Yes—Joel 2:28-29 was fulfilled at Pentecost for Israel, while Joel 2:30 remains future and belongs to the tribulation.
Les Feldick shows that Peter quoted Joel at Pentecost and identified the Spirit's outpouring as the fulfillment of Joel 2:28-29. That portion happened when the Holy Spirit came down on the nation of Israel. But the signs in Joel 2:30—blood, fire, pillars of smoke, a darkened sun and a blood moon—did not occur then. Les places them in the tribulation and explains that God interrupted the prophecy, so the Old Testament prophet did not see the break.
Joel 2:28 — The key verse for the outpouring of the Spirit, which Les identifies as fulfilled at Pentecost.
Joel 2:29 — Continues the promise to servants and handmaids as part of the Pentecost fulfillment.
Joel 2:30 — The following verse that Les says was not fulfilled at Pentecost and remains for the tribulation.
Joel 2:28-29 records God's promise: "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: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit" (KJV). These are the verses describing the outpouring of the Spirit, with prophesying, dreams, visions, and the Spirit coming upon servants and handmaids. Immediately afterward, Joel continues into cosmic signs: "And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come" (Joel 2:30-31, KJV). In the prophecy, the Spirit's outpouring is directly followed by these signs. In Acts 2, Peter identifies the Pentecost event with Joel's prophecy and quotes Joel's words about the Spirit being poured out in the last days. The same prophecy that Joel delivered in the Old Testament is thus the prophecy Peter applies at Pentecost.
Les Feldick repeatedly stresses that Joel 2:28-29 is a prophecy, and that all prophecy is directed primarily to the nation of Israel, not to the church. He explains that the phrase "afterward" in Joel 2:28 means after Christ had come, been rejected, crucified, risen, and ascended. From that point, Les says, "this happened at Pentecost"—the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Jewish nation on a Jewish feast day, and sons, daughters, old men, young men, servants, and handmaids experienced the promised spiritual activity. Les then points to a problem: Joel 2:30 immediately continues with wonders in the heavens and the earth—blood, fire, pillars of smoke, the sun turned to darkness, and the moon turned to blood. Those events did not happen at Pentecost and have not happened yet; Les places them in the tribulation. For Les, the Bible has no visible break between verse 29 and verse 30; the Old Testament prophet saw it as one continuous flow. But the prophetic program was interrupted. The Pentecost portion was fulfilled in connection with Christ's first coming, while the tribulation portion remains future because that interruption is still in place. Les says, "So we put a break in there."
Yes. Les says the "afterward" of Joel 2:28 points to the time after Christ's rejection, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. He teaches that the pouring out of the Spirit on all flesh happened at Pentecost. He also notes that Peter, speaking at Pentecost, identified the event with Joel's prophecy. The Holy Spirit came down on the nation of Israel gathered for the Jewish feast day, enabling believing Jews to speak and act in the power of the Spirit.
Joel 2:30-31—the wonders in the heavens and the earth, blood, fire, pillars of smoke, the sun darkened and the moon turned to blood—did not happen at Pentecost and has not happened yet. Les describes these as tribulation events. They are still future because God has not yet brought that part of the prophecy to pass.
There is no break in the Bible text. Joel 2:29 runs straight into Joel 2:30. But the first part has been fulfilled and the second has not. Les explains that the prophetic program was interrupted. The Old Testament prophet did not see the interruption, so he wrote it as one continuing sequence. That interruption still separates the Pentecost fulfillment from the future tribulation signs.
The Mystery of the Church: Why It’s Not in the Old Testament
was fulfilled up to here, could it be the word of God and this not be fulfilled? Of course not. It's still going to happen because God said it will. And so He had the prerogative of interrupting it, and we're going to see how, if not in this half hour, surely in the next one. All right, now from Isaiah chapter 9.
Pentecost Fulfillment
Les shows that when Joel says "afterward," he means after Christ's rejection, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension—and that the outpouring of the Spirit happened at Pentecost.
Prophecy for Israel
Les explains that Joel's prophecy is Old Testament prophecy, and that all prophecy is directed primarily to Israel, not to the church.
Peter's Pentecost Quotation
Les confirms that Peter quoted Joel word for word at Pentecost and that the predicted prophecy, dreams, and visions had just happened.
The Break in Joel 2
Les demonstrates that verse 28 was fulfilled at Pentecost, but verse 30—blood, fire, and pillars of smoke—has not happened and belongs to the tribulation.
Joel Saw No Interruption
Les points out that Joel's text runs continuously into the tribulation signs, and the Old Testament prophet did not see the interruption that now separates the Pentecost fulfillment from the future signs.
Israel's Empowerment at Pentecost
Les explains that at Pentecost the Holy Spirit came down on the nation of Israel, offering them power to do miracles, signs, and wonders as Jesus had done.
No Prophecy to the Church
Les reiterates that no prophecy is directed to the church; Joel's prophecy, including the outpouring of the Spirit, concerns the nation of Israel.
Joel 2:28: 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:
The central promise of the Spirit's outpouring that Les says was fulfilled at Pentecost.
Joel 2:29: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
Extends the same promise to servants and handmaids as part of the Pentecost fulfillment.
Joel 2:30: And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
The first verse in Joel's prophecy that Les says did not happen at Pentecost and remains for the tribulation.
Joel 2:31: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
Continues the unfulfilled tribulation signs that follow the Spirit's outpouring.
Acts 2:17: And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
Peter's quotation of Joel at Pentecost, connecting the outpouring to the events of that day.
No. Les teaches that Joel 2:28-29 was fulfilled when the Holy Spirit came down at Pentecost, but the wonders of Joel 2:30 and 2:31—blood, fire, pillars of smoke, a darkened sun and a blood moon—have not happened yet. They belong to the tribulation.
Les says the text itself has no break—verses 29 and 30 run together. The first part was fulfilled at Pentecost, but the signs in verse 30 have not happened. God interrupted the prophetic program after the Pentecost portion, and the Old Testament prophet did not see the interruption.
Les says all prophecy, including Joel's, is directed primarily to Israel. Peter quoted this prophecy at Pentecost to the assembled nation of Israel, and the "your sons and your daughters" language refers to Israel's people.
Watch the Teaching: The Mystery of the Church: Why It’s Not in the Old Testament