Messiah, etc.
It just works out for observation that note the same pattern of numbers recurring as they might apply to this second coming messiah. For instance. Since the prodigal son has to have time to te tested, rebel and leave god then return, by the time of the 70th week, the 40 year "test" period is applied. IF this was understood as a possible "condition" associated with the second coming messiah, perhaps insinuated by some scriptural reference, then this would be a time to look for the messiah's return.
The "per-messiah" had to be born, grow up, symbolically die as the prodigal son, etc. With comparison to Jesus we look at a 30 years which is the age Jesus became the Messiah, followed by the 40 years if a period of testing is suggested. The after-the-fact application for the second coming and beginning of the 70th week occurs in the prodigal son messiah's 40th year, which is consistent with the previous patterns. It's just a note of observation that the 40-year pattern can be applied to this case of the prodigal son and his 40 years from birth to 70th week relates to 40 days of testing by Satan of Jesus before he begins his ministry, officially beginning during the "Festival of Booths" which celebrates the time of year the Messiah comes into the earth.
It's a "detail" point of observation in the context of how 40 is used in scripture.
JC