His purposes are being accomplished. That means that God intervenes in history. He is not an absentee landlord. He is intimately involved in accomplishing all He wants accomplished. The flood, the incarnation and miracles are but a few examples of this proposition.
History is linear.
It moves along a line that begins with creation and ends with Christ's return. God controls all that happens along this line. Humans are in rebellion against God. This rebellion is what God is overturning in His program of redemption. This centers on His Son and His work on the cross.