The Past and the Future Are Modes of the Present

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The past is the present viewed in a certain way: present memories and objects are viewed not as merely present, but as signs of times that have vanished. A card in my pocket evokes the memory of the person who gave it to me; an itch on my knee casts my mind back to the bee that stung it; the shell of a building reminds me of the good times I once had there.

The future is the present viewed in another way: what is present is looked to as portents of what is to come. A smile on my boss's face means a promotion is likely; gathering clouds signify an imminent storm; an angry speech from the Secretary of State leads me to buy oil stocks in anticipation of war with Iran.

Comments

  1. traumerei12:17 PM

    So do you regard some aspects (i.e. those events which God does not directly instantiate) of Biblical prophecy as God's "best guess" of what will happen?

    ReplyDelete

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