Two times every day at eleven minutes after eleven o’clock (am and pm) and once every year on November 11, you will encounter the numbers 11:11 or 11/11.
There may be other situations in which you notice this same numerical sequence of 11 11 in a phone number, a house number, or a financial transaction and you find the repetitive appearance of these consecutive ones to be more than coincidental. This recurring pattern is known in psychology as synchronicity, a concept first defined in the early 1900s by the psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung as a meaningful coincidence.
Some people believe these numbers are spiritually significant and they serve as visible markers of a divine message from an angel or God Himself. In numerology they are referred to as “Master Numbers” or “Angel Numbers” and their repetitive appearance is seen as a divine sign from an Ascended Master, Spirit Guide, or an Angel.
Yet is there any solid biblical evidence that God or angelic beings are sending us motivational messages through the appearance of the numbers like 11:11? Is there a biblical significance to the numerical sequence 11:11? Are there any examples in the Bible of this numerical pattern? And What does the Bible have to say about 11:11 as a divine message? Let us see..
What does Numerical sequence 11:11 indicate in the Bible?
There are at least 1,111,000 articles on the internet that claim the numbers 11:11 have a spiritual meaning. (I’m being facetious. When I did a google search for “biblical meaning of 11:11” there were actually over 16,600,000 results.) Unfortunately, most of them are not grounded in the truth of the Bible.
As a Christian theologian and Biblicist, it is extremely important for me to only provide you with spiritual truth that can be supported by the Biblical text. So let me begin with a word of caution. Any informational source that you seek which focuses on mysticism, spirit guides, angel numbers, tarot cards, or numerology, and also claims to provide biblical guidance is factually misleading. For instance, several of these sources claim that the number sequence 11:11 in the Bible represents a spiritual wake-up call, but there is no biblical text that supports that assertion. Other spiritualists purport that the series of ones reveals God’s power in your life and when you see 11:11 you should seize the potential opportunities God is providing for you. Unfortunately, the Bible never makes this claim either.
So, what is the biblical meaning of the numbers 11:11? Do the chapter and verse numbers 11:11 in the Bible have any special significance? Are there any coded angelic messages hidden behind any reference to the numbers eleven-eleven?
First of all, within the written text of Scripture, there are no references to the number 1,111 or even two elevens in the same verse. There are no prophecies that mention 1,111 days or years. There are no end of the world predictions that will occur at 11:11 or on 11/11. God never mentions this numerical sequence as a sign. No angel uses this number to communicate with anyone. Therefore, we must conclude that these claims that there is any biblical or spiritual significance to these “Master Numbers” are false. 11:11 is not an Angelic Number.
Furthermore, out of the 66 books in the Bible only 31 have an eleventh chapter and an eleventh verse (11:11); and none of these verses should be interpreted as holding some kind of secret message from the spiritual realm. Here’s the list if you want to look them up: Genesis 11:11, says that Shem, one of the three sons of Noah, lived to be 500 years old. Leviticus 11:11, instructed the Israelites to avoid eating seafood that did not have fins or scales (so, no shellfish or octopus). That sounds like an important spiritual lesson. (Again, I’m being lighthearted.) In Numbers 11:11 Moses asked what he had done to displease God that He would burden him with all those complaining and difficult people. (You may have asked God that same question a time or two, but we shouldn’t assume that God is sending us a secret message through this verse to lead a bunch of rebellious and disgruntled people through a desert to a new home.)
Deuteronomy 11:11 is about Israel, the bountiful Land of Promise. In Joshua 11:11 the city of Hazor and everyone in it is totally destroyed. (If you live in Hazor, you might want to avoid taking the #1111 bus. Once again, I am only being satirical as the ancient town still lies in ruins.) Judges 11:11 tells of the appointment of Jephthah as judge over the people of Israel. 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, and 2 Chronicles 11:11 describe the exploits of kings Saul, David, and Solomon. Nehemiah 11:11 lists the names of some Israelite leaders. None of these verses can be interpreted as personal messages to us as they are about other people and places.
In Job 11:11 it says that God takes notice of deceitful and evil people. Proverbs 11:11 contrasts the consequences of following an upright or a wicked leader. Isaiah 11:11 says that God will restore Israel and bring its scattered inhabitants back to the Land of Promise. Jeremiah and Ezekiel 11:11 bothspeak of a judgment from God for the rebellious and disobedient. Daniel 11:11 describes a future battle between two kingdoms. In Hosea and Zechariah 11:11 God declares that He will restore and protect the Israelites.
Most of these verses are directed toward a specific group of people at a specific time in history and therefore, we should be cautious in trying to directly apply those same passages to our own situation. While we can certainly learn from their experiences and discover things about God’s character, the idea that these verses carry some deeper personal spiritual significance than all the other verses of the Bible is unfounded and poor biblical exegesis (i.e. biblical interpretation).
If you look up the 11:11 passages in the New Testament, you will discover the same thing. (Read Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Hebrews, and Revelation 11:11). Most of the verses in the Bible should be interpreted literally unless the writer has indicated there is some type of symbolic meaning; and most of the time that meaning is also revealed in the text. You should also know that when the original text of the Bible was written, it was not divided into chapters and verses like it is today. Therefore, the numerical divisions of the text are merely there to help us in locating different passages, rather than containing some spiritual code.
Instead, Hebrews 1:1-3 (Living Bible) says that “Long ago God spoke in many different ways to our fathers through the prophets, in visions, dreams, and even face to face, telling them little by little about His plans. But now in these days He has spoken to us through His Son….” If you are looking for a divine sign from God, then Jesus is that sign. Through His life, we discover how we should live and respond to any situation we might face. Through His death and subsequent resurrection we have hope beyond this world for an eternal life in Heaven. Hebrews 1:1-3 goes on to say, “God’s Son shines out with God’s glory, and all that God’s Son is and does marks him as God. He regulates the universe by the mighty power of his command. He is the one who died to cleanse us and clear our record of all sin, and then sat down in highest honor beside the great God of heaven.” If you are looking for a divine sign, look no further than the ONE who “regulates the universe by the mighty power of his command.” Look no further than Jesus.
Dr. Richard Sams is a top Biblical and Religious educator, who holds a Doctor of Ministry degree (Evangelism and Church Growth emphasis) from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. He has two masters’ degrees (Master of Divinity and Master of the Arts of Religion) from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in Lynchburg and also serves on the Pastoral Leadership Advisory Board of Liberty University. Moreover, Richard Sams has been serving as a pastor (Pastoral Ministry) at Calhoun Baptist Church in Calhoun, KY, from the past Nineteen years. He loves practically imparting biblical truths to the next generation, while occasionally conduct spiritual challenges on his facebook page facebook.com/MakeItCountChallenge