Hidden Manna and the Second Coming Christ

We have searched many things for the signs of the second coming Christ up until now. Today we are going to look at another important feature of the Christ when he appears for the second time: the hidden manna.

Hidden Manna

Revelation 2:17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.

This Book of Revelation contains the visions Jesus gave Apostle John while he was exiled in the Patmos Island. Therefore, the speaker in this book is Jesus himself. In this prophecy, Jesus tells us two important things about his second coming. First, when he comes in the last days he will come with a new name. And second, when he comes with a new name, he will bring “the hidden manna” as sign so that we may recognize him.

As we have already seen in other prophecies before, Jesus will completely hide his identity when he comes for the second time. When a person changes his appearances, nationality, name, and other personal information, it would be hard for people to recognize him. In the same way, when Jesus appears for the second time, he will completely change his identity. And it would be extremely difficult for people to recognize the second coming Christ.

For this reason, God allows us one undeniable sign of the second coming Christ through which we can know who he is. That is the hidden manna.

What is Manna?

The phrase “hidden manna” is composed of two words, “hidden” and “manna”. Now let us see the meaning one by one. As we have seen in other prophecies of the second coming Christ, manna also is a parable used in a figurative sense. Therefore, to know the true meaning of the manna, first we have to look at the copy and shadow of manna in the Old Testament.

Manna, the Bread from Heaven

Originally, God gave manna to Israel people in the desert in the time of the exodus from Egypt. When people started to complain about the lack of food in the desert, God rained down manna to them for their life in the desert.

Exodus 16:4  Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day.

Exodus 16:31  The people of Israel called the bread manna.

When Isrealites saw those white flakes like snow all around the campsites, they said to each other, “What is it?” This question “What is it?” or “Manna” in Hebrew became the name for the bread. The bible describes that it was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. In short, manna was “bread from heaven” God gave the Israelites for food in the desert to sustain their life.

Spiritual Manna, the True Bread from Heaven

Then what is the reality of manna? We cannot expect the Second Coming Christ will rain down actual bread from heaven. In the new covenant, everything has figurative meanings. We are figuratively Israel people living in a figurative desert. Therefore, the manna we can receive from Christ must be a figurative one too. Then what is the true meaning of the manna?

Spiritual Manna, the Body of Christ

2000 years ago, people followed Jesus for many reasons and one of them was that they could satisfy their hunger. Jesus performed miracles of feeding thousands of people many times. Jesus took a pity on them and he wanted to teach them about the way to receive eternal life in heaven. When Jesus told them to believe in him as Savior, people asked Jesus to show a sign to prove that he was the Messiah. And they asked him to rain down manna as sign. To this request of people, Jesus started to teach them about the real manna that they should eat for salvation.

John 6:30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” 35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Jesus teaches them that manna is the bread from heaven that gives life to the people. And he let them know the reality of manna by saying, “I am the bread of life”.

Manna for Eternal Life

John 6:48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

When Jesus said, “I am the bread from heaven that gives life to the world,” people started to grumble. They said that Jesus did not come from heaven. Rather, they told Jesus that he was born in the earth mentioning his physical family. They also complained about eating the flesh of Jesus for eternal life, denying Jesus’ teaching. In the end, all those who once followed Jesus left him except for the twelve disciples.

The Messiah they were waiting for was right in front of their eyes and teaching them the way of salvation. They rejected him and his promise of eternal life because they did not have the spiritual eyes and ears to understand the words of God. However, the twelve who believed the words of God finally could eat the bread from heaven for their salvation.

Passover, the Spiritual Manna

Jesus taught people that he was the bread which came down from heaven to give life to the world. He taught them to eat his flesh and drink his blood. In this way, they could eat the bread from heaven (manna) and live.

John 6:53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.

Later, he showed his disciples how to eat his flesh, the spiritual manna. On the night of the Passover, he gave one precious teaching about how to eat his flesh and drink his blood.

Matthew 26:26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

On the night of the Passover, he gave bread and wine to his disciples. Also he taught them the meaning of the ceremony. The bread of the Passover signifies the body or the flesh of Christ. And the wine of the Passover represents the blood of Christ. Therefore, by keeping the Passover they could eat manna “the bread from heaven” and “live forever”.

Hidden Manna

How pitiful the Israelites were! They saw their Messiah with their own eyes and they heard his teaching of eternal life with their own ears. However, their eyes were blind and their ears were deaf. They could not see and they could not hear.

Now let us find out the meaning of the word “hidden”. We have come to understand that the spiritual manna is the flesh and blood of Christ. And the way we can participate in the flesh and blood of Christ is through the Passover. Therefore, the Passover is spiritually manna. By eating the Passover, we can eat the manna the flesh and blood of Christ for eternal life.

