4547. 'And I will make there an altar to the God' means the holiness by which interior things are enveloped. This is clear from the meaning of 'making an altar to God' as the holiness of worship, dealt with above in 4541. The reason for saying 'by which interior things are enveloped' is that the altar was to be made in Bethel, to which place 'there' refers here, and 'Bethel' means the natural by which interior things are enveloped, see above in 4539.

3000. Consequently each and all things in the universe represent the Lord's kingdom, so much so that the universe with all its constellations, its various atmospheres, and its three kingdoms is nothing else than a kind of stage on which the Lord's glory as it exists in heaven is represented. In the animal kingdom not only man but also each living creature, even the smallest and meanest of them, is representative, such as the caterpillars. These crawl on the ground and feed on plants, and when the time to mate is at hand they become chrysalises. Soon after that they are furnished with wings, with which they are raised up from the ground into the air, which is their heaven. There they enjoy freedom of movement as they sport together, obtain nourishment from the best parts of the flowers, lay their eggs, and so produce a future generation. At this time they attain that state which is their particular heaven and also their beauty. That these things are representative of the Lord's kingdom anyone may see.