Arcana Coelestia #6588
6588. And visiting God will visit you. That this signifies that the last time will come, is evident from the signification of “being visited,” as being the last time, here the last time of the oppression of the sons of Israel in Egypt; in the internal sense, the last time of an old church, and the first of a new one. In the Word this last time is called “visitation,” and is predicated both of the church in general, and also of those who are within the church in particular; and of the new church which is being born, and of the old church which is expiring; in particular of the man of the church who is being saved, and of him who is being damned.
[2] That these things are signified in the Word by “visitation,” and the “day of visitation,” may be seen from the following passages.
In Luke:
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and wrought deliverance for His people. Through the bowels of mercy of our God, whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, that He may appear to them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death (Luke 1:68, 78-79); this is the prophetic utterance of Zacharias concerning the Lord when born; “to be visited” here denotes the raising up of a new church, and the enlightenment then of those who were in ignorance of the truth and good of faith, thus their deliverance; and therefore it is said, “He hath visited and wrought deliverance for His people,” “He hath visited that He may appear to them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death.”
[3] In Moses:
Jehovah said unto Moses, Gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, Jehovah the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, hath appeared to me, saying, Visiting I will visit you, and that which is done to you in Egypt (Exodus 3:16).
Again:
The people believed; and they heard that Jehovah had visited the sons of Israel (Exodus 4:31).
“To be visited here denotes the last time when the church has ceased, and the first when it is beginning; the last with the Egyptians, and the first with the sons of Israel; thus also the deliverance of the latter.
[4] In Jeremiah:
They shall be carried away to Babylon; and there shall they be even until the day that I will visit them; then will I make to come up the vessels of the house of God, and I will bring them back unto this place (Jeremiah 27:22).
Again:
When seventy years have been fulfilled to Babylon, I will visit you, and I will establish upon you My good word, and will bring you back unto this place (Jeremiah 29:10); where “to visit” denotes to deliver; in general the last time of captivity and desolation.
[5] “Visitation” and the “day of visitation” denote the last time of the church, in Isaiah:
What will ye do in the day of visitation and of devastation? it shall come from afar; unto whom will ye flee for help? (Isaiah 10:3). Again:
Behold the day of Jehovah cometh, cruel, and of indignation, and of wrath, and of anger, to make the earth a waste. I will visit evil upon the world, and their iniquity upon the wicked (Isaiah 13:9, 11).
In Jeremiah:
They shall fall among them that fall; and in the time of their visitation they shall stumble (Jeremiah 8:12).
In Hosea:
The days of visitation are come, the days of recompense are come (Jeremiah 9:7).
In Moses:
Jehovah said to Moses, Notwithstanding, go, lead this people in, whither I have spoken to thee; behold, Mine angel shall go before thee; but in the day of My visiting I will visit upon them their sin (Exodus 32:34).
In Luke:
Jesus said concerning Jerusalem, They shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou hast not acknowledged the time of thy visitation (Luke 19:44).
The “day of visitation” denotes the coming of the Lord, and enlightenment then; but in respect to the Jewish nation, as they did not acknowledge it, it denotes the last time of the representatives of the church with them; for when Jerusalem was destroyed, the sacrifices ceased, and that nation was scattered.
[6] In Ezekiel:
A great voice cried in mine ears, The visitations of the city have come nigh, and a man has his instrument of destruction in his hand (Ezekiel 9:1); where the sense is similar.
In Isaiah:
The Rephaim shall not rise, in that Thou hast visited, Thou hast extinguished them (Isaiah 26:14).
The “Rephaim” denote the posterity of the Most Ancient Church, which was before the flood, who are also called “Nephilim” and “Anakim” (see n. 567, 581, 1673); “Thou hast visited and extinguished the Rephaim” denotes the last time of that church, and also the casting of them into hell (n. 1265-1272). “Visitation” denotes requital, thus damnation, in Jeremiah:
Shall I not visit for this? shall not My soul be avenged on such a nation as this? (Jeremiah 5:9).
Again:
I will bring the destruction of Esau upon him in the time that I shall visit him (Jeremiah 49:8).
And in Hosea:
I will visit upon him his ways, and I will requite his works (Hos. 4:9).
Genesis 50
1
Joseph fell on his father's face, wept on him, and kissed him.
2
Joseph commanded his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father; and the physicians embalmed Israel.
3
Forty days were fulfilled for him, for that is how many the days it takes to embalm. The Egyptians wept for him for seventy days.
4
When the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke to the house of Pharaoh, saying, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,
5
'My father made me swear, saying, "Behold, I am dying. Bury me in my grave which I have dug for myself in the land of Canaan." Now therefore, please let me go up and Bury my father, and I will come again.'"
6
Pharaoh said, "Go up, and bury your father, just like he made you swear."
7
Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, all the elders of the land of Egypt,
8
all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father's house. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen.
9
There went up with him both chariots and horsemen. It was a very great company.
10
They came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and there they lamented with a very great and severe lamentation. He mourned for his father seven days.
11
When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, "This is a grievous mourning by the Egyptians." Therefore, its name was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.
12
His sons did to him just as he commanded them,
13
for his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field, for a possession of a burial site, from Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.
14
Joseph returned into Egypt--he, and his brothers, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.
15
When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "It may be that Joseph will hate us, and will fully pay us back for all of the evil which we did to him."
16
They sent a message to Joseph, saying, "Your father commanded before he died, saying,
17
'You shall tell Joseph, "Now please forgive the disobedience of your brothers, and their sin, because they did evil to you."' Now, please forgive the disobedience of the servants of the God of your father." Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
18
His brothers also went and fell down before his face; and they said, "Behold, we are your servants."
19
Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid, for am I in the place of God?
20
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save many people alive.
21
Now therefore don't be afraid. I will nourish you and your little ones." He comforted them, and spoke kindly to them.
22
Joseph lived in Egypt, he, and his father's house. Joseph lived one hundred ten years.
23
Joseph saw Ephraim's children to the third generation. The children also of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were born on Joseph's knees.
24
Joseph said to his brothers, "I am dying, but God will surely visit you, and bring you up out of this land to the land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob."
25
Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here."
26
So Joseph died, being one hundred ten years old, and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
