681、至于属天和属灵的食物是何性质，这在来世看得是最清楚的。天使和灵人的生命不是靠如世上那样的食物，“乃是靠主口里所出的一切话”来维持的，如主自己在马太福音（4:4）中所教导的。真相是这样：唯独主是所有人的生命；天使和灵人所思所言所行的一切，无论总体还是细节，皆来自祂；这不仅适用于天使和善灵，也适用于恶灵。恶灵的所言所行之所以邪恶，是因为他们以这种方式接受并败坏主的一切良善和真理。接受和情感取决于接受者的形式。这好比接受阳光的各种物体：照它们的形式及其各个部分的排列和结构，其中一些物体将所接受的光线转换成令人不快和丑陋的颜色，而有些物体则将光线转换成令人愉悦和美丽的颜色。整个天堂和整个灵人界都以这种方式从主口里所出的一切话中获得自己的生命，每个人也是由此获得自己的生命。事实上，这不仅适用于天堂和灵人界，也适用于整个人类。我知道人们不会相信这些事，但凭多年来持续不断的亲身经历，我可以断言，这是千真万确的。然而，在灵人界，恶灵不肯相信事实就是如此，因此便一次又一次令人信服地证明给他们看，直到他们勉强承认这是真的。天使、灵人和世人若被剥夺这食物，就会立刻气绝而亡。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]681. The best place to learn about heavenly and spiritual food is in the other life. Angels and spirits sustain their life not with the kind of food the world offers but with every word that issues from the Lord's mouth, as he himself teaches in Matthew 4:4.
The situation is that the Lord alone is the life of all. From him comes each and every thing that angels and spirits think, say, or do. This is true not only of angels and good spirits but also of evil spirits. They speak and do evil because that is how they receive and pervert all the good and true things that are the Lord's. The form of the recipient determines the way a thing is received and the effect it has. The case is comparable to that of various objects struck by the sun's light that turn the light they receive into hideous, unpleasant colors according to their makeup and the arrangement and structure of their parts, while other objects turn the light into lovely, pleasing colors.
So the entirety of heaven and the entire world of spirits live on everything that comes out of the Lord's mouth, and every individual there receives life from the same source. Indeed, this applies not only to heaven and the world of spirits but to the entire human race as well. I know that people will scoff, but I can still assert from years of constant experience that it is absolutely true.
Evil spirits in the world of spirits are also reluctant to believe that it is so. For this reason they have received many personal demonstrations, which were so effective that they have begrudgingly confessed the situation to be so.
If angels, spirits, or people on earth were to be deprived of this food, they would die instantly.
Potts(1905-1910) 681
681. The nature of celestial and spiritual food can best be known in the other life. The life of angels and spirits is not sustained by any such food as there is in this world, but by "every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord" as the Lord teaches in Matthew 4:4. The truth is that the Lord alone is the life of all, and that from Him come all things both in general and in particular that angels and spirits think, say, and do, and also what evil spirits think, say, and do. The reason why these latter say and do evil things is that they so receive and pervert all the goods and truths that are of the Lord. Reception and affection are according to the form of the recipient. This may be compared to the various objects that receive the light of the sun, some of which turn the light received into unpleasing and disagreeable colors, while others turn it into pleasing and beautiful colors, according to the form, determination, and disposition of their parts. The whole heaven and the entire world of spirits thus live by everything that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord, and from this each individual has his life; and not only the whole heaven and the world of spirits, but also the whole human race. I know that these things will not be believed, nevertheless from the continuous experience of years I can assert that they are most true. Evil spirits in the world of spirits are not willing to believe that this is so; and therefore it has often been demonstrated to them-to the life-even until they have acknowledged with indignation that it is true. If angels, spirits, and men were deprived of this food they would expire in a moment.
Elliott(1983-1999) 681
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 Matt 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.
Latin(1748-1756) 681
681. Quid cibus caelestis et spiritualis, sciri quam optime potest in altera vita; vita angelorum et spirituum non sustentatur aliquo cibo quali in mundo, sed 'ex unoquovis verbo quod exit ex ore Domini,' sicut Ipse Dominus docet, Matth. iv 4; hoc ita se habet: Dominus solus est vita omnium; ex Ipso veniunt omnia et singula quae angeli et spiritus cogitant, loquuntur et faciunt; non solum quae angeli, et spiritus boni, sed etiam quae spiritus mali; quod mala loquantur et faciant, est causa quia omnia bona et vera quae sunt Domini, ita recipiant et pervertant; qualis forma recipientis, talis receptio et affectio; comparari hoc potest objectis variis quae solis lucem recipiunt, et secundum formam et partium dispositionem et determinationem vertunt receptam lucem in colores injucundos et tetros, cum alia objecta in colores jucundos et pulchros. Ita universum caelum et universus mundus spirituum vivit ex omni quod egreditur ex ore Domini, et quisque suam vitam inde habet; immo non solum caelum et mundus spirituum, sed etiam universum genus humanum; scio quod non credituri sint, sed usque ex annorum continua experientia asseverare possum quod verissimum: spiritus mali in mundo spirituum nec credere volunt quod ita sit; quare iis pluries ad vivum demonstratum est, usque adeo ut cum indignatione fassi sint quod ita se res habeat: si angeli, spiritus, et homines, hoc cibo privarentur, momento exspirarent.