ell are, from hatred against the Lord, eager to kill the human,
which is good and truth, it follows that hell is the source of murder
itself. (A.E., n. 1013.)

From what has been said above it can be seen that all who are in evils
in respect to life, and in the falsities therefrom, are murderers; for
they are enemies and haters of good and truth, since evil hates good and
falsity hates truth. The evil man does not know he is in such hatred
until he becomes a spirit; then hatred is the very delight of his life.
Consequently from hell, where all the evil are, there constantly
breathes forth a delight in doing evil from hatred; while from heaven,
where all the good are, there constantly breathes forth a delight in
doing good from love. Therefore two opposite spheres meet each other in
the middle region between heaven and hell, and engage in reciprocal
combat. While man lives in the world he is in this middle region. If
he is then in evil and in falsities therefrom he passes over to the side
of hell, and thus comes into a delight in doing evil from hatred. But
if he is in good and in truths therefrom, he passes over to the side of
heaven, and thus comes into a delight in doing good from love.

The delight in doing evil from hatred, which breathes forth from hell,
is a delight in killing. But as they cannot kill the body they wish to
kill the spirit; and to kill the spirit is to take away spiritual life,
which is the life of heaven. This makes clear that the commandment,
"Thou shalt not kill," involves also thou shalt not hate thy neighbor,
also thou shalt not hate the good of the church and its truth; for if
one hates good and truth he hates the neighbor; and to hate is to wish
to kill. This is why the devil, by whom hell in the whole complex is
meant, is called by the Lord,

"A murderer from the beginning" (John viii, 44).

Since hatred, which is a desire to kill, is the opposite of love to the
Lord and also of love toward the neighbor, and since these loves are
what make heaven in man, it is evident that hatred, being thus opposite,
is what makes hell in him. Nor is infernal fire anything else than
hatred; and in consequence the hells appear to be in a fire with a dusky
glow according to the quality and quantity of the hatred, and in a fire
with a dusky flame according to the quantity and quality of the revenge
from hatred.

Since hatred and love are direct opposites, and since hatred in
consequence constitu