<p>2:16 <i>But this is the fulfilment of that which has been spoken through the prophet Joel</i>- Many attempts to understand prophecy, not least the book of Revelation, have fallen into problems because of an insistent desire to see everything fulfilling in a linear chronological progression, whereas God's prophecies (Isaiah is the classic example) 'jump around' all over the place as far as chronological fulfilment is concerned. And this principle is not only seen in Bible prophecy. The historical records in the Old Testament tend to be thematically presented rather than chronologically (Joshua is a good example of this); and the Gospel records likewise. It especially needs to be recognized that in line with so much OT prophecy, neither the Olivet prophecy nor its extension in the Apocalypse can be read as strictly chronological. Thus Lk. 21:8-11 gives a catalogue of signs, and then v. 12 jumps back to the situation before them: &quot;but before all these things...&quot; (21:27,28; Mk. 13:10 are other examples). These principles are all brought together in the way Peter interprets Joel 2. The comments in brackets reflect the interpretation which Peter offers later in his address. He gives each part of it a fulfilment not in chronological sequence with what has gone before: &quot;This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel i.e. you are seeing a fulfilment of this prophecy before your eyes: I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy fulfilled by the apostles after Christ's ascension... and I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath the miracles of the Lord Jesus during His ministry... the sun shall be turned into darkness the crucifixion, and the moon into blood also referring to an unrecorded event at the crucifixion?, before that great and notable day of the Lord come the second coming; or the resurrection?: and it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved fulfilled by the crowd accepting baptism on the day of Pentecost&quot; (Acts 2:16-21).</p><p>Typical of the NT writers, Peter doesn't quote from the Masoretic Hebrew text, but from the Septuagint, and in Joel 2 there are significant differences. And yet Peter adds and changes things even from the LXX. The inspired writers don't quote exactly, and often mix interpretation with quotation.</p>