'Times of refreshing' and 'the restoration of all things' (Malachi 4:5-6. Matthew 17:11; Mark 9:12; Acts 1:6, 3:19-21)—promise to the house of Israel
"Nowhere in scripture is it ever said to Gentiles that their repentance would result in God sending the Messiah. On the contrary, 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 states that Gentile conversion has simply put them in a position to “wait” for the Messiah’s return."
The Early Jewish-Christian Interpretation of Prophetic Postponement (Acts 3)
“The interruption in the divine program of Israelite redemptive history was clearly interpreted in early Jewish-Christian theology as a postponement of the messianic blessings originally promised to the Nation. This recognition of postponement is explicit in the earliest post-Pentecostal preaching of the apostles. For example, in Acts 3:18 we read of the fulfillment of the messianic blessings of redemption in the first phase of Jesus’ advent in the words: “But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Messiah should suffer, He has thus fulfilled.” This redemptive proclamation is then tied in the text to the second phase of advent, which further fulfills the messianic blessings of restoration in verses 19- 21: “Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Messiah appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.” The phrases “times of refreshing” and “period of restoration of all things” are expressions for the messianic era or the promised restoration of national Israel to the divine ideal (cf. Isaiah 2:2-4; 4:2-6; 11:6-9; 62:1-12; et. al.). While these exact expressions appear only here in the New Testament and have no direct precedent in the LXX, parallel ideas of the Messianic era do exist in the Jewish apocalyptic literature: “times of refreshing” (4 Ezra 7:91, 95; 11:46; 2 Baruch 73- 74; 1 Enoch 96:3); “the period of restoration of all things” (4 Ezra 7:75; 13:26-29; 1 Enoch 45:5; 51:4). The context of Acts 3, which equates both terms with one event, requires an analogous interpretation. The Greek term anapsuxis (“refreshing”) is commonly used by Luke to refer to “the expectation of the time of salvation as relief following afflictions” (Luke 21:7-19, 28, 36; Acts 9:16; 14:22), and therefore the connection with the term “times” and the phrase “from the presence of the Lord” may refer to the deliverance of the Jewish remnant from Gentile domination and resultant persecution (ultimately effected at the end of the Tribulation period) by the advent of Messiah (Luke 21:28). In this respect it is analogous to the Greek term anesis (“relief”) in 2 Thessalonians 1:7. The Greek term apokatastasis (“restoration”) in Acts 3:21 is derived from the verb apokathistemi (“to restore [to an earlier condition]”), and appears in Acts 1:6 for “restoring the kingdom to Israel,” and in Matthew 17:11 and Mark 9:12 (cf. Malachi 4:5) of Elijah’s coming to “restore all things.” Parallel expressions of this period of “restoration” in the New Testament (though broader in scope) may be found in Jesus’ use of “the regeneration” (palinenesia) in Matthew 19:28 and Paul’s description of the future age of redemption in Romans 8:18-23. This term for “restoration” is especially related to national Jewish repentance toward the redemptive work of Messiah, since the two terms come from the same root and seem to be patterned after the prophetic condition for the restoration of the messianic kingdom: “(re)turn to Me [with a restored heart], and I will return to you [with restored blessings]” (Zechariah 1:3; Malachi 3:7; cf. Matthew 3:1-2; 4:17). In light of this apostolic presentation to the Jewish audience that rejected Jesus (Acts 3:14-17), one must ask why, if all of the messianic blessings for Israel were fulfilled in the cross work of Christ, is Israel’s repentance (verse 19) tied so vitally (and causally) with the Second Advent? The Second Advent is here explained with respect to its purpose (indicated by the conjunctive hopos + an and the aorist subjunctive) as a return for Israel: “repent … in order that He may send the Christ appointed for you” (verse 20). This construction governs both purpose clauses “that your sins may be wiped away” and “that He may send the Christ …”; thus both phrases are joined together in Greek in one verse (verse 20), although in English translation in two verses (verses 19-20). Nowhere in scripture is it ever said to Gentiles that their repentance would result in God sending the Messiah. On the contrary, 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 states that Gentile conversion has simply put them in a position to “wait” for the Messiah’s return. Also of significance here is the specificity of address in Acts 3:20 as “for you.” That this addresses Jews alone, and especially Jews as “national Israel” is affirmed by verses 12-15 where the audience is designated as “Men of Israel,” who “delivered up,” “disowned,” and “put to death” Jesus, and verse 17 where Israel’s “rulers” are specifically mentioned. This relationship between national repentance toward the Messiah and the messianic advent for the Nation (cf. John 4:22), especially with the added requirement of Jewish witness and Gentile inclusion (Acts 1:8; 15:11- 18), demands a parenthetical period until fulfillment is realized.”