Then why is the manna described “hidden” in the Book of Revelation?

The Short History of the Abolishment of the Passover

Knowing the importance of the Passover, the disciples of Jesus kept the Passover year after year obeying the teaching of Jesus Christ. They kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month according to the sacred calendar.

However, this truth of life Passover started to be deteriorated by the work of Satan. The first Passover controversy arose in 155 between Polycarp, Bishop of the Church of Smyrna and Anicetus, the Bishop of the Church of Rome. They had disagreements in the way to keep the Passover. The Church of God in Jerusalem and other churches of God in its vicinity argued that they should keep the Passover as it had been kept since the time of Christ and Apostles. However, the Church of Rome and other churches influenced by the Roman Church insisted that they should eat the Passover on the Day of Jesus’ Resurrection.

This controversy continued all throughout the early history of the Christianity. The Roman church, which later started to be called the Roman Catholic, insisted that they should keep the Passover supper on the Resurrection Day and many western churches followed suit. However, the Church of God in Jerusalem and other eastern churches kept the Passover at its appointed time. Finally, this controversy came to an end by the decree of Roman Emperor Constantine in 325 at the Council of Nicaea. And the Passover was abolished and replaced with Easter.

Hidden Manna, Abolished Passover

In this way, the Passover came to disappear from the history of the Christianity. People could not eat the bread and drink wine of the Passover. And the spiritual manna, the flesh and blood of Jesus disappeared and the bread from heaven stopped raining from heaven. People could not eat manna anymore and thus the promise of eternal life was taken away from people. Figuratively, the manna became “hidden”.

The Restoration of the Hidden Manna

Then will the way of life, Manna be hidden forever? No, as we have seen in the prophecy of Revelation, God foretold that this manna would be restored. Let us look at one prophecy about the restoration of the hidden manna in the Book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 25:6 On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines. 7 On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; 8 he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.

This is a prophecy about the restoration of the Passover, the hidden manna in the last days. This prophecy starts with the feast of God held in the holy mountain of God. Then according to the bible, the only place where the feasts of God are kept is Mount Zion. (Isa 33:20) Then what is this feast? This feast has two characteristics: wine and eternal life. Then among the festivals of God, what is it that is kept with wine, and has power to destroy the power of the death and gives eternal life? It is the Passover.

Then why is this Passover called “aged wine”? Simply put, “young wine” means a recently bottled one and “aged wine” refers to the one set aside for years for fermentation. Therefore, aged wine means wine kept stored or “hidden” for a long time. The Passover Jesus kept with his disciples 2000 years ago was not aged wine, but young wine, so to peak. In this sense, the aged wine is the wine of the Passover which will be opened in the last days by the second coming Christ. It was kept hidden for 2000 years since 325 AD. It truly is the aged wine! Therefore, this also is a prophecy about the Passover which is going to be restored in the last days.

Who Will Restore the Passover?

Then who is going to restore the Passover in the last days? Let us continue to read the prophecy of Isaiah.

Isaiah 25:9 In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.

According to this prophecy the only one who has power to restore the Passover and grants salvation is God himself. And in the Book of Revelation, it is Jesus who comes for the second time and restore the hidden manna in the last days for the life of the world.

Revelation 2:17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I (the second coming Jesus) will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.

Through these two prophecies we can conclude that Jesus, who is God himself, will appear for the second time in the flesh and restore the hidden manna (the bread from heaven). And he will give eternal life to the people of the world by restoring the Passover. 2000 years ago, the bread from heaven (Jesus) came in the flesh and gave his flesh and blood for the life of man.

Through these teachings of hidden manna and aged wine, God is teaching the same lesson to us. That is God himself will come again as man and he will give his flesh and blood for the life of his people in the last days.

Christ Ahnsahnghong, the True Bread from Heaven

Then who fulfilled all the prophecies of the bible and restore the new covenant of the Passover to us? It is Christ Ahnsahnghong. Since the abolishment of the Passover in 325 at the Council of Nicaea, people were under the agony of death because they could not eat the bread from heaven that gives life to the world. And no one could restore the truth of life the Passover for the salvation of souls.

In this dark and desolate world, Christ Ahnsahnghong came down for the second time as man in the flesh and he gave his flesh and blood for eternal life. And through the prophecy of Isaiah we can see that he is our God even though he came as man in the flesh. He is the true bread from heaven, the spiritual manna.

2000 years ago, even though their Messiah walked among them, people rejected him because they did not recognize him. We are now living in the time of the fulfillment of the prophecies of the bible. To fulfill all the prophecies of the bible, God came down as man in the flesh for the second time. And he is calling us to come to eat the bread from heaven which he prepared for the salvation of our soul. Let us have spiritual eyes and ears and come to him for eternal life in heaven.

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