502. Which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt signifies the two infernal loves, which are the love of dominating from self-love, and the love of ruling from the pride of one's own intelligence, which are in the church where one God is not acknowledged, and the Lord is not worshiped, and where they do not live according to the precepts of the Decalogue. By "Sodom," in the spiritual sense, is signified the love of dominating from self-love, as will be seen presently; and by "Egypt," in the spiritual sense, is signified the love of ruling from the pride of one's own intelligence, which also will be spoken of presently; and because these two loves are signified, therefore it is spiritually called "Sodom and Egypt." The reason why these loves prevail in the church where one God is not acknowledged, and the Lord is not worshiped, and where they do not live according to the precepts of the Decalogue, is, because man is born into those two loves, and comes into them as he grows up, and those loves cannot be removed but by God the Savior, and by a life according to His precepts; and they cannot be removed by God the Savior, unless He is approached; nor can a life according to His precepts be given, unless man is led by Him. It can indeed be given, but not a life in which there is anything of heaven and thence of the church. That life is given only by Him who is life. That the Lord is that life, may be seen (John 1:1, 4; 5:26; 6:33-35, and following verses; 11:25, 26; 14:6, 19; and in many other places).
[2] That the love of dominating from self-love, and the love of ruling from the pride of one's own intelligence, are the heads of all the loves of hell, and thus the heads of all the evils and thence of the falsities in the church, is unknown at this day; the delights of those loves, which exceed the delights of all the pleasures of the mind, are the causes of its not being known, when yet, "spiritually, they are Sodom and Egypt." That "Sodom" is the love of dominating from self-love, may appear from the description of Sodom in Moses, that they wished to do violence to the angels who came into Lot's house; and that fire and brimstone rained upon them out of heaven (Genesis 19:1, and following verses). By "fire and brimstone," that love with its lusts is signified. I saw similar things happen when the cities and societies of such were overthrown in the day of the Last Judgment, and they were cast into hell. These loves and their evils are signified by "Sodom and Gomorrah" (in these places: Isaiah 1:10; 3:8-9; 13:19; Jeremiah 23:14; 49:18; 50:37, 40; Lamentations 4:6; Ezekiel 16:46-50; Amos 4:11; Zephaniah 2:9-10; Deuteronomy 29:23; 32:32; Matthew 10:14-15; 11:23; Mark 6:11; Luke 10:10-12; 17:28-29).
[3] That this love is signified by "Sodom," is not known in the world; but keep this in mind and remember it when you come into the world of spirits, as is done after death, and you will be fully convinced. But it is to be known, that there is a love of dominating from self-love, and a love of dominion from the love of uses; the latter love is celestial, but the former infernal. Therefore when one makes the head, the other makes the feet, that is, when the love of dominating from self-love makes the head, then the love of dominion from the love of uses, which is also the love of serving the neighbor from the Lord, at first makes the feet, afterwards the soles of the feet, and, lastly is trodden under foot. But when the love of dominion from the love of uses, which, as was said, is celestial love, makes the head, then the love of dominating from self-love, which, as was observed, is an infernal love, at first makes the feet, afterwards the soles of the feet, and, finally, is trodden under foot. These two loves, however, are with difficulty distinguished by man in the world, because their external forms are similar; yet they may be distinguished by this, that the celestial love is with those who approach the Lord, and live according to the precepts of the Decalogue; and that the infernal love is with those who do not approach the Lord, and who do not live according to the precepts of the Decalogue.