502. 'Which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt' signifies the two infernal loves, which are the love of dominion derived from the love of self and the love of ruling derived from the pride of self-intelligence, which exist in the Church where there is not one God and the Lord is not being worshipped, and where [the life] is not being lived in accordance with the precepts of the Decalogue. By 'Sodom' in the spiritual sense is signified the love of dominion derived from the love of self, concerning which [something] follows; and by 'Egypt' in the spiritual sense is signified the love of ruling derived from the pride of self- intelligence, concerning which also [something] follows; and because these two loves are signified it is therefore said 'spiritually Sodom and Egypt'. The reason why these two loves exist in the Church where there is not one God and the Lord is not being worshipped, and where [the life] is not being lived in accordance with the precepts of the Decalogue, is because a man is born into those two loves and he comes into them while he is growing up, and those loves cannot be removed except by God the Saviour and by a life in accordance with His precepts. And they cannot be removed by God the Saviour unless He is approached, nor can a life in accordance with His precepts be given unless the man is being led by Him. It can indeed be given, but not a life in which there is anything of heaven and the Church therefrom. That life is given only by Him Who is Life. That the Lord is that Life may be seen (John i 4; v 26; vi 33-35 seq.; xi 25, 26; xiv 6, 19; and very frequently elsewhere). [2] At this day it is not known that the love of dominion derived from the love of self and the love of ruling derived from the pride of self-intelligence are the heads of all the loves of hell, and thus the heads of all the evils and consequent untruths in the Church. The delights of those loves, which exceed the delights of all the pleasures of the mind (animus), cause it to be unknown, when yet they are 'spiritually Sodom and Egypt'. That 'Sodom' is the love of dominion derived from the love of self can be established from the description of Sodom in Moses, that on the occasion of the angels coming thereto they wanted to do violence to them in Lot's house, and that fire and sulphur rained upon them out of heaven (Gen. xix seq.). That love, with its lusts, is signified by 'fire and sulphur'. I have seen similar things when the cities and associations [formed] out of such were overthrown on the day of the last judgment, and they were cast down into hell. Those loves and the evils thereof are signified by 'Sodom' and 'Gomorrah' in these places (Isa. i 10; iii 8, 9; [xiii] 19; Jer. xxiii 14; xlix 18; l 37, 40; Lam. iv 6; Ezek. xvi 46-50; Amos iv 11; Zeph. ii 9, 10; Deut. xxix 23 [H.B. 22]; xxxii 32; Matt. x 14, 15; xi 23; Mark vi 11; Luke x 10-12; xvii 28, 29). [3] It is not known in the world that that love is signified by 'Sodom'; but keep it in mind, and remember it when you come into the world of spirits, which happens after death, and you will be fully convinced. It should, however, be known that there is a love of dominion derived from the love of self and a love of dominion derived from the love of uses. The latter is heavenly, but the former is infernal; and therefore when one makes the head, the other makes the feet, that is, when the love of dominion derived from the love of self makes the head, then the love of dominion derived from the love of uses, which also is the love of being of service to the neighbour derived from the Lord, at first makes the feet, afterwards the soles of the feet, and at last is trampled under foot. In the world, however, these two loves can scarcely be distinguished by a man. This is because their external forms are alike, but they are differentiated by the fact that the heavenly love is with those who approach the Lord and live in accordance with the precepts of the Decalogue, and the infernal love is with those who do not approach the Lord and do not live in accordance with the precepts of the Decalogue.