And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.

Your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.

Joel 2 verse 28.

Hey listeners, this is Nick from Book of Mormon Central, and today's podcast addresses

the question, why did Maroni quote from the Book of Joel?

On the night of September 21, 1823, the angel Maroni appeared to Joseph Smith and told

him about an ancient record that had been deposited not far from his home.

As part of his instructions to the young Joseph,

Maroni quoted numerous scriptures from the Old and New Testaments,

including selections from Malachi, Isaiah, and Acts.

Joseph recorded that Moronai also quoted the second chapter of Joel,

from the 28th verse to the last. He also said that this was not yet fulfilled, but was soon to be.

Clearly these five verses must have been significant to Joseph Smith's ministry to merit citation

by Moronai on this occasion. Joel foresaw an era when the

Spirit of God would be poured out on all people, young and old, male and female, leaders and

servants, with miracles seen on earth and in the sky, darkening the sun and the moon and delivering

those who call on the name of the Lord,

for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance.

Many biblical scholars have found the book of Joel difficult to date,

both in terms of when it was written and of which day or days it looked forward to,

especially as Joel includes no specific temporal clues.

...