10623. 'Visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the sons and on the sons of sons' means the rejection and condemnation of evils and of a long line of falsities arising from them. This is clear from the meaning of 'visiting' as the casting out and condemnation of evils, dealt with below; from the meaning of 'the fathers' as forms of good, and in the contrary sense evils, dealt with in 3703, 5902, 6050, 10490; and from the meaning of 'the sons' as truths, and in the contrary sense falsities, dealt with in 1147, 10490, so that 'the sons of sons' means a long line of falsities arising from evils. By the casting out and condemnation of evils and of the falsities arising from them the casting out and condemnation of those ruled by such evils and falsities should be understood; for evils and falsities have no existence other than within their subjects ¹ , that is, within people. It should be recognized that the falsities of evil are meant by 'the sons' because the fathers from whom they spring mean evils. What falsities of evil and falsities not of evil are, see in the places referred to in 10109.

[2] A person unacquainted with the internal sense of the Word may easily be led to believe that Jehovah visits the iniquity of the fathers on the sons and on the sons of sons, consequently that the sons are going to pay the penalty for their fathers' evils. But this is not the meaning of those words, as is plainly evident from the Divine law that fathers shall not die because of sons, nor sons because of fathers, but each because of his own evil, Deuteronomy 24:16. From this law it is evident that those words are to be understood differently from their literal meaning. The fact that those who are ruled by evils and the long line of falsities arising from them are meant by the fathers, their sons, and their sons' sons, is clear from the internal sense, in which evils and falsities are meant by fathers and sons. Angels - who also see a meaning in the Word when someone in the world reads it - do not understand anything other than this here by fathers and sons. For in heaven, where angels live, there is no knowledge, as there is among people on earth, of what a father is or of what a son is; for nobody there acknowledges anyone to be his father or anyone to be his son. There are no births there as there are in the world. When therefore father and son are mentioned in the Word angels think of spiritual births, which are those of goodness and truth or else of evil and falsity. Consequently they understand forms of good or else evils by fathers, and truths or else falsities by sons, since good is the father of truth and evil is the father of falsity.

[3] The reason why 'being visited' means being cast out and condemned is that this is what follows after evils reach their closing stage and comes before actual condemnation, meant in the Word by the last judgement. For visitation is the examination of a person to discover his true character. But this takes place in the next life, in particular when the individual person goes there from the world, and in general with all at the end of the Church, as stated immediately above in 10622. Regarding visitation, see what has been stated and shown in 6588, 6895, 10509.

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6588. 'And God will certainly visit you' means that the final period is about to come. This is clear from the meaning of 'being visited' as the final period, here that of the oppression of the children of Israel in Egypt, which in the internal sense is the final period of the old Church and the first of the new. In the Word this final period is called 'visitation', and this is used in reference both to the Church collectively and to those within the Church individually. It is used in reference to a new Church that is being born and an old one that is breathing its last, and to the individual member of the Church who is being saved, as well as to one who is damned.

[2] The fact that these things are meant in the Word by 'visitation' and 'the day of visitation' may be seen from the following places: In Luke,

Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and brought deliverance to His people, through the heart ¹ of mercy of our God, by which the risen sun from on high has visited us, to appear to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death. Luke 1:68, 78-79.

In this prophecy of Zechariah regarding the Lord, telling what would happen after He had been born, 'being visited' stands for the raising up from death of a new Church and the enlightenment at that time of those who had no knowledge of the truth and good of faith, thus the deliverance of them. It is for this reason that the words 'He has visited and brought deliverance to His people, . . . has visited [us], to appear to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death' are used.

[3] In Moses,

Jehovah said to Moses, Gather the elders of Israel and say to them, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, has appeared to me, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, I will certainly visit you and what has been done to you in Egypt. Exodus 3:16.

And in the same author,

The people believed and heard that Jehovah had visited the children of Israel. Exodus 4:31.

'Being visited' here stands for the final period when the Church has gone out of existence and for the first period when it comes into existence - for the final period among the Egyptians, and for the first among the children of Israel, and so for the deliverance of them too.

[4] In Jeremiah,

They will be carried away to Babel, and there they will be until the day [ visit them. Then I will cause the vessels of the house of God to come up, and I will bring them back to this place. Jeremiah 27:22.

In the same prophet,

When seventy years have been completed at Babel I will visit you and fulfill My promise ² to you and bring you back to this place. Jeremiah 29:10.

'Visiting' stands for delivering, in general for the final period of captivity and desolation.

[5] 'Visitation' and 'the day of visitation' stand for the final period of the Church in Isaiah,

What will you do on the day of visitation and devastation? It will come from afar. To whom will you flee for help? Isaiah 10:3.

In the same prophet,

Behold, the day of Jehovah comes, cruel, and one of indignation and wrath and anger, to make the earth a waste. I will visit the world for evil, and the wicked for their iniquity. Isaiah 13:9, 11.

In Jeremiah,

They will fall among those who fall, and in the time of their visitation they will stumble. Jeremiah 8:12.

In Hosea,

The days of visitation have come, the days of recompense have come. Hosea 9:7.

In Moses,

Jehovah said to Moses, All the same, go, lead this people to [the place] of which I have spoken to you; behold, My angel will go before you. But on the day of My visiting, I will visit them for their sin. Exodus 32:34.

In Luke,

Jesus said regarding Jerusalem, They will not leave in you stone upon stone, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation. Luke 19:44.

'The day of visitation' stands for the Lord's Coming, and enlightenment at that time. But in reference to the Jewish nation - seeing that it did not recognize His Coming - 'the day of visitation' stands for the final period of the representative acts of the Church among them. For once Jerusalem was destroyed sacrifices came to an end and that nation was scattered abroad.

[6] In Ezekiel,

A loud voice called out in my ears, saying, The visitations of the city have drawn near, and each man has his weapon of destruction in his hand. Ezekiel 9:1.

Here the meaning is similar. In Isaiah,

The Rephaim will not rise. To that end You have visited them, You have wiped them out. Isaiah 16:14.

'The Rephaim' stands for descendants of the Most Ancient Church which existed before the Flood. They are also called the Nephilim and the Anakim, regarding whom see 567, 581, 1673. 'You have visited and wiped out the Rephaim' stands for the final period of that Church; it also stands for the casting of them into hell, regarding which see 1265-1272. 'Visitation' stands for retribution, thus for damnation, in Jeremiah,

Shall I not visit them on account of this? Or will not My soul be avenged on a nation which is like this? Jeremiah 5:9.

In the same prophet,

I will bring the disaster of Esau upon him, at the time I visit him. Jeremiah 49:8.

In Hosea,

I will visit upon him his ways, and requite his works. Hosea 4:9.

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