2811. 'And Abraham built the altar there' means preparation of the Lord's Divine human. This is clear from the meaning of 'the altar' and of 'building the altar'. Altars used to mean all worship in general because they were the chief feature of the worship of the representative Church, 921. And because they meant all worship in general they meant the Lord's Divine Human, for the Lord's Divine Human is essentially present in all worship and all doctrine, so much so that it is the very essence of worship itself and doctrine itself. This becomes clear also from the Holy Supper which superseded altars, that is, burnt offerings and sacrifices, 2165, 2187, 2343, 2359. The Holy Supper is the chief feature of external worship because it is the Lord's Divine Human that is bestowed there. From all this it may become clear, and so without further explanation, that 'building an altar' means preparing the Divine human. The final preparation of the Lord's Divine human for undergoing the last degrees of temptation is the subject in the present verse and is described by the statement that Abraham laid the pieces of wood in order, bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the pieces of wood.

2359. 'No, my brothers, do not act wickedly' means that no violence should be done to these, that is to say, to the good that flows from charity, or to the Lord's Divine Human and His Holy proceeding. This is clear from the meaning of 'acting wickedly' as doing violence. All these considerations show that the subject is people inside the Church and that it is these who are meant by 'the men of Sodom', for nobody is capable of violating those things except him who possesses the Word. The utter holiness of those things becomes clear from the consideration that nobody can be admitted into the Lord's kingdom, that is, into heaven, unless the good of love and charity exists in him; and that cannot exist with anyone unless he acknowledges the Lord's Divinity and [proceeding] Holiness. It is from Him alone that this good flows in, and indeed into good itself of which He is the source. The Divine cannot flow in except into that which is Divine; nor can it be communicated to man except through the Lord's Divine Human and His Holy deriving from this. From this one can understand what is implied when it is said that the Lord is the All in all of His kingdom, and that no good at all residing with man is man's but the Lord's.