Does 'all that are afar off' in Acts 2:39 mean Gentiles?
No. In Acts 2:39, 'all that are afar off' does not mean Gentiles. Peter is still addressing the nation of Israel. The phrase refers to Jews dispersed throughout the known world since the Babylonian captivity and later scattering, whom the Lord would call to salvation.
Les teaches that while some people think 'all that are afar off' in Acts 2:39 refers to Gentiles, he cannot see that. He explains that Jews were already dispersed from one end of the empire to the other. They had been scattered at the Babylonian captivity; only a few returned, and most stayed in Babylon and then scattered. Earlier the ten tribes had been taken into Syria and never came back. So Jews were all over the known world. Les understands Peter to be referring to those far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call—those brought to a knowledge of salvation, even as Jews. He also notes Peter's exhortation to save yourselves from that untoward generation, a generation of Jews guilty of rejecting and crucifying Christ, and to separate from that thinking and realize He was the Christ.
For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.
More Questions
Who is Peter addressing in Acts 2 when he speaks of the promise in Acts 2:39?
Peter in Acts 2 is still dealing with the nation of Israel, and his statement in Acts 2:39 about the promise being to you, your children, and all that are afar off is spoken to that Israelite audience.
How widespread was the Jewish dispersion by the time of Acts 2?
By the time Peter preached in Acts 2, the Jews had been so widely dispersed that there were Jews from one end of the Roman Empire to the other.