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.


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