Numbers
One of the interesting facets of the Bible to me are the sacredness and mystical significance of certain numerals that come up time and time again in passages, to signify something of particular significance which have a deeper meaning we need to understand.
Perhaps the most obvious example is the number ‘12’. You will find it mentioned almost 200 times in chapters as diverse as Genesis, Revelation and Daniel. But why the number 12? One general accepted theory is that 12 in Hebrew culture signified perfection and wholeness in the Government and community and represents a complete divine arrangement.
Jacob, later named Israel (meaning incidentally ‘May God Prevail’), had 12 sons which represented the 12 tribes. Revelation talks about 12,000 people from each of the tribes converting to Christianity at the end of times. Leviticus tells us there were 12 unleavened cakes in the Tabernacle, where there were also 12 silver plates, bulls, bowls, ram and lambs. The book of Daniel has 12 chapters and talks about “blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of 1,335 days”. Add 1, 3,3 & 5 together and you get…12.
Going into the Gospels, we again see the importance of the number 12. How many disciples did Jesus choose? – why 12 of course! It was also at the age of 12 that Jesus first spoke in the temple when he and his family travelled to Jerusalem for the Passover. At the feeding of the 5,000, Matthew records that there were 12 baskets of leftover food.
The New Jerusalem or Celestial City as described in Revelation consists of 12 gates manned by 12 angels. Each gate is named after each of Israel’s 12 tribes. The walls are described as being 144 cubits thick or 12 x 12 and the city being 12,000 furlongs square.
The modern secular world to this day still recognises the importance of the number 12- a day consists of two periods of 12 hours, there are 12 months to the calendar year and just over 12 lunar cycles of the Moon.
We will of course be looking forward shortly to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas, something Christians have been doing since the 6th Century, and of course you are expected to take down your Christmas decorations no later than……..twelve night, which tradition tells us was when the Wise Men visited the baby Jesus.
So 12 is a really important and significant number in both our spiritual and secular world-from the beginnings of biblical time to the end days.
Tags: Jesus, Numbers, New Jerusalem, Revelation, Christians