The Promise Fulfilled | Acts_02:12–28

The Holy Spirit’s outpouring and the fulfillment of prophecy mark the beginning of God’s kingdom.

The Confusion and Clarification

Acts 2:12–21 (AMP)

12 And all were beside themselves with amazement and were much perplexed, saying one to another, “What can this mean?”
13 But others, jeering and ridiculing, said, “They are simply drunk and full of sweet wine.”
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “You men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be explained to you, listen to what I have to say.
15 These men are not drunk, as you imagine, for it is only the third hour (about nine o’clock) of the day;
16 But this is the beginning of what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days,’ says God, ‘That I will pour out of My Spirit upon all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;
18 Yes, and on My menservants also and on My maidservants in those days I will pour out of My Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth beneath, blood and fire and smoking vapor;
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord comes.
21 And it shall be that whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’”

Legend for Discourse Tree:

🔑 The Confusion and Clarification
├── 🔸 The crowd is amazed and perplexed by the events they witness (vv. 12–13)
│ ├── 💬 Some mock the apostles, attributing their behavior to drunkenness
│ └── ⚡ This mockery highlights the confusion surrounding the supernatural events
├── 🔸 Peter’s explanation and proclamation (vv. 14–16)
│ ├── 💬 Peter asserts the apostles are not drunk, but fulfilling prophecy
│ └── ⚡ Peter connects the events to the prophecy of Joel, signaling the fulfillment of God’s promises
└── 🔸 The prophecy of Joel and its significance (vv. 17–21)
├── 💬 God’s Spirit will be poured out on all people, enabling prophesy, visions, and dreams
├── 💬 Signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth will precede the day of the Lord
└── ⚡ The call to salvation is universal—everyone who calls on the Lord’s name will be saved

Peter’s explanation of the Pentecost event begins with an appeal to the bewildered crowd, which is caught between amazement and mockery. Some dismiss the scene as drunkenness, but Peter, standing with the eleven, asserts that this is the fulfillment of prophecy, specifically from Joel 2:28–32. He declares, “These men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day” (Acts 2:15), immediately cutting through the misunderstanding and offering a theological explanation for what is happening.