The Ancient Witnesses

Chapter 8: The Fulfillment of Time • 281

Augustine paused while Joseph showed me the passage in Matthew’s Gospel. “Now then,” he continued, “it was for the binding of this Strong One that John, in Revelation, had the vision we read about—the vision of an angel coming down from heaven with the key of the abyss and a chain, and laying hold of the dragon, that old serpent, which is called the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years ,—that is, he bridled and restrained his power so that he could not seduce and gain possession of those who were to be freed.” 29 “The kingdom hasn’t come in fullness yet, has it?” I asked. “No indeed,” said Augustine, “but we must not disregard what has already come to pass.” “What has come to pass?” I asked. “So much has come to pass!” said Augustine, and my friends all laughed. I guess he meant the resurrection, the giving of the Holy Spirit, and all that, only I had not been thinking in those terms. Augustine silenced the laughter, and continued explaining. “It is true,” he said, “that when Christ returns he will say Come, you who are blessed of my Father and take possession of the kingdom prepared for you . 30 But even now, though in a lesser way, his saints are reigning with him. Are you not reigning with him even now?” “Amen!” declared Preacher. “Do you recall these words of our Lord?” the Bishop asked me. “ Have you understood all these things? And

29 The following dialogue is based on Augustine, City of God , XX.5-7 (NPNF 1.2, 423-427).

30 Matthew 25:34.