10686. 'He did not eat bread and he did not drink water' means during which the good of love and the truth of faith do not become a person's own. This is clear from the meaning of 'bread' as the good of love, dealt with in 2165, 2177, 3464, 3478, 3735, 3813, 4211, 4217, 4735, 4976, 8410, 9545; from the meaning of 'water' as the truth of faith, dealt with in the places referred to in 10238 (in the Word 'bread' and 'water' are used in general to mean all forms of good and truth, see 9323); from the meaning of 'eating' as having good joined to one and making it one's own, dealt with in 2187, 2343, 3168, 3513(end), 3596, 4745, 5643, 8001; and from the meaning of 'drinking' as receiving truth and making it one's own, dealt with in 3069, 3089, 3168, 8562. The implications of all this are that a person does not make forms of the good of love or the truths of faith his own during temptations but after them; for, as long as temptations last the evils and falsities of evil that reside with a person are stirred up on one side, and the forms of good and the truths of good on the other. As a result of this he experiences a state of turmoil. During this state the internal level is being opened up. But after the temptations have come to an end he experiences peace and calm, and in this state the Lord introduces forms of good and truths of good onto the internal level that has now been opened up. From all this it is evident what should be understood by the good of love and truth of faith not being made a person's own as long as temptations last, meant by the statement that for forty days and forty nights Moses did not eat bread and did not drink water.

681. What celestial and spiritual food is can be seen best of all in the next life. The life of angels and spirits is not maintained by any food like that found in the world but 'by every word that goes out of the mouth of the Lord', as the Lord Himself teaches in Matthew 4:4. The situation is this: The Lord alone is the life of all. From Him comes every single thing that angels and spirits think, say, and do. This applies not only to angels and good spirits but also to evil spirits. The reason the latter speak and do things that are evil is that they receive and corrupt in this way all goods and truths that are the Lord's. For as is the form of the recipient so is the nature of reception and affection. This may be compared to different objects which receive the sun-light. According to their form and according to the arrangement and delimitation of their parts, some convert the rays of light received into unpleasant and hideous colours, while other objects convert them into pleasing and beautiful colours. In such a manner the whole of heaven and the whole of the world of spirits derive their life from everything that goes out of the Lord's mouth, and from this each individual has his life. Indeed this applies not only to heaven and the world of spirits but also to the whole human race. I realize that people are not going to believe it, but I can positively declare from years of uninterrupted personal experience that this is utterly true. Evil spirits in the world of spirits however refuse to believe that it is so, and consequently they have been shown it convincingly time and again until they have grudgingly confessed it to be true. If angels, spirits, and men were deprived of this food they would instantly breathe their last.