Joel 2:32

"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of Jehovah shall be delivered; for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those that escape, as Jehovah hath said, and among the remnants those whom Jehovah doth call.

In the light of Peter's use of this passage, the primary meaning of it is applicable to salvation from sin, with the attendant indication that just a few, a "remnant" will actually participate in this salvation. In the extended meaning of the prophecy, "mount Zion and Jerusalem" stand for the church or kingdom of Jesus Christ which began there. In the spiritual sense, it is still true that "the word of the Lord goeth forth from mount Zion and Jerusalem."

This verse has been cited as "the clearest example in the whole book of one author quoting another";[50] but it should be particularly noted that Joel did not say, "Obadiah saith," but that "Jehovah saith." Joel says that he was giving God's Word; and it is not necessary at all to make a portion of this passage a "quote" from Obadiah 1:1:17. As Cole freely admitted, "It is, however, possible that both Joel and Obadiah are quoting some earlier anonymous prophetic saying."[51] Of course, such a thing is easily possible; but there is yet another possibility that should never be ruled out by one who actually believes that the prophets were writing what they said they were writing, the "word of Jehovah"; and that is the possibility that Jehovah himself gave identical words to different authors. Why should such a possibility as this be ruled out? Certainly, any adequate theory of "inspiration" must always include it!

One familiar with the Bible knows that the standard formula for one sacred author's quoting another is that of giving the quoted prophet's name, as Peter did when he quoted this passage. In the light of this, many so-called "quotes" cited by commentators are no such thing at all.

"This prophecy looks beyond the time of restoration and rehabilitation of Joel's day, even beyond Pentecost which marked the inception of the new age, to a time of the final consummation of things visualized by the author of Revelation in his announcement of a new heaven and a new earth."[52]

The events of any prophetic fulfillment should be carefully studied for clues to possibilities in the ultimate fulfillment. Just as the Christians were warned prophetically of the destruction of Jerusalem, and all of them escaped it by retiring to Pella,[53] all who truly believe in Christ and obey him will escape the ultimate general destruction at the last day.

In view of the N.T. usage of this prophecy, it must be considered one of the most important sections of the O.T.