Many passages in the New Testament of the Bible quote parts of the Old Testament, which was written hundreds of years before. In some versions of the Bible, footnotes — added by the translators — refer us to the original text.
One verse, however, cites the source from the text. It is in the book of Acts, where Peter directly references what the prophet Joel said. Here’s what happened:
Jesus tells the disciples that he will send the Holy Spirit to them to help and guide them. The Holy Spirit shows up and things get crazy: there’s the sound of a strong wind, the appearance of flames of fire, and the disciples start preaching in other languages.
The people freak out and blame it on too much wine.
Peter sets things straight by showing that this was foretold by the prophet Joel: “I will pour out my Spirit on all people.”
Joel says it would happen, Peter and his buddies experience it, and things are forever changed: the Holy Spirit is given to all. Yes, all. That means them and it means us — you and me; all. As a result crazy things can happen for us, too!
[See Acts 2:1-13, Acts 2:16-18, and Joel 2:28-29.]
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
