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.

7364. Those in their communities who begin to think what is wrong, and then go on to will it, are banished from their community and left alone on their own. As a consequence they lead a very wretched existence outside society, living among rocks or whatever; for their communities are no longer interested in them. Some such communities do try in various ways to compel those people to come to their senses; but when this proves to be all to no avail they sever their connection with them. In doing this they are taking precautions to prevent the desire to exercise control and the desire for gain from creeping in, that is, to prevent any who are moved by a desire to exercise control from setting themselves up over the community they are in, and after that over many other communities, and to prevent any moved by a desire for gain from seizing others' possessions from them. Everyone there lives satisfied with what he has, and everyone lives satisfied with the respect in which he is held for being righteous and showing love towards the neighbour. This delightful and peaceful state of mind would be destroyed if those who think what is bad and will it were not cast out, and if judicious and firm steps were not taken to counteract in their earliest beginnings self-love and love of the world with whomever they exist. For these loves are what have been responsible for the conversion of communities into empires and kingdoms, within which there are few people who do not wish to exercise control and possess everything belonging to others. Few are they who do what is just and fair from a desire for what is just and fair, fewer still those who do what is good from charity, and what is true from faith. Those things are done instead from fear of the law, damnation, loss of life, loss of gain and position, and loss of reputation on account of these last.