Yes — God's intention was to bless Israel by turning them from iniquity and to send His Son Jesus back as their King if the nation repented and believed.
Peter made this clear in Acts 3, telling the men of Israel that God had raised up His Son and sent Him first to bless them by turning them from their iniquities. Les Feldick explains that God had not given up on Israel after the crucifixion; He was ready to send Jesus back to be their King. Israel's rejection did not remove the genuineness of the offer.
Acts 3:26 — This verse states directly that God raised up Jesus and sent Him to bless Israel by turning every one of them from their iniquities.
Acts 3:19-21 — Peter promises Israel that if they repent, God will send Jesus Christ back from heaven, showing the post-resurrection offer of the King.
In Acts 3, Peter addresses the Jewish men at the temple as 'Ye men of Israel' (Acts 3:12) and immediately identifies the God of Israel as 'The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob' (Acts 3:13). He calls them 'the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers' (Acts 3:25). Peter then tells them, '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' (Acts 3:26). Earlier in the same chapter Peter promises, '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; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you' (Acts 3:19-20). Zechariah 8:23 also looks forward to a day when ten men from the nations will take hold of the skirt of a Jew, saying, 'We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.'
Les Feldick teaches that God was not finished with Israel after the resurrection. In the early chapters of Acts, Peter and the Twelve continued presenting the risen Christ to the nation, pleading with Israel to accept the One they had crucified as their King. God was ready to send Jesus back to set up His Kingdom if Israel would repent and believe (Clip 1, Clip 2). This was a valid, genuine offer, not an act — even though God knew Israel would refuse it (Clip 5). Les grounds this in the covenants. Israel, not the Grace Age Church, is the covenant people; they possess the Abrahamic Covenant and the other covenants made with their fathers (Clip 0). The King and Kingdom were always meant to go together, and the Messiah was to come to Israel as their King after they became a nation in their land (Clip 6). After Israel rejected the crucified and risen King, God called Jesus back to glory until the time when He will return to deal again with His covenant people (Clip 3, Clip 4). Les also stresses that the disciples were instructed to stay in Jerusalem and keep presenting the King to Israel, in hope that the nation would still accept Him and the Kingdom could come (Clip 7).
Yes. Les Feldick points out that Peter was still pleading with the nation of Israel after Pentecost, telling them that the Jesus they killed was the One they should have accepted as their King, and that God had raised Him and was ready to send Him back if they would believe. This was not a symbolic gesture; it was a valid offer. Even if Israel had embraced their King, God would have brought about the crucifixion another way, because Jesus had to die that sacrificial death.
Peter continued to address 'Ye men of Israel,' because he was speaking to God's covenant people. Les Feldick emphasizes that Israel — not the Grace Age Church — was the covenant people, possessing the Abrahamic Covenant. The disciples stayed in Jerusalem specifically to present the King and Kingdom to the nation of Israel, in hopes that Israel would still accept their King and Christ could come and set up the Kingdom.
Israel rejected the King and the Kingdom, and the King was crucified. But God raised Him from the dead and called Him back to glory to sit at the Father's right hand until His enemies are made His footstool. Les Feldick teaches that this 'until' points to the time when Jesus will return to deal once again with His covenant people. God has not forgotten Israel; He has repeatedly promised them a King and Kingdom, and He will come back.
Israel is the Covenant People
Les points out that Peter remains exclusively Jewish in Acts 3, addressing 'Ye men of Israel,' because Israel — unlike the Grace Age Church — is a covenant people with the Abrahamic Covenant.
God's Renewed Offer to Israel
In early Acts, Peter pleads with Israel: the Jesus they killed is the One they should have accepted as King; God raised Him and was ready to send Him back if they would believe.
Repent and God Will Send Jesus Christ
Peter's message shortly after Pentecost was conditional: if Israel would repent and believe who Jesus was, God would send Jesus Christ back to set up His Kingdom.
Israel Rejected the King and Kingdom
The King and Kingdom were about to come, but Israel rejected the King; Jesus was raised to glory until the prophesied time when He will return to deal with His covenant people.
God Will Not Forget Israel
God has repeatedly promised Israel a King and Kingdom; after Israel rejected and crucified Jesus, the Lord returned to glory not to abandon Israel but to come back, just as He promised on the Mount of Olives.
A Valid Offer
Les calls the offer of the Kingdom to Israel a valid offer; even if Israel had accepted it, God would still have accomplished the crucifixion because Jesus had to die.
King and Kingdom Belong Together
The Abrahamic Covenant promised that Messiah would come as Israel's King once they were a nation in their land; a kingdom cannot function without its King, and a King is meaningless without His Kingdom.
Disciples Stayed to Present the King
The believers were instructed to remain in Jerusalem and present the gospel to the nation of Israel in hopes that Israel would still accept their King, so Christ could return and set up the Kingdom.
Acts 3:12: And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?
This verse shows that Peter's message after Pentecost was directed specifically to Israel.
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 ties Israel's forgiveness to repentance, which would prepare the way for the King's return.
Acts 3:20: And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
God's promised response to Israel's repentance was to send Jesus Christ back to them.
Acts 3:21: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
Jesus remains in heaven until the prophesied restoration, a period that will end with His return to Israel.
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.
This verse directly reveals God's post-resurrection intention to bless Israel by turning them from sin.
Zechariah 8:23: Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
This Old Testament prophecy shows that the nations would one day recognize God's presence with Israel.
Yes. Peter told Israel that God had raised up His Son Jesus and sent Him to bless them by turning them from their iniquities (Acts 3:26). God was ready to send Jesus back as their King if the nation repented.
Les Feldick teaches that God had not given up on Israel. Peter continued pleading with the nation, telling them that the One they killed was the One they should have accepted as King. The offer was valid, and the Twelve stayed in Jerusalem to present it.
According to Les Feldick, if Israel had repented and believed, Christ could have come back and set up the Kingdom. Even though God knew they would reject it, the offer was genuine.
Watch the Teaching: Why Peter Preached to "Ye Men of Israel" (Acts 2 & 3 Explained)