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24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ 29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:24-31)

In v. 26 of this passage, Paul says, “From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.” The traditional interpretation of the “appointed time” refers to the cycle of seasons. By the power of His creation, God marked out the time of the different seasons, so that all mankind on the earth live by the law of nature. Through this, they can experiencee His grace.

Later, some theologians interpreted this phrase differently. They claim that God’s “appointed time” does not only point to the cycle of changing seasons, but it also points to historical events. God has planned out all historical events. He allows certain important events to happen, during which time man may get to know Him. Our lives, our being is dependent on Him, not only because He is in control of the seasons, but also because He holds history in His hand. This coincides with what the Bible, especially the Old Testament, says.

Then, Paul continues, “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” If God’s appointed time is how He guides history, the result that He wants is to make us abandon idols and repent to the One True God. Although this sounds familiar to us, history has proven that it is something we often forget easily. During times of upheaval, we strive to survive and often neglect our spiritual needs. Today, during this unprecedented time, are we holding firmly to our idols, or are we preparing our hearts to understand and accept that history is in God's control?