When did the Jewish disciples go to the ends of the earth according to Les's reading of Acts 1:8?
The Jewish disciples were not sent to the ends of the earth at that time. That mission would come only after Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria were completely converted and Israel had the King and Kingdom; until then, Gentiles would not be evangelized.
Les rejects the allegory that makes Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria stand for Tulsa, Oklahoma, or the United States. He says Acts 1:8 speaks literally: only after Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria are completely covered and converted do these Jews go to the ends of the earth. But Israel had no role evangelizing Gentiles until they had the King and Kingdom. Then Gentiles would flow to Jerusalem, as Isaiah 2 and Zechariah say—ten men from all nations would take hold of a Jew's skirt and say, 'We have heard that God is with you.' But not until. So Jesus could have done as in Luke 4, but He did not. The disciples did not go then.
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
What does Acts 1:8 mean by Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth?
Acts 1:8 means a literal sequence for Jewish witnesses: Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria had to be completely covered and converted first; only then were these Jews to go to the ends of the earth. It is not an allegory equating Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria with one’s own city, state, or nation.
Did the twelve disciples ever preach to the Gentiles?
No, the twelve disciples never preached to the Gentiles. Their witness was limited to Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. Scripture shows no instance of those twelve having a ministry among Gentiles because Israel's rejection of the King removed that opportunity.
More Questions
What does Acts 1:8 mean by Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth?
Acts 1:8 teaches that Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria must first be completely covered and converted, and only after those three are finished were the Jewish witnesses to go to the ends of the earth.
Is Acts 1:8 an allegory that your Jerusalem must be reached before you go to the ends of the earth?
The common allegorization of Acts 1:8, where Jerusalem is your city, Judea is your state, Samaria is your country, and then you go to the rest of the world, is not what the verse teaches.
How far did the Jewish fulfillment of Acts 1:8 go?
Les teaches that in Acts 1:8 the verse could have stopped after 'Samaria,' because as far as the Jew was concerned that is as far as the verse was going to be fulfilled.
Why does Les say Acts 1:8 should not be allegorized as Jerusalem = your city, Judea = your state, Samaria = your nation?
Les rejects the common allegory that Acts 1:8 means Jerusalem is your city, Judea is your state, Samaria is your nation, and 'ends of the earth' is your world mission field, because that is not what the verse actually says.