The Time to Seek God
THE illustration on this page is of the Athenian Acropolis, once a center of worship of many gods and goddesses. Beneath the Acropolis is the Areopagus, said to have been the location of a court of justice in ancient times. It was on this spot, almost 2,000 years ago, that the apostle Paul stood and delivered a truly remarkable discourse. Following is some of what he said:
“[God] made out of one man every nation of men, to dwell upon the entire surface of the earth, and he decreed the appointed times and the set limits of the dwelling of men, for them to seek God, if they might grope for him and really find him, although, in fact, he is not far off from each one of us. For by him we have life and move and exist.”—Acts 17:26-28.
How different history would have been if mankind in general had taken note of Paul’s words! How many wars, how much suffering, would have been prevented if humans had recognized their common interest as the progeny of one man created by the Sovereign Lord, Jehovah.
Today, mankind is riven by nationalism, class distinctions, racial hatreds, and social inequities. Yet, Paul’s words still apply. All of us are descendants of that one man created by God. All of us are, in that sense, brothers and sisters. And it is still not too late to seek God while he can be found.
Paul’s words take on even more seriousness when we consider the final words of his discourse. He said: “[God] has set a day in which he purposes to judge the inhabited earth in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and he has furnished a guarantee to all men in that he has resurrected him from the dead.”
The resurrection of Jesus is a historical fact, and as Paul shows, it is a guarantee that there will be a judgment day for mankind. When? Well, we know that it is almost 2,000 years closer than when Paul stood on the Areopagus and uttered these words. Indeed, the fulfillment of Bible prophecy indicates that it is very close. What a sobering thought! How urgent that we seek God in all sincerity, since, as Paul told the Athenians, “now he is telling mankind that they should all everywhere repent”!—Acts 17:30, 31.