731. Where she hath a place prepared by God, signifies the state of the church that in the meantime provision may be made for it among more. This is evident from the signification of "place," as being state (of which presently); also from the signification of "prepared by God," as being to be provided by the Lord, for what is done by man is prepared, but what is done by the Lord is provided. Moreover, to be provided is predicated of the state that is signified by "place," while "to be prepared" is predicated of "place." It signifies that the state in the meantime may be provided among more, because the woman's fleeing into the wilderness signifies that the church is as yet among few, because with those who are not in good and consequently not in truths (See the preceding article, n. 730; therefore it follows that these words, namely, "where the woman hath a place prepared by God" signify the state of the church, that in the meantime provision may be made for it among more; and what next follows, namely, "that they may nourish her a thousand two hundred and sixty days," signifies until it grows to fullness (See below, n. 732. But this state of the church that is meant by "the place of the woman in the wilderness" is more fully treated of in what follows in this chapter, for it is said that "there were given to the woman two wings of a great eagle that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she would be nourished a time and times and half a time from the face of the dragon," with many other things.

[2] "Place" signifies state because spaces, places, and distances, in the spiritual world, are in their origin states of life. These, indeed, appear there just the same as in this world, and yet they are different in this respect, that the quality of everyone is known from the place where he dwells, and where he dwells is known from what he is; thus it is in general in respect to the places of all according to quarters, and also in particular in respect to places in societies, and more particularly in respect to places in the houses, and even in the rooms. From this it is clear that place and quality of state act as one, and this for the reason that all things in the spiritual world that appear before the eyes, even to the lands, are correspondences of things spiritual; this is why "place" signifies state. (That spaces, places, and distances, are in their origin states, and thence in the Word signify states, see (Heaven and Hell 191-199) in the work on Heaven and Hell 191-199, in the article on Space in Heaven. ) For the same reason it is customary in our world to designate state by place, as to have a high place, an eminent place, and a distinguished place, for a high, eminent or distinguished state.

[3] From this it may appear what is meant by the Lord's words to His disciples:

That in His Father's house there are many mansions, and that He would go to prepare a place for them; and if He should go and prepare a place for them that He would come and take them to Himself (John 14:2, 3).

"To prepare a place for them" signifies to provide heaven for everyone according to the state of his life, for "the disciples" mean all who are to be of His church. And in Luke:

When the unclean spirit goeth out of a man he wandereth through dry places seeking rest (Luke 11:24).

"The unclean spirit going out of a man" signifies the removal of evils and the consequent falsities from man when he is repentant; the "dry places through which he wanders seeking rest" signify the states of evil and falsity that belong to his life. So elsewhere in the Word where place and places are mentioned.

3720. 'This is nothing other than the house of God' means the Lord's kingdom as it exists in the ultimate degree of order. This is clear from the meaning of 'the house of God'. In the Word 'the house of God' is referred to in many places, and in the external sense, that is, literally, it means a building where holy worship takes place. But in the internal sense it means the Church, in the more universal sense it means heaven, and in the most universal the Lord's kingdom. In the highest sense however it means the Lord Himself as regards the Divine Human. But in the Word sometimes the expression 'House of God' is used and sometimes 'Temple'. The two are similar in meaning, the difference being that the expression 'House of God' is used when the subject is good but 'temple' when the subject is truth. From this it is evident that 'the House of God' means the Lord's celestial Church, and in the more universal sense the heaven of celestial angels, in the most universal the Lord's celestial kingdom, and in the highest sense the Lord as regards Divine Good; whereas 'the Temple' means the Lord's spiritual Church, and in the more universal sense the heaven of spiritual angels, in the most universal the Lord's spiritual kingdom, and in the highest the Lord as regards Divine Truth, see 2048. The reason why 'the House of God' means that which is celestial and the dwelling-place of good, while 'the Temple' means that which is spiritual and the dwelling-place of truth, is that 'a house' in the Word means good, see 710, 2233, 2559, 3128, 3652, and among the most ancient people used to be built of pieces of wood for the reason that 'wood' meant good, 643, 1110, 2784, 2812, whereas 'the Temple' means truth because it was built of stones - 'stones' meaning truths, see 643, 1296, 1298.

[2] These meanings that 'pieces of wood' and 'stones' possess are clear not only from the Word where they are mentioned but also from representatives in the next life. For people who assume that merit lies in good works seem to themselves to be cutting wood, and those who assume that it lies in truths, that is to say, people who have believed that they knew more truths than anybody else and yet have lived wickedly, seem to themselves to be breaking up stones. I have often seen such people wood-cutting or stone-breaking, from which the meaning of 'wood' and of 'stone' was made clear to me - that good is meant by 'wood' and truth by 'stone'. It has in like manner been made clear to me from the fact that when I have seen a wooden house the concept of good has instantly presented itself, and when I have seen a stone house the concept of truth has done so. And I have also learned from angels about this matter. This is why, when in the Word 'the House of God' is mentioned, the concept of good presents itself to angels, the kind of good depending on the nature of the subject that is being dealt with. And when 'the Temple' is mentioned, the concept of truth presents itself, the kind of truth depending on the subject that is being dealt with. From this one may also deduce how deeply and inwardly concealed the heavenly arcana lie in the Word.

[3] The reason 'the House of God' here means the Lord's kingdom as it exists in the ultimate degree of order is that the subject is Jacob who, as often shown already, represents the Lord's Divine Natural. The natural exists in the ultimate degree of order, for the natural encompasses all interior degrees and includes them all together within itself. And since they are included all together within the natural, and so countless things are beheld as a single whole, obscurity exists there compared with other degrees. This obscurity too has been dealt with frequently.