Yes — God continued dealing with Israel in the early chapters of Acts because His purpose for that nation was not yet complete, and He only later turned to the Gentiles through the Apostle Paul.
Les Feldick teaches that after Israel crucified their Messiah, God did not immediately abandon them. For the first seven or eight years of Acts, God was still dealing with Israel, and Peter pleaded with the Jewish nation to repent so that Jesus could return. The turning point came when God raised up the Apostle Paul, another Jew, and sent him to the Gentiles.
Acts 3:19-21 — This is Peter's direct appeal to Israel, offering the return of Jesus Christ if the nation repents.
Genesis 12:2 — This shows why Israel was significant: God had promised to make Abraham a great nation from the beginning.
Romans 1:16 — This explains that the gospel was still ordered to the Jew first, and then to the Greek.
At the beginning of the book of Acts, the biblical record shows the apostles continuing to minister to the Jewish nation. Peter's sermon in Acts 3 offers Israel a way back: '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: 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.' This was still an appeal to Israel, not a turn to the Gentiles. From the beginning, God had promised to make Abraham a great nation, and He had set that nation apart. The Psalms anticipated the rejection of God's Anointed and His session at God's right hand until His enemies are made His footstool. The Apostle Paul later summarized the order for the gospel: it is 'the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.'
Les Feldick explains that God pulled Israel out of the stream of humanity and set them apart as a special nation. For roughly two thousand years, God dealt with them as 'Jew only, with the exceptions.' When Israel rejected and crucified their King, God did not immediately turn to the Gentiles. Instead, the first seven or eight years of the book of Acts still show God dealing with Israel. Peter's message in early Acts was strictly to the Jewish people. He was pleading with them to recognize that the One they killed was their King, that God raised Him from the dead, and that God was ready to send Him back if they would repent. This was an extension of Jesus' earthly ministry and the prophetic plan for Israel. Finally, when Israel would not believe and receive her King, God raised up another Jew, the Apostle Paul, and sent him to the Gentiles. Paul first went to the Jew in every city, but after continued rejection, he finally turned to the Gentiles. From that point, the Body of Christ, the Church, began to be called out, though some Jews were still saved.
Les Feldick says no. He teaches that God did not give up on Israel just because they crucified the Christ. The early chapters of Acts show that God was still dealing with the nation and that Peter was pleading with Israel to believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and was ready to send Him back as their King.
Les Feldick emphasizes that Peter was strictly appealing to the Jew in the early chapters of Acts. The Bible records Peter's plea to Israel to repent so that Jesus could return, which shows that the Jewish nation was still the focus of God's dealings.
According to Les Feldick, the first seven or eight years of Acts were still God dealing with Israel. After Israel continued to reject the Messiah, God raised up the Apostle Paul and sent him to the Gentiles. Paul began in the synagogues of the Jews, and only after about thirty years of rejection did he finally declare that he would go to the Gentiles.
Les Feldick teaches that God has not given up on Israel. Even in the early Acts period, God was still patient with the nation and offered the return of their King. Later, after Israel fell away and the Gentiles were brought in, the Church Age began, but the nation of Israel was not permanently set aside.
Israel as God's Special People
Les teaches that God called Abraham and made Israel a special nation set apart from the rest of humanity, which explains why He continued dealing with them.
First Seven to Eight Years Still Israel
Les explains that the first seven or eight years of Acts were still God dealing with Israel, and that the book of Acts primarily records the fall of Israel.
Peter's Appeal Still to the Jew
Les points out that Peter was strictly appealing to the Jew in Acts, showing that God's dealings with Israel were continuing after the ascension.
Not Yet Turned to the Gentiles
Les notes that as the book of Acts opens, the turning to the Gentiles has not yet happened; God's focus is still on Israel.
God Has Not Given Up on Israel
Les teaches that despite Israel crucifying Christ, God did not immediately turn away and was still ready to send Jesus back as their King if they repented.
Paul Raised Up for the Gentiles
Les explains that when Israel would not receive her King, God raised up Paul and sent him to the Gentiles, which opened the Church Age.
Two Thousand Years of Jew-Only Dealing
Les reviews that for two thousand years God dealt with Israel with rare exceptions, and that the Psalms show the death of the Anointed and His exaltation.
Paul Went to the Jew First
Les shows that even Paul went to the Jew first in every synagogue, and only after Israel's continued rejection did he finally turn to the Gentiles.
Genesis 12:2: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
God's promise to Abraham explains why Israel was set apart as His special nation.
Acts 3:19-21: 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: 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.
This is Peter's early Acts appeal to Israel, offering the return of Jesus if the nation repents.
Psalm 2:2: The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
This verse is referred to by Les when he shows the rejection of God's Anointed by Jew and Gentile.
Psalm 110:1: The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
This describes Christ's ascension and His waiting at the Father's right hand, which Les connects to the period after Israel's rejection.
Romans 1:16: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
This verse shows that the gospel continued to begin with the Jew, which Les uses to explain Paul's practice in Acts.
Les Feldick teaches that God had not given up on Israel. In the early chapters of Acts, Peter was still pleading with the Jewish nation to repent, because the One they crucified had been raised from the dead and God was ready to send Him back as their King.
According to Les, God continued dealing with Israel for the first seven or eight years of Acts. Only after Israel persisted in rejecting the Messiah did God raise up Paul and send him to the Gentiles, opening the Church Age.
Les Feldick says yes. God has not given up on Israel. The early Acts period shows His patience with the nation, and even after the Church Age began, some Jews continued to be saved.
Watch the Teaching: Why the Old Testament Never Mentions the Church Age