Peter quoted the entire prophecy without a break because he did not know that two thousand years of the church age would interrupt the prophetic program.
In Acts 2, Peter identified the Spirit's outpouring as the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy, then continued through the cosmic signs that were still future. Unlike Jesus, who stopped reading Isaiah in Luke 4, Peter had no foreknowledge of the coming church age. Les teaches that Peter quoted Joel straight through because he expected the tribulation and the kingdom to come next.
Acts 2:16-21 — This is the passage where Peter quotes Joel's prophecy completely, continuing from the Spirit's outpouring through the day of the Lord without a break.
Luke 4:18-19 — This records Jesus stopping in the middle of a prophecy, the contrast Les uses to show that Peter lacked that same knowledge.
In Acts 2, Peter stands up at Pentecost and says, “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel.” He then quotes the entire prophecy, starting with the outpouring of the Spirit and continuing through wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath — blood, fire, and vapor of smoke, the sun turned to darkness, and the moon turned to blood before the great and notable day of the Lord. Luke records the whole quotation without any indication that Peter paused between the part being fulfilled at Pentecost and the part still future. In contrast, Luke 4 records Jesus reading from Isaiah 61 in the synagogue. Jesus read, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor... to preach the acceptable year of the Lord,” and then closed the book. He did not continue to the following words about the day of vengeance. Scripture itself shows both a complete quotation and a deliberate stopping point, though Acts does not comment on Peter's state of mind.
Les Feldick teaches that Peter quoted the whole Joel prophecy for a simple reason: Peter did not know that a two-thousand-year interval would interrupt the prophetic program. Les repeatedly says Peter had “no idea” of a church age and “no way” of knowing the program would be interrupted. Unlike Jesus, who stopped reading Isaiah in Luke 4 because He knew the remaining words would not be fulfilled at His first coming, Peter did not have that foreknowledge. Les points out that Peter quoted Joel straight through — from the Spirit poured out on servants and handmaids to the blood, fire, vapor of smoke, darkened sun, moon turned to blood, and the coming day of the Lord. Those later events had not yet happened and were still future. Peter, in Les's teaching, was speaking as an Old Testament prophet would, seeing the events in sequence with no awareness of a long gap. As Les explains, Peter thought the next thing on the divine agenda was the tribulation, the return of Israel's King, and the kingdom. He had no knowledge that Israel's rejection would open the way for the church age, a mystery hidden from the Old Testament prophets. This is exactly why Peter reads the prophecy as one unbroken movement.
Les contrasts Peter with Jesus. In Luke 4, Jesus stopped reading when He came to the end of the part being fulfilled in His ministry; He did not continue the verse that spoke of the coming tribulation and kingdom. Peter, however, did not know where to stop. He went right on with the prophecy as if the whole sequence would happen without interruption. Les says Peter had no way of knowing that the program would be interrupted by two thousand years.
According to Les, Peter expected the tribulation and the kingdom to come next. Peter could see that Christ's ministry, crucifixion, resurrection, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit were all happening according to prophecy. Les says the next thing on the agenda, in Peter's mind, would have to be the tribulation and then the return of Israel's King and the kingdom. Peter was in full agreement with the Old Testament that Israel would go through those terrible years before the King and kingdom could come. But Israel rejected the message, and instead the church age intervened.
Les says the Old Testament does not reveal a nineteen-hundred-year period of grace. The prophets simply saw the events coming down as they were prophesied. Peter, quoting an Old Testament prophet, was in the same boat. He had no idea of a church age and no awareness that the program would be interrupted. Les also notes that Jesus could have told the disciples about the long interval but did not, so Peter never caught on. The church age was a mystery not found in Old Testament prophecy.
Joel's Prophecy Is Directed to Israel
Les reads Joel 2:28-32 and shows that the prophecy begins with the Spirit's outpouring and then moves to wonders in heaven and earth, giving the full passage Peter quotes.
Peter Quotes Right Through Without Stopping
This is the central clip: Les contrasts Peter with Jesus, saying Peter does not know to stop and goes right on with the prophecy, unaware that two thousand years would interrupt it.
Peter Lacked Foreknowledge to Stop
Les explicitly says Peter did not have the foreknowledge Jesus had, so he quoted Joel straight through the entire prophetic program.
Old Testament Had No Church-Age Gap
Les explains the Old Testament prophets did not see a nineteen-hundred-year church age; Peter, quoting Joel, spoke as they did, as if the events would come in sequence.
Peter Expected Tribulation Before the Kingdom
Les shows Peter agreed with the Old Testament that Israel must go through the seven horrible years of tribulation before the King and kingdom could come.
Peter Saw Tribulation and Kingdom as Next
Les says Peter identified Pentecost with Joel and thought the next events would be the tribulation and the return of Israel's King; because he did not know the difference, he went right through the prophecy.
No Omnipotent Insight, No Church Age
Les explains that Peter did not have Christ's omnipotent insight, so he could not stop at the right place; he had no idea the program would be interrupted or that a church age would come.
Jesus Did Not Tell the Disciples of the Gap
Les notes Jesus could have told the disciples about the nineteen hundred years but did not, and Peter never caught on; Peter expected God to fulfill all promises to Israel in short order.
Acts 2:16: But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
Peter explicitly identifies the Pentecost outpouring with Joel's prophecy, showing he is quoting an Old Testament passage.
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:
This is the portion of Joel's prophecy being fulfilled at Pentecost, where the Spirit is poured out.
Acts 2:19: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
Peter continues to quote the prophecy into the cosmic signs that were still future at that time.
Acts 2:20: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
This part of the prophecy had not yet been fulfilled, showing Peter read the whole passage without a break.
Luke 4:18-19: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Jesus stops at this point in the reading and does not continue to the day of vengeance, the contrast Les uses to explain Peter's different approach.
Peter had no foreknowledge of the gap. Unlike Jesus, who stopped reading Isaiah at the point of first-coming fulfillment, Peter read Joel straight through, not knowing the program would be interrupted by two thousand years of the church age.
Yes. In Luke 4, Jesus read Isaiah 61 and stopped at 'the acceptable year of the Lord,' not continuing to the day of vengeance. Les uses this to show that Jesus knew where to stop, while Peter did not.
No. Les says Peter had no idea of a church age and no way of knowing the program would be interrupted. Peter expected the next events to be the tribulation and the literal kingdom.
Watch the Teaching: What Peter Really Said at Pentecost — Acts 2 Explained