A Day of Visitation
Charles Cooper
For some believers, the timing of the Lord’s return to rapture the saints is more important than any other New Testament study. Much has been written about it and the views are diverse. But even more fundamental questions have not been the focus of earnest discussion: Why have a rapture? Where did the concept originate? What is the Old Testament basis for this idea?
Since the New Testament is the fulfillment of the Old Testament, what O.T. understanding is clearly foundational for the rapture in the N.T.? At first glance, one might conclude that the idea of God meeting a great host of saints in the air is not rooted in the Old Testament. Such a conclusion is false. The idea of an ethereal meeting of God and his elect is firmly established in the Old Testament. To appreciate the idea of a meeting in the sky, we must first perceive and comprehend the nature of the Old Testament concept of visitation. Only in this context can we fully grasp the meaning and significance of that great gathering in the clouds detailed in the New Testament. This supernatural, joyous heavenly meeting of the elect with Jesus, commonly called the rapture, will occur near the beginning of the coming (parousia) of the Son of Man. We can speak of this meeting as one of several preordained positive outcomes of the eschatological day of God’s visitation.
The terms consistently used throughout both the Old and New Testaments to describe God’s visitation are pāqad (Hebrew – dqp) and episkeptō (Greek – episkeptō), respectively. Concerning the Hebrew verb pāqad, E.A. Speiser, a prolific writer on Oriental Studies, concludes, “There is probably no other Hebrew verb that has caused translators as much trouble as pqd.”[1] It occurs 304 times in the Old Testament.[2] Translation options reflected in the King James Version bear out Speiser’s observation.[3] The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament states,
The basic meaning is to exercise oversight over a subordinate, either in the form of inspecting or of taking action to cause a considerable change in the circumstances of the subordinate, either for the better or for the worse.[4]
Tyler F. Williams concludes, “…the basic meaning of pqd is something like ‘attend to,’ ‘observe.’”[5] W. Schottroff submits, “The obvious meaning ‘to seek out, visit, see to someone/something’ seems to underlie the meaning ‘to see attentively or in an examining manner to someone/something…’”[6]
We find this sense reflected in the Septuagint.[7] The LXX most frequently translates the Hebrew verb pāqad (dqP) with the Greek verb episkeptō (episkeptw). Clearly, it took on the many different meanings of pāqad.[8]
Fifty-seven times pāqad is translated “visit” in the King James Version of the Bible. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament indicates
When translated “visit”…this word almost always has the sense, now largely obsolete, of “making a visitation” and points to action that produces a great change in the position of a subordinate either for good or for ill.[9]
In other words, a visit from God may result in deliverance out of a difficult situation and/or destruction because of evil behavior.
The noun forms of these two verbs: pequdah and episkopā (hdqp/episkoph), respectively, are important to our discussion:
The Hebrew noun pequdah corresponds closely to the verb and has just about the same range of meanings. Its commonest use is to express the primary idea of that verb—intervention by a superior power (usually God or king) in order to make a great change in the situation of a subordinate.[10]
In other words, the change brought about by the visit can be for the better or the worse.
The Greek noun episkopā (episkoph), which “first came into common use, and received its distinctive sense, in the LXX,”[11] is “The true theological sense of…hdqp, ‘visitation.’”[12] Beyer adds, “In the prophets the visitation is usually one of judgment and punishment.”[13] However, it is possible that the visitation can involve deliverance. Upon his death, Joseph instructed his family to look forward to God’s visit during which He would lead them out of Egypt back to the land of promise (Gen 50:24). In simple terms, the Exodus was a visitation of God. The Egyptians suffered destruction and the Jews received deliverance by God’s mighty hand.
Isaiah 10:3 speaks of another “day of visitation,” when God will punish the wicked. Beyer adds that the day of visitation “is a reflection of the terrible day of the Lord, if there is not an even closer connection between the two concepts.”[14] In fact, there is a closer connection between the two concepts. The eschatological day of the Lord is God’s day of visitation for both the Church and National Israel.
W. Schottroff argues:
Finally, when prophecy turns into apocalyptic, Yahweh’s visitation is against the foreign rulers who govern Israel in Yahweh’s stead (Isa 26:13f.) and, extended universally, against “the host of the heights on high and the kings of the earth on earth” (24:21f.), the evil of the earthly realm and the guilt of the evildoers (13:11), or the guilt of the inhabitants of earth (26:21) and of Leviathan (27:1)…here the expectation of divine visitation relates to the eschatological “day of Yahweh” (13:9) or “that day” (24:21; 27:1). From this starting point, visitation then becomes the “technical term for this arrival on his great day” in apocalyptic literature….[15]
This concept appears in Peter’s letter to the churches of Asia Minor. I Peter 2:11-12 makes clear that God will visit the earth in the future. Attempting to motivate believers to live godly, Peter wrote:
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation, [ESV].[16]
Scholars are not agreed concerning whether “the day of visitation” refers to the eschatological revelation of Jesus Christ or the daily visitation of God in the lives of men for converting them to Christ.[17] We are of the opinion that “the day of visitation” is the eschatological revelation of Jesus Christ. Peter is very much aware that lifestyle was not the primary agent that led men to a salvific knowledge of Christ. We, as are all who call upon the name of Jesus, “are chosen [elect] according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by being set apart by the Spirit for obedience and for sprinkling with Jesus Christ’s blood.” God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are the primary agents in salvation. Our lifestyle only fulfills what God has ordained. Therefore, we reject the notion that Peter exhorts his readers to live in such a way that unbelievers might be influenced to trust Christ for salvation.
