AR 690 - The Fourth Bowl Poured Onto the Sun; AR 692 - The Nature of Self Love

AR 690

Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl onto the sun. 
(Revelation 16:8)

. . . To pour out the bowl symbolizes here, as before, 
an influx springing from goods and truths, 
here an influx into the people's love; 
for the sun symbolizes the Lord's Divine love, 
and in an opposite sense a love of self. 
Here it is a love of self, 
because we are told next 
that people were scorched with fire, 
and scorched with great heat, 
which symbolizes the lusts of that love.

AR 692 [2] 

We will briefly describe the nature of self-love. 
Its accompanying delight 
surpasses every other delight in the world, 
for it consists of nothing but lusts for evils, 
and every one of the lusts produces its own delight. 
Every person is born into this delight, 
and because it impels the person's mind 
to focus its thought continually on itself, 
it draws the mind away 
from thinking about God and the neighbor 
except from the perspective of self 
and with a focus on self. 
As a consequence, 
if God does not favor the person's lusts, 
he becomes angry with God, 
as he becomes angry with the neighbor 
who does not favor them.

As this delight grows, 
it causes the person to be unable 
to elevate his thought above himself, 
but instead draws it down to a level beneath him, 
for it immerses the mind 
in the inherent nature of his body. 
As a result the person becomes gradually sensual, 
and a sensual person speaks 
in a lofty and elevated tone 
about worldly and civic matters, 
but he can speak about God and Divine matters 
only from memory. 
If he is a politician, 
he acknowledges nature as responsible for creation, 
his own prudence as his guide, 
and denies God's existence. 
If he is a priest, 
he speaks about God and Divine matters from memory, 
even in a lofty and elevated tone; 
but at heart he little believes them.