Israel missed the opportunity to repent and be converted so God would send Jesus Christ to fulfill the covenant promises and set up the Kingdom.
In Acts 3, Peter offered Israel the chance to repent and be converted so God would send Jesus Christ to fulfill the covenant promises (Clip 0). Les explains that every Jew to the last man had to turn, and then Christ would have brought in the Tribulation and established the Kingdom, with Israel evangelizing the nations (Clips 2, 4). Instead, Israel rejected the message, and God raised up Saul of Tarsus to take the gospel of grace to the Gentiles (Clips 1, 3, 5).
Acts 3:19-20 — This is the direct scripture Peter preached to Israel: repent and be converted, and God will send Jesus Christ — the exact opportunity Israel missed.
In Acts 3, Peter addressed the nation of Israel, telling them they were 'the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers' (Acts 3:25), and that all the prophets from Samuel onward had foretold these days (Acts 3:24). He proclaimed that God, having raised up His Son Jesus, sent Him first to bless them by turning away every one of them from their iniquities (Acts 3:26). The call was clear: 'Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord' (Acts 3:19). The promise followed: 'And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you' (Acts 3:20).
Les Feldick teaches that Israel was given a tremendous, valid opportunity at the beginning of the book of Acts. Based on Acts 3:19-20, Peter preached that if the nation would repent and be converted, God would send Jesus Christ to fulfill all the covenant promises He had made to Israel (Clip 0). But the prerequisite was that every Jew repent — the nation had to be converted 'to the last man' (Clips 0, 2, 4). A whole-nation conversion was required before the King could come (Clip 2). Had that happened, Christ would have brought in the Tribulation, lifted the curse, and established the Kingdom. Israel would then have been the missionary force, evangelizing the Gentile nations and bringing them to a knowledge of their God (Clips 1, 2, 4, 5). Les calls this a 'tremendous opportunity' (Clip 7). Israel was to have had the opportunity to carry God's salvation to the Gentile world through this covenant people (Clip 6). Instead, Israel rejected Jesus — first in His earthly ministry, and then continued to reject the message of Peter and the eleven in early Acts (Clips 1, 5). God, in His sovereignty, knew this would happen and was not caught off guard (Clip 2). When Israel proved they would not believe, God raised up another Jew, Saul of Tarsus, saved him by grace, and sent him to the Gentiles with the gospel of grace (Clips 1, 3, 5). The offer to Israel was real, but their rejection opened the door to the Gentile age of grace (Clip 5).
Les Feldick teaches that the nation had to be converted to the last man — every Jew had to repent of sin and follow it with water baptism (Clips 0, 2). He notes that Acts 2:38 was still appropriate at that time, connecting repentance and baptism to the remission of sins (Clip 2). This universal, national repentance was the prerequisite for the King (Clip 4).
Les teaches that if Israel repented, God would send Jesus Christ, who would usher in the Tribulation, lift the curse, and bring in the Kingdom (Clips 2, 7). The whole Old Testament program was that the Messiah would come, be rejected and crucified, the Tribulation would follow, and Christ would return to set up His Kingdom (Clip 7). Then Israel could have evangelized the nations and brought the Gentiles to a knowledge of their God by the millions (Clips 1, 2, 4).
When Israel continued to reject the message in early Acts, God raised up Saul of Tarsus, a 'raging bull' who hated Jesus of Nazareth, and saved him by grace — the epitome of grace (Clip 1). God told Saul before he left Damascus, 'I'm going to send you far hence to the Gentiles' (Clips 1, 3). This was not an accident or an afterthought; it was in God's sovereign foreknowledge, because God knew from the beginning that Israel would not do it (Clips 2, 4, 6).
Scripture shows the offer was made plainly. Peter told Israel that they were the children of the prophets and of the covenant God made with their fathers (Acts 3:25), and that God sent Jesus first to bless them by turning away every one of them from their iniquities (Acts 3:26). He also reminded them that all the prophets from Samuel onward had foretold these days (Acts 3:24), and that the times of refreshing would come from the presence of the Lord when they repented (Acts 3:19).
The Acts 3 Offer: Repentance and the Return of the King
Peter told Israel to repent and be converted so the times of refreshing would come and God would send Jesus Christ to fulfill all the covenant promises made to the nation.
The King and Kingdom Israel Could Have Had
Israel could have had the King and the Kingdom and could have evangelized the Gentiles, but their ongoing rejection led God to save Saul of Tarsus and send him to the Gentiles.
Every Jew Must Repent
The prerequisite for the King was that every Jew repent and be baptized; then Christ would usher in the Tribulation, lift the curse, and bring in the Kingdom.
The Promise of Priests to the Gentiles
The Old Testament promised that every Jew could be a priest to bring Gentiles to the knowledge of God; when Israel missed it, God raised up Saul of Tarsus as the apostle to the Gentiles.
Israel Could Have Been the Missionary Force
Unless Israel repented to the last person, the King could not come; Israel could have been the evangelists, but they continued to reject, so God went to the Gentiles.
The Message to Israel: The Crucified One Is the King
Peter and the eleven preached that the One Israel crucified was alive and could yet be their King, and that Israel could have evangelized the Gentiles — but they rejected it.
The Opportunity to Carry Salvation to the Nations
God's idea was to go to the Gentile world through His covenant people; Israel was to have had that opportunity, but their rejection sent them into dispersion.
The Old Testament Program Interrupted
The Old Testament program was for the Messiah to come, be crucified, the Tribulation to follow, then the Kingdom; Israel was given a tremendous opportunity but 'blew it' by rejecting.
Acts 3:19: Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Peter's call for the nation to repent so their sins could be blotted out and refreshing would come from the Lord.
Acts 3:20: And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
The promised fulfillment: God would send Jesus Christ back to Israel upon their repentance.
Acts 3:24: Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.
All the prophets from Samuel onward foretold the days of the King and the Kingdom offered to Israel.
Acts 3:25: Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
Peter reminded Israel they were children of the prophets and of the covenant made with their fathers.
Acts 3:26: Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
God sent Jesus first to bless Israel by turning every one of them from their iniquities.
Acts 2:38: Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Les references this verse as the repentance-and-baptism call that was still appropriate to Israel in early Acts.
Acts 22:21: And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.
The verse Les paraphrases as God sending Saul of Tarsus 'far hence' to the Gentiles.
Yes. Les Feldick teaches that Israel had to be converted 'to the last man' — every Jew had to repent and be baptized (Clips 0, 2). Peter made this the prerequisite for the King in Acts 2:38 and Acts 3:19.
God raised up Saul of Tarsus, saved him by grace on the road to Damascus, and sent him 'far hence' to the Gentiles (Clips 1, 3). God turned to the Gentile world with the gospel of grace, and Israel went out into a dispersion (Clips 1, 4, 6).
No. Les teaches that God knew from the beginning Israel would not do it (Clip 2), and that He always knew the day would come when He would go to the whole Gentile world (Clip 6). The turn to the Gentiles was in God's sovereign foreknowledge, not an accident or afterthought (Clip 4).
No. Les asks, 'Have they stumbled that God should remove them completely? No way' (Clip 3). Israel missed the kingdom offer, but God's dealings with the nation were not finished (Clip 3).
Watch the Teaching: Why the 12 Disciples Never Preached to Gentiles — Acts 1:8