“Suddenly there occurred from heaven a noise just like that of a rushing stiff breeze, and it filled the whole house in which they were sitting. And tongues as if of fire became visible to them and were distributed about, and one sat upon each one of them, and they all became filled with holy spirit and started to speak with different tongues, just as the spirit was granting them to make utterance.”​—Acts 2:1-4.

18, 19. As explained by Peter, what prophecy began to come true on that day of Pentecost, and how long after its utterance?

¹⁸ Ah, at last, after more than eight hundred years since its utterance, the prophecy of Joel 2:28-32 had begun to be fulfilled. Startled Jews gathered to observe the phenomenon. Some charged the disciples with being drunk. Boldly the apostle Peter said to them:

¹⁹ “On the contrary, this is what was said through the prophet Joel, ‘“And in the last days,” God says, “I shall pour out some of my spirit upon every sort of flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy and your young men will see visions and your old men will dream dreams; and even upon my men slaves and upon my women slaves I will pour out some of my spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

Acts 2:16-21.