Both the same as explained by both Jonathan and Matt T. You could/can also say "from a distant + point ..." from a distant vantage point. from a distant far off place. from a distant viewpoint. from a distant hill top. from a distant mountain/mountain range/balcony/tree top etc many varieties are possible.

They mean the same in that they express the same fact. The difference takes place only inside the mind of the speaker. In the first, the speaker thinks of the "distance" as nonspecific. In the second, the speaker may be thinking of a specific place that is distant. The first statement is equivalent to "from afar..."

Kind of tricky for me to give a precise explanation, but it generally has to do with frame of reference and whether it's referring to a measure/distance or to a place. 'I spotted you from a distance.' Here it is used as an imprecise measure. It just means from an arbitrary distance, it could be I spotted you (identified you) from 10 feet or 100 feet. 'From a distance, you could be mistaken for Joe.' Same here, 'a distance' being an arbitrary/imprecise distance or measure. 'He emerged from the distance.' The distance here is a place rather than a measure. "The small house was visible in the distance." Same here, 'the distance' is an imprecise place or location. Could also be inferred to be an arbitrary distance or measure so this isn't 100%, but I think it's fairly instructive.