Rather, Peter encourages his readers to be the reason for unbelievers’ praise to God. Unbelievers often give glory to God, not because they are saved, but because they recognize the obvious. The recognition of the obvious forces them to state the obvious. This is the point of the Pharisees dialogue with the man born blind in John 9. When they call upon the man to “Give God the glory,” it is not salvation they allude to, but recognition of the obvious.[18]
Similarly, Acts 12:23 indicates that “an angel of the Lord struck Herod down because he did not give the glory to God.” Context indicates that Herod allowed the crowd to ascribe God’s work to himself when it was obvious that Herod was not the agent of the deeds. Herod’s recognition of God’s role did not require his salvation, but his statement of the obvious.
Peter’s admonition to his readers in 1 Peter 2:11-12 attempts to enlist them to live in a manner that when the unbelievers are exposed to God’s visitation they will be forced to state the obvious—the believers were right and they were wrong.
A Future Day of Visitation: Deliverance and Destruction
J. Ramsey Michaels states:
The “day or ‘time’ or ‘hour’ of visitation” (פְקֻדָּה) is a decisive intervention of God in human affairs, whether for judgment…or for blessing….[19]
Most scholars would agree with Michaels’ conclusion. However, it is our contention that there are three occasions when God’s visitation includes both deliverance and destruction. They are: 1) the Old Testament Exodus, 2) the initiation of the new Exodus in the New Testament, and 3) the consummation of the new Exodus during the eschatological Day of the Lord.
The Exodus: A Day of Visitation
After announcing His awareness and plans to Moses to rescue the children of Israel out of the intense persecution occurring in Egypt, God informs Moses, “I have attended carefully to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt (Ex. 3:16c).” In attempting to reflect the sense of the original Hebrew, The Net Bible has “have attended carefully.” Regarding this decision, the translators of The Net Bible note:
The verb dqP (paqad) has traditionally been rendered “to visit.” This does not communicate the point of the word very well. When God “visited” someone, it meant that he intervened in their lives to change their circumstances or their destiny. When he visited the Amalekites, he destroyed them (1 Sam 15:2). When he visited Sarah, he provided the long awaited child (Gen 21:1). It refers to God’s active involvement in human affairs for blessing or for cursing. Here it would mean that God had begun to act to deliver the Israelites from bondage and give them the blessings of the covenant. The form is joined here with the infinitive absolute to underscore the certainty—”I have indeed visited you.” Some translate it “remember”; others say “watch over.” These do not capture the idea of intervention to bless, and often with the idea of vengeance or judgment on the oppressors….[20]
Therefore, the events that constitute the Exodus are the appropriate actions God deemed necessary because of His visit/inspection. The Exodus detailed in the book Pentateuch was a time of God’s visitation. God delivered Israel and destroyed Egypt. The parallels to God’s promised future visitation of the church are obvious.
In our next study, we will look at the two New Testament events that are correctly identified as visitations of God.
[1] E.A. Speiser, “Census and Ritual Expiation in Mari and Israel,” BASOR 149 () p. 21.
[2] This is the result of a word search using Accordance.
[3] 110 times the KJV translates this term “to number,” “to visit” 57 times; “to punish,” times; “miss,” “lack,” or “want,” 16 times;
[4] Harris, et al, dqP, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, 2:731.
[5] Tyler F. Williams, s.v. pqd , New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, ed. Willem A. VanGemeren, Vol. 3 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997) 658.
[6] W. Schottroff, s.v. pqd, Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament, Vol. 2, eds. E. Jenni and C. Westermann, (Hendrickson Publisher’s, 1997) 1021.
[7] Translation of the Hebrew Old Testament into Greek around 200 B.C.
[8] H.W. Beyer, “episkopew” in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. G. Kittel, Vol. 2 (Grand Rapids: Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing, Co. 1980), p. 601.
[9] Harris, et al, daqfP, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, 2:731.
[10] Harris, et al, dqP, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, 2:732.
[11] Beyer, TDNT 2:606 §1.
[12] Ibid., §g.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Ibid.,
[15] W/ Schottroff, s.v. pqd, Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament, eds. E. Jenni and C. Westermann, Vol. 2, (Hendrickson Publishers, 1997)28-29. G. Andre adds, “The day (or days) of the pequddâ is the time of Yahweh’s pronouncement of judgment or of the punishment itself.” See s.v. pqd in Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, eds. G.J. Botterweck, H. Ringgren, and H. Fabry, Vol. XII (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2003) 61.
[16] The same phrase occurs in Isaiah 10:3 in a context of judgment.
[17] J.R. Michaels takes the former view. See J.R. Michaels, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 49, (Waco: Word Books, 1988) 119-120. J.H. Elliott takes the latter view. See J.H. Elliott, 1 Peter in the Anchor Bible series, (New York: Doubleday, 2000) 471.
[18] The Pharisees clearly did not believe in Jesus as Savior and would not encourage the man to do so either. To give glory in this sense means to merely tell the truth.
[19] Michaels, Word Biblical Commentary, 119.
[20] Ad Loc, The Net Bible.
