Presented 2015 by Rhonda Pickering

The rejection of the words of Jesus Christ by the nation of Israel in the “Fulness of Time” led directly to the first “changing of the guard.” It ushered in a period of time called “The Time of the Gentiles,” as the Church was born on Pentecost in AD 33.

From here on, things changed. A gospel that was previously restricted to God’s covenant nation would now be taken to all the nations of the world—or to the “Gentiles” in Hebrew. And the new covenant established with the Gentiles was in many ways different than the covenant God made with the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai.

All of these events were embedded prophetically in seven appointments God made with His people more than 3,500 years ago.

A “changing of the guard” will happen again, and we will enter a third period of time known as the “Day of the Lord” or the “Fulness of Times.” The Gentiles will reject the fulness of the gospel just like the Jews did (3 Ne. 16:10–11) and it will go back to the “house of Israel.” But who exactly belongs to the house of Israel in the Last Days? And what is Ephraim’s mission in all this? How does a Gentile get “numbered with the house of Israel” anyway?

 Understanding these patterns in prophecy is critical to having the oil in our lamps we will need as we participate in this last “changing of the guard.”