2388. 'Whom have you here still? Son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and everyone you have in the city - bring [them] out of the place' means that all with whom the good of charity exists, and everything belonging to that good, were to be saved; also those governed by the truth of faith, provided they drew back from evil. This is clear from the meaning of 'sons-in-law', 'sons', 'daughters', 'city', and 'place', which are dealt with in the paragraphs following this.

[2] As regards the salvation of those governed by the truth of faith provided they drew back from evil, the position is that truths of faith are the vessels themselves for receiving good, 1900, 2063, 2261, 2269, and they receive good insofar as the individual draws back from evil. For good is flowing in constantly from the Lord, but it is the evil belonging to the life within that prevents the reception of that good by the truths present in a person's memory or knowledge. Consequently insofar as a person draws back from evil good enters in and inserts itself within the truths he has. When this happens the truth of faith residing with him becomes the good of faith. A person can indeed know the truth, even profess it because some worldly reason prompts him to do so; in fact he can even be persuaded that it is the truth. But this truth still does not live so long as he leads a life of evil. Such a person is like a tree that has leaves on it but no fruit; and that truth is like light in which there is no warmth, like that in winter-time when nothing grows. When however there is warmth within it, it becomes like light in spring-time when everything is growing. In the Word truth is compared to and actually called the light, while love is compared to warmth and also called spiritual warmth. In the next life moreover truth manifests itself by means of light while good does so by means of warmth. But truth devoid of good manifests itself as cold light, while truth accompanied by good does so as spring-like light. This shows what the truth of faith is when devoid of the good of charity. Here too is the reason why his sons-in-law and his sons, who meant such truths, were not saved, only Lot together with his daughters.

[3] Since it is stated here that they also are saved who are governed by the truth of faith provided they draw back from evil, it should be recognized that these people are such - on account of their having been so taught - as profess faith but think nothing of charity. They do not know what charity is, imagining that it is purely a matter of giving away what is one's own to others and of taking pity on everyone. Nor do they know what the neighbour is, towards whom charity has to be exercised; they imagine that almost everybody without discrimination is the neighbour. Nevertheless these same people do lead a life of charity towards the neighbour since the life of good is present in them. They come to no harm because they profess faith along with the rest, since their faith has charity within it; for by charity is meant all goodness of life in general and in particular. What charity is therefore, and what the neighbour, will in Lord's Divine mercy be discussed later on.

2269. 'And He said, I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there' means that mankind would not perish if [goods and truths] could be joined together. This is clear from the meaning of the number 'forty-five' as a joining together. It has been shown already that simple numbers retain their own meaning even when they are multiplied; and so larger numbers have a similar meaning to smaller. So it is with 'forty-five', a number which is the product of five times nine; and because it is the product of five times nine it has the same meaning as five and nine. 'Five' means that which is small, as has been shown already in 649, and 'nine' means conjunction or that which is joined together, 2075; so that the meaning here is, If goods have in some measure been joined to truths. That numbers in the Word mean real things or else states is clear from what has been stated above in 2252 about 'fifty', and also from what has been shown already concerning numbers, in 482, 487, 575, 647, 648, 755, 813, 1963, 1988.

[2] It is because 'five' means that which is small, and 'forty-five' a joining together, that those numbers are used in the way they are in this verse. That is to say, first it is said, 'Perhaps the fifty righteous persons will lack five', which means, If it were something less. Then it is said, 'Will You for five destroy the whole city?' which means, Will they perish for the small amount that is lacking? But after that, because five means a small amount, the number five is not used again but it is said, 'I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there', which means that they would not perish if [goods and truths] could be joined together. And a further reason why the expression 'forty-five' is used, and not 'if the fifty are lacking five', is that 'five' not only means that which is small, as shown in 649, but also severance, as has also been shown in Volume One, in 1686. Consequently so that a joining together might be meant and not a severance, this number, that is to say, forty-five is used, for forty-five means some joining together, as stated above. Thus in a very beautiful way every detail follows in its particular sequence in the internal sense.

[3] As regards good and truth when joined together, this is an arcanum that cannot be described in such a way that the ordinary mind is able to grasp it. Let merely a brief explanation be given here. The more genuine and pure truth is, the better is good from the Lord able to be accommodated to it as the recipient vessel; but the less genuine and pure truth is, the less is good from the Lord able to be accommodated. For they must each answer to the other; and to the extent that they do, they are joined together. Goods cannot possibly be received into falsities, nor evils into truths as their recipient vessels, for they are by nature and disposition contrary. The one rejects the other as its very enemy; indeed if they tried to join together, each of them would throw up - good would throw up evil as though it were poison, and evil would throw up good as though it were something that induces vomiting. Such enmity between evil and good has been provided by the Lord to prevent the possibility of their being mixed together, for if they were so mixed a person would perish. Those who are deceivers and hypocrites come near to having the two joined together in them; yet even in their case the Lord takes care to prevent them becoming joined together. This is the reason why in the next life deceivers and hypocrites suffer more dreadfully than all others.