Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 235Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, hegave them bread out of heaven to eat. The bread of God is he whocometh down out of heaven, and giveth life unto the world. I am thebread of life. Your fathers did eat the manna in the wilderness, and theyare dead. This is the bread which cometh down out of heaven, that aman may eat thereof and not die. I am the living bread which camedown out of heaven; if any man eat of this bread he shall live forever.The bread that I will give is my flesh (John 6:31–58).That it is the Lord himself who is meant by “manna” and by“bread,” he plainly teaches, for he says, “I am the bread of lifewhich came down out of heaven.” That it is the Lord in respect tothe Divine human, he also teaches when he says, “The bread that Iwill give is my flesh.”[2] The Lord taught the same when he instituted the holy supper:Jesus took bread and blessed it, and gave to the disciples, and said,Take, eat, this is my body (Matt. 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19).“To eat of this bread” is to be conjoined to the Lord by love, for “toeat” signifies to be appropriated and to be conjoined (as above),and love is spiritual conjunction. The same is signified by “eating inthe kingdom of God,” in Luke:Blessed is he that eateth bread in the kingdom of God (Luke14:15).In Matthew:Ye shall eat and drink at my table in my kingdom (Luke 22:30).Many shall come from the east and the west, and shall recline toeat with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of God (Matt.8:11).(That by “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” the Lord is meant, seeArcana Coelestia, n. 1893, 4615, 6095, 6185, 6276, 6804, 6847.)In John: