[Winman]

Chette and Bro George

I agree with both of you on many points, but not quite all. And that's OK, maybe I will change my viewpoint if I am convinced the scriptures do indeed teach what you are saying.

And I am not being contrary just for the sake of being contrary, or trying to be disrespectful. I sincerely see some problems.

When I said that Peter would have been presumptuous to preach that the Lord would return if all Israel accepted Christ, I was not saying he was presumptuous.

Let me see if I can explain it better.

Acts 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Now, here the apostles asked a very straightforward and direct question. They asked Jesus if he would restore the kingdom to Israel "at this time".

And Jesus told them it "is not for you to know"

So, I cannot possibly believe that the Holy Spirit would inspire Peter to preach the very information that Jesus had just told them it was not for them to know. This would be the Holy Spirit contradicting Jesus.

So, this is what I meant. If Peter had preached that the Lord would restore the kingdom if the Jews repented and accepted Jesus, he would have been speaking on his own, not the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. To this day, no one can say exactly when Jesus will return.

Mark 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.

According to Mark 13:32, Jesus himself does not know the time. So how could Peter preach this? And again, I cannot imagine the Holy Spirit giving this information to Peter under inspiration.

And besides that, I really do not see Peter preaching this message. The only verses where I see Peter saying something like this is Acts 3:20

20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 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.

OK, I do see Peter preaching Jesus's return here. But this is the same message and promise that all Christians have. We know Jesus will return, but we do not know the time.

You have said Peter was preaching to repent of killing Jesus. How do you repent of killing someone? A person can repent and stop drinking, a person can repent and stop gambling (just examples), but how do you repent of killing someone? Once you kill someone, there is no turning it around, it is done forever. You cannot make restitution.

Luke 19:8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

There are somethings you can change, some things you can fix, some things you can restore. But you cannot bring someone back to life if you have killed them, you cannot turn from this act.

No, I believe Peter was preaching a change of viewpoint and belief. The Jews had crucified Jesus, accusing him of blasphemy. They did not believe he was the Son of God. Peter was preaching that Jesus was indeed the Son of God and the promised Messiah. This is what they needed to repent of, their unbelief in Jesus. And this is the same message preached to Gentiles, the same gospel. We must believe Jesus is the true Son of God, believe that he died for our sins upon the cross, and rose from the dead.

I do agree that the gospel was to be first preached to the Jews. But the Lord had also said the gospel was to be preached to the Gentiles.

Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

This was before Pentacost.

And Jesus also mentioned the Gentiles in Acts 1:8

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

That is enough for now.