“But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel: And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophecy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on My servants and on My handmaidens I will pour out in those days of My Spirit; and they shall prophesy:”  Acts 2:16-18

One the day of Pentecost, after Jesus had ascended back to His Father in heaven, and the disciples had just appointed Matthias as the twelfth disciple to replace Judas, the disciples and other followers of Christ were gathered, and God sent the Holy Spirit upon them, filling each of them.  They began to speak in other languages.  Devout men who were gathered in Jerusalem for Pentecost were amazed at hearing God’s words spoken to them in their own languages, but there were some who mocked and said that those speaking were drunk.

Peter spoke up and denied that any of them had been drinking, but the words that were being spoken were a fulfilling of the prophecy spoken by Joel many years prior to that day.  The specific prophecy to which Peter referred was Joel 2:28-32: “And it shall come to pass afterward (in the last days), that I (God) will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh.”  The last days refers to the interval between Christ’s first and second comings.  Joel was foretelling a glorious event that would take place hundreds of years into the future from his present day which likely was during the reign of Joash over Judah in the 9th and 8th centuries B. C.  This particular part of Joel’s prophecy foretold the day of Pentecost when Christ would send the Holy Spirit to abide within the heart of each one who believes on Christ.  No one would be excluded based on gender, social or economic status, nationality, race, or language.  In Old Testament times, the Holy Spirit was given to a select few like Joseph, Moses, and David.  However, Joel foresaw a day when God’s Holy Spirit would be made available to any and all who would repent and receive His Son as Lord and Savior.

Along with receiving the Holy Spirit, there would be supernatural gifts given to the generations following the outpouring of the Spirit.  Young men and women would prophesy, young men would see visions, and old men would dream dreams.  Servants and handmaidens would also be included.  In ancient times, visions and dreams were more common than in New Testament times, although, there are several times when dreams were used to warn people such as the dream that Joseph had to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt to flee from Herod’s threat to kill all baby boys (Matthew 2:19-20).  Today, God speaks chiefly through the Holy Spirit to His people.  Some folks say that they have actually heard a voice and believed it was God who spoke to them, but I think mostly the Holy Spirit speaks to believers through their thoughts or, in the case of the believer who sins, the Holy Spirit sends a feeling of conviction upon him or her.  Believers usually refer to this as “that little red flag” that goes up within their spirit.

The prophet Joel also foretold a future time when God’s wrath would be poured out on the earth.  As Peter continued to speak, he jumped ahead to the time of tribulation on earth just prior to Jesus’ return.  Because Joel’s prophecy of the Holy Spirit being poured out had come to pass, it gives truth to the remainder of the prophecy which is still in the future.  Jesus gave some details of this time in Matthew 24.  He said that the sun will be darkened, the moon will cease to give light, and the stars will fall from heaven.  In Revelation 6:12, when Jesus opened the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake, the sun became black, and the moon became as blood.  In Revelation 9:2-3, when the bottomless pit was opened, a thick, dark smoke arose, just as Joel had prophesied.

Peter then quoted Joel 2:32 as he gives us the greatest promise in all of scripture: “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved”.  When Peter quoted Joel in saying “whosoever”, Peter did not yet realize the full implication of that term to include Gentiles, but later, Peter would have an encounter with the Lord who would lead him to abandon his prejudices and embrace the gospel as truly available to all regardless of race, color, or creed.  Peter would learn that through faith in Christ, Gentiles could be made part of the seed of Abraham (Romans 4:13,16).

Joel’s prophecy was made 800 or 900 years before the apostle John wrote John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.  Joel was looking forward to the time when God would provide a Savior.  John was looking backward at the fulfillment of the promise of a Savior.  Even though hundreds of years separated these two men, their focus centered on God’s redemption of not only His chosen of Israel, but of all people everywhere that would bow the knee and look to the Savior, Christ, for forgiveness and salvation:  “…whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved”.