6805. 'And God saw the children of Israel' means that He endowed the Church with faith. This is clear from the meaning of 'seeing' as having faith, dealt with in 897, 2325, 2807, 3863, 3869, 4403-4421, 5400, so that 'God saw' is endowing with faith (for faith comes from God); and from the meaning of 'the children of Israel' as the Church, dealt with in 6637.

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.

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