9334. 'Lest perhaps the land becomes desolate' means a deficiency in that case, and little spiritual life, that is to say, if the removal were hurried. This is clear from the meaning of 'the land' as the Church in general and also in particular, the Church in particular being a person who becomes an embodiment of the Church, since the Church exists within a person and comprises one who has been regenerated (for the meaning of 'the land' as the Church in general, see 9325, and for its meaning as the Church in particular, or a person who has been regenerated, 82, 620, 636, 913, 1411, 1733, 2117, 2118 (end), 2571, 3368, 3379; this person is also called 'the land' in Malachi,

All the nations will declare you blessed, and you will be a land of delight. Malachi 3:12.) and from the meaning of 'desolate' as a deficiency, and little spiritual life. For 'desolate', when used in reference to the Church within a person, means a deficiency of truth and good, thus also a deficiency of spiritual life since that life is provided by these. The implications of this, that there is a deficiency and little spiritual life if falsities and evils are removed hurriedly, are that when a person undergoes regeneration, which is accomplished by the implantation of spiritual truth and good, and at the same time by the removal of falsity and evil, the regeneration is not hurried but takes place slowly.

[2] The reason for this is that all the things the person has thought, intended, or done since early childhood have entered into the composition of his life. They have also formed themselves into a network which is such that one cannot be moved without all of them together being moved. For a wicked person is an image of hell, and a good person is an image of heaven; and also the evils and falsities with a wicked person are interconnected in the same way as the communities of hell are with one another, of which that person is a part, while the forms of good and the truths with a good person are interconnected in the same way as heavenly communities are with one another, of which this person is a part. From this it is evident that the evils and falsities with a wicked person cannot be removed suddenly from where they are. They can be removed only in the measure that forms of good and truths in their proper order have been implanted more deeply within the person; for heaven with a person removes hell. If the removal were done suddenly the person would pass out, for the whole network of things, every single one, would be thrown into confusion and deprive him of his life.

[3] The fact that regeneration or the implantation of the life of heaven with a person begins when he is a young child and continues right on to the final phase of his life in the world, and the fact that after life in the world his perfection continues for evermore, see 2679, 3203, 3584, 3665, 3690, 3701, 4377, 4551, 4552, 5126, 6751, 8772, 9103, 9296, 9297, and in particular 5122, 5398, 5912, 9258. Also, and this is an arcanum, a person's regeneration in the world is merely the foundation for the unending perfection of his life. The person who has led a good life undergoes perfection in the next life; see what has been shown regarding young children, in 2289-2309, and regarding the state and condition of gentiles there, in 2589-2604.

2802. 'Isaac said to Abraham his father - he said - My father. And he said, Here I am, my son' means a conversing - which took place in the Lord and was grounded in love - between Divine Truth and Divine Good. This is clear from the meaning of 'Isaac', the son, as Divine Truth, and from the meaning of 'Abraham', the father, as Divine Good, both of which are dealt with in the paragraph following this; and from the affectional content of these expressions showing that both are grounded in love. From this it is evident that a conversing of the Lord with His Father is meant. Within these words more arcana lie concealed than can be perceived by any human mind, as may be recognized from the fact that the verb 'said' occurs four times in this verse (in the Word when something new is being introduced, the expression 'and said' is in the habit of appearing, see 2061, 2238, 2260) and also from the fact that the words in this verse are expressive of love, which, when they come to be perceived by celestial angels who understand the inmost sense, are formed by those angels into utterly heavenly ideas. For celestial angels form for themselves enlightened ideas from the affectional content of the Word, whereas spiritual angels do so from the spiritual meanings of the words and the subject matter there, 2157, 2275. Thus from the words of this verse in which there are four distinct and separate phases and affections springing from love, they form ideas such as cannot possibly come down within man's range of understanding nor find expression in words; and that formation of ideas is effected with an abundance and variety beyond words. All this shows the nature of the Word in its internal sense, even in places, like the present verse, where it appears plain and simple in the letter.