The prophet Joel had a vision of what it would be like when God’s kingdom came and the Snake Crusher ruled over it. In that vision God poured out his Spirit on all people: men and women, young and old. Now that the Snake Crusher had come, that vision was coming true. It all began at Pentecost. The Spirit came down and enabled his followers to preach in different languages so that God’s kingdom could spread. It spread and spread and spread, from that small group of disciples to all nations. The book of Acts tells the story of how the gospel spread from Jerusalem to every part of the world. Jesus’s rescue mission had begun, and it cannot be stopped. The kingdom of God is coming, just as Joel foretold!