2379. 'And brought Lot into the house to them' means that the Lord affords protection to those with whom the good of charity is present. This is clear from the representation of 'Lot' as those with whom the good of charity is present, dealt with above, and from the meaning of 'bringing into the house to them' as affording protection. 'Being brought into the house' means being brought into good; and those who are brought into good are brought into heaven; and those who are brought into heaven are brought to the Lord and are consequently protected against every assault on their souls. As to his soul, anyone with whom good is present is in communion with angels; and so while living in the body he is nevertheless in heaven, though he is not directly conscious of it and is unable to perceive angelic joy because he is engrossed in bodily things and undergoing preparation [for heaven], see 1277.

1277. The same applies to men as regards their souls, which are linked constantly to some community of spirits or angels. Men too have a position in the Lord's kingdom that is determined by the nature of their life and by their states. The fact that on earth men are distant from one another makes no difference at all. Even though many thousands of miles should separate them, they can still be present together in one community - those who live in charity in one angelic community, those who live in hatred and the like in one community in hell. Nor in like manner does the fact that many people on earth exist together in the same place make any difference - they are still all distinct and separate according to the nature of their life and of their states, each one possibly in a different community from the rest. When people who are several hundreds or thousands of miles distant from one another are seen with the eyes of internal sense they are so close that some are in a position to touch one another. Thus if a number of people existed on earth whose internal sight was open they would be able to be together and talk together even though one was in India and another in Europe, as I have also been shown. So every single person on earth is very present with the Lord, beneath His view and Providence.