Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Latter-day Saint
8 as Periodic Renewal-Number Symbolism

8 as Periodic Renewal-Number Symbolism

Last updated on: January 28, 2018 at 12:06 am by Delisa Hargrove

8 as Periodic Renewal-Number Symbolism 2018-01-28T00:06:52-10:00 Delisa Hargrove

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Consider 8 as symbolizing periodic renewal.

I am One that transforms into Two,

I am Two that transforms into Four,

I am Four that transforms into Eight.

After this I am One again.

(Coffin of Petamon, Cairo Museum no: 1160)

Eight Scriptural Instances Showing Different Types of Renewal

Such…who are pure in heart, in whom there is no guile who do not remain in the seventh seat, the place of rest, but are promoted, through the active beneficence of the divine likeness, to the heritage of the divine beneficence which is the eighth grade; devoting themselves to the pure vision…. ~Saint Clement of Alexandria

The Lord wants a changed and renewed people. Through His atonement, that renewing salvation is possible, if we choose to accept it. Often, to really change our carnal desires to make the choice to transcend, we experience many periodic renewals. The scriptures teach different types of renewal from physical and spiritual renewal to the renewal of individuals and groups of people. Below are just eight of many stories depicting different ways renewals happen in our lives.

1. Thomas

After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples (except Thomas) in an enclosed space on the first day of the week. The disciples eagerly received the Lord.

In his famous disbelief speech, Thomas rejected the disciples’ witness of the living Lord by saying, “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

And after eight days again, his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

2. Æneas

In Lydda, Peter found Æneas, bedridden for eight years.

And Peter said unto him, Æneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately.

3. Nephi

And we did sojourn for the space of many years, yea, even eight years in the wilderness. And we did come to the land which we called Bountiful, because of its much fruit and also wild honey; and all these things were prepared of the Lord that we might not perish.

4. The Brother of Jared

The Brother of Jared prepared eight vessels to transport his people to the promised land.

They got aboard of their vessels or barges, and set forth into the sea, commending themselves unto the Lord their God. … And they did land upon the shore of the promised land. And when they had set their feet upon the shores of the promised land they bowed themselves down upon the face of the land, and did humble themselves before the Lord, and did shed tears of joy before the Lord, because of the multitude of his tender mercies over them.

5. Children of Israel

And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgat the Lord their God, and served Baalim and the groves.

Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushan-rishathaim eight years.

And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.

6. John

Which gospel is the gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins, and the law of carnal commandments, which the Lord in his wrath caused to continue with the house of Aaron among the children of Israel until John, whom God raised up, being filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb.

For he was baptized while he was yet in his childhood, and was ordained by the angel of God at the time he was eight days old unto this power, to overthrow the kingdom of the Jews, and to make straight the way of the Lord before the face of his people, to prepare them for the coming of the Lord, in whose hand is given all power.

7. Everyone

And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents.

And their children shall be baptized for the remission of their sins when eight years old, and receive the laying on of the hands.

And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.

8. Noah

For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

Transition between Earth and Heaven

In myth, legend, and religious symbolism, the leap to an eighth step is traditionally associated with spiritual elevation and deliverance, or salvation. Thus, we often see in architecture a square base below an octagon supporting a spherical dome, the octagon symbolizing the transition between the square the sphere, earth and heaven. ~Michael S. Schneider

Patterns of 8 in Gilbert Arizona Temple Window

Gilbert Arizona Temple Window

I count constantly in the temple. This week, I counted the “environmental changes” I experience in the Laie Hawaii Temple. I was surprised to find that there were eight. Eight has long symbolized a rebirth or renewal to me and I felt this was a perfect lesson for that metaphor.

Recommend Desk to the Dressing Room
Dressing Room to the Confidential Information Booth
Confidential Information Booth to the Chapel
Chapel to the Creation Room
Creation Room to the Garden Room
Garden Room to the World Room
World Room to the Terrestrial Room
Terrestrial Room to the Celestial Room

Tokens and signs, totaling eight, direct my temple journey so that it concludes in sanctification, wholeness, and renewal. Ideally, that same journey happens in my personal, everyday life.

My total existence also similarly follows that pattern of eight.

Existed as Intelligence
Created as Spirit Body with existing Intelligence
Created as Mortal Being with existing Spirit Body and Intelligence
Death separates Mortal Body from Spirit Body and Intelligence
Judgment determines eternal reward
Resurrected with Immortal Body (based on judgment) with Spirit Body and Intelligence
Millenium (I’m hoping my resurrection is during the First so my Millenium experience is after)
Enter into either Celestial, Terrestrial, Telestial, or no Glory

Eight In a Name

The name Jesus in Greek

Gematria is a system giving words numerical value adding an additional meaning or enhancing the known meaning of the word.

The name Jesus in Greek is Ἰησοῦς. The letters in His name total 888—so eight emphatically (think of Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna, or wo, wo, wo for other examples of triple emphasis.)

Jesus Christ, the penultimate 8, brought everlasting renewal to a fallen world. His atonement and resurrection pave mankind’s way to “the eighth step” to a life with God the Eternal Father.

Unceasingly contemplate the generation of all things through change, and accustom thyself to the thought that the nature of the universe delights above all in changing the things that exist and making new ones of the same pattern. For everything that exists is the seed of that which shall come from it. ~Marcus Aurelius

“It’s great to be 8!” I hear this so often as children prepare to be baptized. It is great to be 8! Hopefully, our excitement for renewal grows perpetually!!

Just food for thought in closing. Renewal isn’t just for mankind. Scripturally, Earth’s duration is 6,000 years of mortality, 1,000 years of Millenium = 7,000 years.

The earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.

What happens at the 8,000th year?

Discovery

Numbers

Symbols

Previous Post

January 21, 2018

Sin Is An Inversion of God's Attributes

Next Post

January 28, 2018 Ezekiel 34-Aligning Service with the Lord's Vision

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Discovery How Tos Realization Uncategorized

Select a Month September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 November 2025 October 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 June 2024 May 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz