the confessions of saint augustine

i see the dawn
and i predict the sun is about to rise

what i see is in time present
what i predict is in time future

not that the sun is future
for it already exists

but its rising is future
because it is not yet

future events therefore are not yet
and if they are not yet
they do not exist
and if they do not exist,
they cannot be seen at all

but they can be predicted from the things present
which now are and are seen