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.

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

The loins, as in Ezekiel 29:7, signify the marriage of truth and good. In general, loins signify love, and when referring to the Lord, divine love. They can also signify the interiors of conjugial love. In Isaiah 11:5, they signify people in the divine good of love, and reins signify people in love towards their neighbor.

(参照: Apocalypse Revealed 830)