—Prophetic Postponement (Randall Price)
https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.693.4814&rep=rep1&type=pdf
The Early Jewish-Christian Interpretation of Prophetic Postponement (Acts 3)
“The interruption in the divine program of Israelite redemptive history was clearly interpreted in early Jewish-Christian theology as a postponement of the messianic blessings originally promised to the Nation. This recognition of postponement is explicit in the earliest post-Pentecostal preaching of the apostles. For example, in Acts 3:18 we read of the fulfillment of the messianic blessings of redemption in the first phase of Jesus’ advent in the words: “But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Messiah should suffer, He has thus fulfilled.” This redemptive proclamation is then tied in the text to the second phase of advent, which further fulfills the messianic blessings of restoration in verses 19- 21: “Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Messiah appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.” The phrases “times of refreshing” and “period of restoration of all things” are expressions for the messianic era or the promised restoration of national Israel to the divine ideal (cf. Isaiah 2:2-4; 4:2-6; 11:6-9; 62:1-12; et. al.). While these exact expressions appear only here in the New Testament and have no direct precedent in the LXX, parallel ideas of the Messianic era do exist in the Jewish apocalyptic literature: “times of refreshing” (4 Ezra 7:91, 95; 11:46; 2 Baruch 73- 74; 1 Enoch 96:3); “the period of restoration of all things” (4 Ezra 7:75; 13:26-29; 1 Enoch 45:5; 51:4). The context of Acts 3, which equates both terms with one event, requires an analogous interpretation. The Greek term anapsuxis (“refreshing”) is commonly used by Luke to refer to “the expectation of the time of salvation as relief following afflictions” (Luke 21:7-19, 28, 36; Acts 9:16; 14:22), and therefore the connection with the term “times” and the phrase “from the presence of the Lord” may refer to the deliverance of the Jewish remnant from Gentile domination and resultant persecution (ultimately effected at the end of the Tribulation period) by the advent of Messiah (Luke 21:28). In this respect it is analogous to the Greek term anesis (“relief”) in 2 Thessalonians 1:7. The Greek term apokatastasis (“restoration”) in Acts 3:21 is derived from the verb apokathistemi (“to restore [to an earlier condition]”), and appears in Acts 1:6 for “restoring the kingdom to Israel,” and in Matthew 17:11 and Mark 9:12 (cf. Malachi 4:5) of Elijah’s coming to “restore all things.” Parallel expressions of this period of “restoration” in the New Testament (though broader in scope) may be found in Jesus’ use of “the regeneration” (palinenesia) in Matthew 19:28 and Paul’s description of the future age of redemption in Romans 8:18-23. This term for “restoration” is especially related to national Jewish repentance toward the redemptive work of Messiah, since the two terms come from the same root and seem to be patterned after the prophetic condition for the restoration of the messianic kingdom: “(re)turn to Me [with a restored heart], and I will return to you [with restored blessings]” (Zechariah 1:3; Malachi 3:7; cf. Matthew 3:1-2; 4:17). In light of this apostolic presentation to the Jewish audience that rejected Jesus (Acts 3:14-17), one must ask why, if all of the messianic blessings for Israel were fulfilled in the cross work of Christ, is Israel’s repentance (verse 19) tied so vitally (and causally) with the Second Advent? The Second Advent is here explained with respect to its purpose (indicated by the conjunctive hopos + an and the aorist subjunctive) as a return for Israel: “repent … in order that He may send the Christ appointed for you” (verse 20). This construction governs both purpose clauses “that your sins may be wiped away” and “that He may send the Christ …”; thus both phrases are joined together in Greek in one verse (verse 20), although in English translation in two verses (verses 19-20). Nowhere in scripture is it ever said to Gentiles that their repentance would result in God sending the Messiah. On the contrary, 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 states that Gentile conversion has simply put them in a position to “wait” for the Messiah’s return. Also of significance here is the specificity of address in Acts 3:20 as “for you.” That this addresses Jews alone, and especially Jews as “national Israel” is affirmed by verses 12-15 where the audience is designated as “Men of Israel,” who “delivered up,” “disowned,” and “put to death” Jesus, and verse 17 where Israel’s “rulers” are specifically mentioned. This relationship between national repentance toward the Messiah and the messianic advent for the Nation (cf. John 4:22), especially with the added requirement of Jewish witness and Gentile inclusion (Acts 1:8; 15:11- 18), demands a parenthetical period until fulfillment is realized.”
—Prophetic Postponement (Randall Price)
https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.693.4814&rep=rep1&type=pdf