222. To the above shall be added some things from the Heavenly Arcana, no. 9127: "He who knows nothing of the internal, that is, the spiritual sense of the Word, does not know otherwise than that flesh and blood, when mentioned in the Word, mean natural flesh and blood. The internal sense, however, does not treat of the life of a man's body, but of the life of his soul, that is, of his spiritual life, which he is to live to eternity. This life is described in the Word in the sense of the letter, by such things as belong to the life of the body, namely, by flesh and blood; and since a man's spiritual life subsists through the good of love and the truth of faith, therefore in the internal sense of the Word the good of love is meant by flesh, and the truth of faith by blood. These things are understood in heaven by flesh and blood, and by bread and wine; for bread there has altogether the same signification as flesh, and wine altogether the same signification as blood. But those who are not spiritual men do not comprehend this: wherefore, let them remain in their faith, yet, let them believe that in the Holy Supper, and in the Word, because they are from the Lord, there is something holy. They may not know wherein this holiness consists, yet let those who enjoy interior perception, consider whether flesh means flesh, and blood, blood, in the following passages. In the Revelation (xix. 17, 18), "I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying unto all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains of thousands, and the flesh of the strong ones, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit upon them, and the flesh of all both free and bond, both small and great." Who can possibly understand these words, unless he knows what is meant in the internal sense by flesh, and what by kings, captains of thousands, strong ones, horses, them that sit on them, freemen and bondmen? And in Ezekiel (xxxix. 17-21), "Thus said the Lord Jehovih, Say to, every bird of heaven, to every wild beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves from every side to My sacrifice that I sacrifice for you, a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel; that ye may eat flesh and drink blood. Ye shall eat the flesh of the strong ones, and drink the blood of the primes of the earth; and ye: shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood even to drunkenness, of My sacrifice which I shall sacrifice for you. Ye shall be filled at My table, with the horse and the chariot, and with the strong one, and with every man (vir) of war; thus will I set My glory among the nations." Here the calling together of all to the kingdom of the Lord, and specifically the establishment of the Church among the gentiles, are treated of; and eating flesh and drinking blood signify appropriating to one's self Divine Good and Divine Truth, thus the Holy which proceeds from the Lord's Divine Human. Who cannot see, that flesh does not mean here flesh, nor blood, blood? as when it is said, that they should eat the flesh of the strong ones, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth; and that they should drink blood even to drunkenness; also that they should be filled with the horse, with the chariot, with the strong one, and with every man of war? What is meant by the birds of the heaven and the beasts of the field in the spiritual sense, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, no. 110 and in the notes there (l). Let us now examine what the Lord said concerning His flesh and His blood, in John (vi. 51-58), "The bread that I will give, is My flesh. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, ye shall not have life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day; for My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. This is the bread which came down from heaven." That the Lord's flesh denotes the Divine Good, and His blood the Divine Truth, both proceeding from Him, may be seen from the fact, that these nourish a man's spiritual life. Hence, also, it is said, My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed: and since a man is conjoined with the Lord through the Divine Good and Truth, it is further said, Whoso eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and, He abideth in Me, and I in him; and in the former part of the chapter (ver. 27), "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto eternal life;" that abiding in the Lord means being in the love to Him, the Lord Himself teaches in John (xv. 2-12).