Peter quoted Joel because he expected the next events to be the tribulation and the Kingdom—not the Church Age.
According to Les Feldick, Peter had no concept of the Church Age, which was a mystery hidden in the Old Testament. Peter saw the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost as the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy, and he knew the next step in God's prophetic program was the tribulation and then the return of Israel's King and the Kingdom. Thus, he quoted Joel straight through the prophetic timeline, unaware that a parenthesis (the Church Age) would intervene.
Acts 2:16-21 — This is Peter's direct quotation of Joel 2:28-32 at Pentecost, the key passage in question.
In Acts 2, Peter addresses the crowd on the day of Pentecost, explaining that the phenomenon they are witnessing is the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy. He says, 'But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel' (Acts 2:16). He then quotes Joel 2:28-32, which speaks of God pouring out His Spirit on all flesh, followed by wonders in the heavens and the earth—'blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke'—and the coming of the 'great and notable day of the Lord' (Acts 2:19-20). Peter quotes the entire passage, including the part about cosmic signs, which indicates he saw the tribulation as the immediate next event.
Les emphasizes that Peter, like all Old Testament prophets, had no knowledge of the Church Age, which was a mystery hidden in God (Clip 0). Peter, speaking under inspiration, quoted Joel verbatim from Acts 2:16-21, including the tribulation parts (Clip 7). Les explains that Peter saw the Pentecost outpouring as the beginning of the 'last days' and knew that the next thing on God's prophetic agenda was the tribulation, followed by the Kingdom (Clip 1). But because Israel rejected the Messiah, that program was postponed, and the Church Age intervened (Clip 1). Peter, lacking the divine knowledge that Jesus had, did not stop in the middle of the quote as Jesus did when reading Isaiah (Clip 2). Thus, he continued through the tribulation portions because he rightly expected them to follow immediately.
According to Les, Peter knew from Old Testament prophecy that the next events after Christ's first coming would be the tribulation and then the return of Israel's King to set up the Kingdom (Clip 1). He had no concept of a Church Age, as that was not revealed anywhere in the Old Testament (Clip 0). Thus, when he quoted Joel, he included the tribulation passages because he fully expected them to happen soon.
Les teaches that Israel's rejection of the Messiah postponed the tribulation and the Kingdom. Peter, however, did not know this would happen. In Acts 3, Peter even said that the Lord would return if Israel repented, but the times of restitution (the tribulation) still had to occur first (Clip 5). Because Israel did not repent, the prophetic clock stopped, and the Church Age began, a mystery never revealed before (Clip 1).
Peter's Lack of Church Age Knowledge
Les shows that Peter had no concept of the Church Age; he only knew the Old Testament timeline of Christ's suffering, wrath, and Kingdom, so he naturally expected the tribulation next.
Peter's Expectation of Tribulation and Kingdom
Les explains that Peter knew the tribulation and the Kingdom were next on the prophetic agenda, and he quoted Joel accordingly, but Israel's rejection postponed these events.
Peter's Inability to Stop
Les contrasts Jesus, who stopped mid-verse in Isaiah, with Peter, who did not have that foreknowledge and thus quoted Joel straight through the tribulation.
The Mystery of the Church: Why It’s Not in the Old Testament
And then the end thereof shall be with a flood, and to the end war desolations are determined. He shall confirm the covenant with many one week. That's the tribulation. That didn't take place at Christ's first coming, so it's been postponed. All right, now the next one is Joel, chapter 2. That comes right after Hosea. Joel, chapter 2. Joel, chapter 2.
Why the Old Testament Never Mentions the Church Age
Joel chapter 2, verse 28. Now this is Bible study. My land, this is just plain Bible study. This isn't denominational doctrine or anything like that. This is just showing you what the Scripture says. Joel chapter 2, verse 28. And it shall come to pass afterward, that is after His rejection and so forth, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh.
Why Peter Said "Whom You Crucified" — Acts 3 & 4 Explained
It was all determined back there in Daniel chapter 9, and down there I think it's about verse 25 where it says that in the middle of that final week, when the Antichrist would come into the temple and defile it, and the Lord Jesus referred to it Himself, of course, in Matthew 24.
What Peter Really Said at Pentecost — Acts 2 Explained
And so that was nothing new, that the Spirit was a person of the Godhead. But that He would come down in this kind of a role to empower. This was something totally new. And so Peter says, "...this is that which was spoken by Joel." Now we're going to go back and look at it in a minute, because Peter of course quotes from Joel.
Peter Quotes Joel Verbatim
Les shows that Peter explicitly said 'this is that which was spoken by Joel' and then quoted Joel 2:28-32 word for word, including the tribulation imagery.
Acts 2:16-21: But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 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: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
This is the exact passage Peter quoted from Joel, showing he included the tribulation signs.
Les Feldick teaches that the Church Age was a mystery hidden in God, not revealed in the Old Testament or the Gospels. Peter, like other Old Testament prophets, only knew the prophetic timeline of Christ's suffering, tribulation, and Kingdom. Therefore, he had no knowledge of a parenthesis called the Church Age.
According to Les, Peter believed the next events were the tribulation and then the return of Israel's King to establish the Kingdom. He did not anticipate the Church Age because it was unrevealed.
Watch the Teaching: Why the Old Testament Never Predicted the Church Age