1593. 'And Lot travelled from the east' means those things residing with the external man which depart from celestial love. This is clear from the meaning of 'the east' as the Lord, and so as everything celestial, dealt with already in 101. And because the east means the Lord 'the east' here is consequently the Lord's Internal Man, which is Divine. Thus it is the departure of the external man from the internal that is meant here by the words 'Lot travelled from the east'.

In most cases, the meaning of "before" is pretty straightforward, both as a way of assessing relative time, and in its use meaning "in someone's presence." It takes on a deeper significance, though, when used in connection with the Lord. To be "before" the Lord means not just in His presence, but also receiving the desire for good and the understanding of truth from Him, and living according to them. And when used as an assessment of time in connection with the Lord, "before" means "from eternity," and refers to a spiritual state rather than time as we experience it.

(Odkazy: Apocalypse Revealed 366, 617; Arcana Coelestia 6983, 8439, 9888)