BIBLE NUMERICS
The Number ELEVEN
Of all the numbers in the Bible, the next one is the least satisfactory; and
that is the number Eleven. In fact, I don't really profess to have any
solution on it at all. I've read books about it; I've seen numerology books
printed about it, but none would give me any satisfaction, and I find no
clue in scripture to locate the thing as to exactly what it is. As a general
practice in trying to find a number, the thing you do is find the number of
that book--like if you are looking for eleven, you take the eleventh book in
the Bible. Then when you have found the eleventh book, take the eleventh
chapter and look at the eleventh verse. This does not always yield results
but sometimes it does.
The eleventh book in your Bible, as it stands, is I Kings, and of course I
Kings 11 takes you right into the time of Solomon, king of Israel. First
Kings 11:11 is a warning by the Lord that Solomon has not kept the covenants
that He made with him. This means nothing by itself, and it stands about by
itself in the Bible. It isn't good. The eleventh chapter in the Bible is
Genesis 11 which is not good either. In Genesis 11 we have the Tower of
Babel and the scattering of the nations abroad across the face of the earth.
The first time the word eleven occurs in the Bible is in Genesis 32:22. The
obvious indication is in Genesis 37:9 referring to the sons of Israel
exclusive of Joseph.
Now we find this eleven popping up in the New Testament; the eleven
disciples in Matthew 28:16, the eleven in Mark 16:14, the eleven in Acts
1:26, and Acts 2:14. The eleven are the apostles minus Judas, and yet this
is an incomplete number in that they have to choose a replacement for Judas.
Jesus promised in Matthew 19 that twelve apostles will sit upon the twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. The number, as it stands, is
one number over a Gentile and one number short of Israel, as it stands.
"Twelve" in the Bible is very rarely divided into eleven and one, except in
the case of Judas. The division normally in twelve is ten and two, or six
and six. (I don't recall hardly any places where it is divided any
differently.) Wherever you have twelve, it's divided into six and six, like
the six tribes and the six stones and the six more below them and the six in
one mountain cursing and the six in the other mountain blessing and that
kind of business. Then there's ten and two which is a division of the tribes
of Israel, but eleven and one is a division that doesn't bode too much good.
It is only used in reference to Judas Iscariot; I know of hardly any other
place where the thing is used any other way than that.
The eleventh month is referred to a good bit in Numbers and Deuteronomy but
nothing special with it. We read about the eleventh hour in Matthew 20:6
meaning the last hour and in Matthew 20:9 the same thing. Eleven seems to
indicate something right before a catastrophe, and it is almost impossible
to locate it. I don't profess to know exactly what it does mean.
We could work in combinations. It's made up of ten and one. Ten is plainly a
Gentile number beyond any dispute; One is unity or singleness or
unification, so I don't know where you are there. You could work it up of
nine and two. Two is division and nine is probably fruitfulness--that
doesn't yield anything. You could work it up of seven and four--seven being
completeness or perfection and four, unknown. You could work it up of five
and six--six being man's number, and five being death. That isn't a very
good combination.
The number is a dark horse. It has not been located. It is usually
significant of the lull before the storm or the last hour before the thing
falls apart. This is of course because there are twelve hours in a day and
twelve hours in a night. As I've said before, the findings on it are
inconclusive.
Index of Preacher's Help and Notes
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